[W126 Coupe] help with brakes

[heyallen at null-ptr.net]

On Wed, 12 Nov 2008 16:14:49 -0800 (PST)
Gary <garysalas at yahoo.com> wrote:


> i put the brake pads all around.  and the pedal goes all the way to the floor. 

when i did the rears i did something i probably wasn't suppose to do.  i took
apart the caliper (undid the two halves) and when i did that brake fluid spilled
out.  the reservoir is down about 1/2 inch maybe. what do i do about the pedal
going down to the

> floor.  i guess i need to bleed the brakes. and do i use dot 4?    is it any

different for abs brakes?   should i take it to a shop to have them bleed the
brakes? should i buy/use fluid from the merceds

> dealership?

>


I'm not sure about resealing the halves of the calipers, but likely a rebuilt
caliper wouldn't be a bad choice at the moment, if you can't find the proper seal
or sealant to re assemble them with.
With the brake pads wearing unevenly, I'd say your low wear side was
sticking/binding, so I'd definitely consider the new or rebuilt
calipers.

As to the fluid and bleeding, any DOT 3 or 4 fluid works, especially in our older
cars.  No big worry there.  Just flush the system from the furthest outboard from
the cylinder, and work your way back to the closes wheel.

Again, I'm not sure about the ABS pump on these.  On some cars the fluid flows
freely through the pump until it's activated.  On others (often on the newer cars,
from what I'm led to believe) you have to have a diagnostic tool to put the pump
into some special mode to get the fluid to cycle out of it.

That being said, on my 500SEC, and on my 300SD, I've just flushed them, and they're
doing fine so far...

Happy wrenching, and hopefully someone else will chime in shortly!

-Josh