Soft pedal, pulsating brakes

Dadwagon

Well-known member
Joined
May 20, 2018
Location
Canton, ct
TDI
2004 Jetta Wagon
Hello all,
Under braking, my 04 wagon shutters both the brake pedal and steering wheel. Just about at any speed over 20mph.
Obviously the faster i go, the worse the condition.
I bled all four corners and topped off the fluid- the front pads look about 80 percent good, rotors don’t feel very pitted or grooved either.
I did a front wheel tie rod check (lift vehicle, check for side to side play in wheel) Both front wheels felt solid, no play side to side or up and down.
I am wondering if it could be a bad master cylinder? There is a lot of travel in the pedal, and i don’t get a good firm feel either., (kinda squishy pedal)
I am thinking about changing the front rotors and pads simply to rule them out, wondering if you guys have any suggestions here.
Thanks,
Dave
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
You have warped, or out of true, front brakes, likely from rear breaks that are not working properly due to stuck pad perches, bad parking brake cables, stuck slides, etc.
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
100% out of roun drums or warped disks. If it shakes the steering wheel then its the fronts, if not then its the rears.
 

Dadwagon

Well-known member
Joined
May 20, 2018
Location
Canton, ct
TDI
2004 Jetta Wagon
That makes sense!
I just did the tears cause they were squealing like crazy. Slide on one side was seized, and the parking cables on both sides were all rusted and kinked.



So I guess I’ll do the fronts now, will let you know if that solves the shaking


Thanks for the help

Dave
 

Herm TDI

Vendor
Joined
Nov 21, 2001
Location
Richmond, Maine...The far side of Witsend
TDI
2002 Golf GLS Malone Stage 3, P+520 nozzles, 11MM Inj pump, Sachs VR6 clutch, Stelth Race Pipe, Immo Deleat, EGR Deleat
Audi TT bushings

Dave, The control arm bushings ( rear) are your problem.
When you replace them I'd recommend the Audi TT P/N: 8N0-407-181-B
 
Last edited:

jasantos40

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 11, 2018
Location
EU
TDI
g4 tdi
Dave, The control arm bushings ( rear) are your problem.
When you replace them I'd recommend the Audi TT P/N: 8N0-407-181-B
Are those the solid ones? If you want to keep the confort, that's a no.

If you want them to last longer, I would go for powerflex or some other polyurethane.
 

mk3

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Wisconsin, USA
TDI
03 Jetta GLS 5-speed
Dave, The control arm bushings ( rear) are your problem.
When you replace them I'd recommend the Audi TT P/N: 8N0-407-181-B
it's a good thing to check but this only *could* be a problem. However the brake rotor condition is a bit more likely or it could be that two things both contribute. I've definitely had brake judder AND had good control arm bushings AND corrected the problem by working on the brakes.

The soft pedal feel might be just the characteristic of this design. I chased that for a while on my car before I realized it probably was being unfairly judged against other cars in my fleet. The feel is more like a buildup over distance of pushing the pedal rather than buildup of force in a short distance.

Brake rotors can sometimes be reconditioned with garnet sand paper - the good old-fashioned brown type that (I think) is used for woodworking. I've helped mine one time after a long storage period by using this and an orbital sander. If you don't mind buying new rotors and pads, cleaning the surfaces, checking the pins, of course that will also work.
 

Mongler98

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Location
COLORADO (SE of Denver)
TDI
98 Jetta TDI AHU 1.9L (944 TDI swap in progress) I moved so now i got nothing but an AHU in a garage on a pallet.
dont be afraid to check your lug/studs for proper torque, i did a brake job back in the early years and found that the added heat from my performance pads melted the powder coating and the studs loosened up a bit and caused a symptom like yours but was all the time unless an equilibrium was reached on the force on the wheels and the vehicles speed. Food for thought. this is not uncommon if you over torque your studs/lugs on must cars with powder coated wheels with hard braking habits or have worn out nuts/studs.
 

Dadwagon

Well-known member
Joined
May 20, 2018
Location
Canton, ct
TDI
2004 Jetta Wagon
We have a winner!

You have warped, or out of true, front brakes, likely from rear breaks that are not working properly due to stuck pad perches, bad parking brake cables, stuck slides, etc.
Checking back to let everyone know the problem was in fact warped front rotors caused by seized up parking brake cables and stuck slide in the back. Car is a thousand times smoother. Pedal travel is still more than my Honda’s, but i guess that’s just part of the design
I have the f3 brake design- (caliper carrier built right into the knuckle) and the only problem i had was bottom caliper slide hole stripped out. Lots of rust from nasty northeast roads.
First tried oversized caliper bolt from dorman, no luck- it stripped out too.
Ended up using a helicoil kit from Napa- i can’t believe how simple those kits are to use. Bolt seated and torqued up nicely, and i am back on the road!
 
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