Can "YOU" See Why My Brakes Are Spongy? 

Thank God I found this video!! I've been fitting my bad brakes for months after rebuilding the front axle on my jeep. I mixed up the calipers and never thought about it. THANK YOU

As a every so often part time youtube mechanic this video was very helpful.

Yankee.......... I got to bow to you Sir, thanks to your video I got my BMW cult model E36 328i going again because I made that HUGE mistake to put rear left caliper on the right side and the right caliper on the left so the air was trapped in the pistons and the brake were not hard and working. I am very grateful to you for you great work, Thank you I really mean it.

Been there and done that!!! I'm at the 2.00 minute mark! Many, many years ago I got tripped up working on a Chrysler Lebaron. I spent 3 days trying to bleed the brakes before someone asked me if the bleed hole was on the bottom or the top of the caliper. I will never forget how stupid I felt when I meekly answered "On the bottom".

Stick a several foot length of clear hose on the bleed niple with a loop higher then the caliper. You can crack the bleed niple and sit in the cab to pump the brakes until all the air is out. It will waste some brake fluid but the hose prevents air from getting back in. It is also cleaner because you can catch the fluid in a bottle for disposal.

Thanks for the information man. I was sold a passenger side caliper and needed a driver side. I noticed the bleeder was one bottom but didn’t know it made a difference. I bleed brakes 4 or 5 times and never got air out. Even replaced my master cylinder. All this over a 2 week span. Happen to come across your video this morning. Thanks for your time much appreciated.

I'm glad somebody actually pointed that out with the parts. And I definitely agree 120%.

This was probably one of the best lessons for the weekend mechanics out there! Thank you for giving us the chance to figure it out before just telling us what was wrong. Thumbs up and subscribed!

I did this once with a Malibu. They put a right in a box marked right and a right in a box market Left. took me a while to figure it out but lesson learned in the end.

If you want to stop the reservoir from emptying itself when the lines are disconnected, depress the brake pedal with a stick and this will shut off the reservoir from the lines thus stopping any fluid leak.

I'm an amateur and didn't spot that but learned and appreciate the video, especially the part of bleeding your brakes on your own, thank you.

saw it right away. Brings back memories of the first time I experienced this problem. I was searching for the problem for so long, never even thinking of the calipers being switched side to side.

Thank you so much for this video, i own a 1994 Nissan 300zx and after rebuilding all four calipers my brake pedal went all the way to the floor, after bleeding the air out of the system...I read a lot online so the first thing i did was replace the master cylinder and it did not work, after that i replaced the brake booster and still the pedal went all the way down to the floor, finally after a lot of research i found this video, i went to check my calipers and yes my rear calipers were on the wrong side... I relocated them and bled the air out and Voila!, my brake pedal no longer sinks to the floor... Thank you for this video and good luck!

I done the same thing with my rear calipers and never gave it a thought about the bleeder valve was on the bottom and not the top. Switched the calipers around and now everything is good again. Thank you for that tidbit of info!

Thank you! I was about to bleed my rear brakes and noticed the bleeder screws on the rear calipers were on the bottom! This video just popped up in my feed. There was a reason! Subbed

Yep, bleeder screws pointing down. I caught it. Thanks

also an easier method for bleeding alone. a 600ml bottle, clear hose from the hardware store that fits snug onto the bleeder. drill hole in bottle cap, put brake fluid in bottle so hose end is submerged, put one hose end in bottle, the other on bleeder , open bleeder, pump brakes til no air seen in tube. refill master as needed. quick and no mess or tired arm from pumping

June 12, 2002. Thank you, thank you. I went to Auto Zone and told the kid I needed a passenger side caliper for my 2004 Silverado. I had my core with me. He had it in stock. He took it out of the box and did a comparison and says, yep this is the one. I installed it on the truck, tried to bleed the brakes and could not get the brake pedal to stop going all the way to the floor. Tried many times with no luck. I went to You Tube and try to find some info on the problem. The only video that solved the problem was yours. Sure enough, when I look at the bleeder valve it was on the bottom. I had no idea the bleeder valve made that much of a difference. How you explained it, I can see that it makes sense. Luckily Auto Zone replaced it with no problem. So thanks again.

I never knew this, I fixed the same problem by watching this video, Thanks so much

I did not know this, never thought this was a thing or ran into this. Thanks for sharing!

50 plus yrs of turning wrenches and I never knew this, I googled my brake problem and found your video and fixed a. Ford pick up with the same problem, Keep going with your video s. Your dang hood man

Some people should NOT work on their own vehicles. I've seen this before, with a dude I worked with, that replaced calipers on his four wheeler. Calipers were on the wrong side. I switched them around, re-bled them and they were great. I also had a Corvette come in the shop with a brake noise. The customer's brother replaced the brake pads in the rear putting the steel backing plates facing the rotor. Like I said, some people should NOT be working on their own vehicles.

I like the "Can you see it?" format. Causes better learning to happen.

Great video! Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

You know 95% of doges are still on the road today.... The other 5 made it home.

This video just saved my ass after I too foolishly installed my calipers upside down, now I can get to work tomorrow, thanks!

Thank you so much I put a disk brake conversion kit on my 67 Impala and no one could figure out the problem and I spent hrs on line looking for info and thank God I came across your video I would of never figured it out 👊🏽

Thanks for this video, i fixed my own car, saving me money... I have my bleeder valve pointed down... after i watched your video.. i swapped it from left to right like what you did.. and it worked... 2 thumbs up mate...

Thank you for your great help, after watching your video I found my mistake when I installed the calipers on my 2000 jeep Cherokee, I made exactly that mistake, Bleeder screw downward, it drove me crazy trying to find the problem, until I saw your video, again thank you so much, keep up the good work

Loud and clear I love this guy

Great video , something so simple can cause so much trouble ! This should be common knowledge but most people don’t know that the bleeder must be on top ! Thanks

@Kentucky Yankee, right @ 1:44 I about spit out my drink. That bleed screw at the bottom gets em every time. Hey, at least they were consistent with all 4 calipers. I'm a ASE master tech, and working in the field along time. I've seen that many times, but never more scary then when its another "technician" that does it. Wait until you see wheel cylinders done like that, really makes you scratch your head.

Dude! You rock man! Thank you so much for posting this. You saved my ass. Could not figure out where I screwed up and stumbled across this. God bless brother and thanks again for looking out for the shade tree guys.

I'm so glad I stumbled on your video! I have been spending so much money on my trucks brakes trying to bleed them and viola, I go out and look at my new calipers, and they are upside down. Thank you sooo much! I'm in Radcliff by the way.

Great information for us backyard mechanics who don't have your experience. This video came just in time. I am replacing calipers on my daughter's car tomorrow. I'm hoping I wouldn't have put them on the wrong sides but now I know I won't. Thanks.

Love your videos! Very informative and funny.

Saw it right away! I turn wrenches for a living now but I used to be in the parts business. You'd be surprised how many people put them on the wrong side and blame the calipers! Omg! Made the comment, clicked play again, screw up x 4 even!

You are intellegent my friend. I experienced that trouble whe i was in california.because of the bleeder at the bottom you can not bleed properly.you are absolutely correct.

Very helpful. I also liked your commentary to your dog. Glad you gave your dog some treats too.

I liked the ending made lots of sense u still get a treat

love having my own lift too . enjoyed this video . you know why ford put hand warmers on the tailgates. . to keep your hands warm while you push it home. .

Bleeder screws should be on the top Calipers are on the wrong sides

Great tips. Don’t forget to lube the caliper pins with synthetic grease.

Easy fix. Flip the car upside down, bleed and flip the car back up. Done.

Thank you for these great tips it saved my day

Thank you for the vidéo. My right front calliper was installed with a calliper for the left side causing the bleed screw being on the bottom. Never was able to get a good brake peddle

Always good practice to lube the sliders every time you take the calipers off. They like to rust and seize. Also, to keep fluid from running all over when you take the hose off GENTLY clip a pair of vice grips on the hose.

great work mate it also worked on a Suzuki Liana 205 model

should have used new copper washers. when they get camped by the caliper bolt, they "squish" down to help seal the hose to the caliper, but, when they get compressed, they harden, making them less able to seal more effectively.

Very very informative! Thank you!

Great job-informative and easy to understand!

I watched your video off top I noticed the plug was on the bottom. That's was my problem 😂 great video 5 Star

Great video thanks

Had to do this the other day. Good tip for ya I’d like to add, after disconnecting the brake line pull the banjo bolt and grab some ear plugs, put a plug in the hole and the brake fluid will swell the plug stopping the leak. Helps with the mess. Cheers.

Yep, I have done several brake jobs in the past but, my dumb ass did just that. Bleeders on the bottom. My manual, for my 05 Dakota ,. Just referred to abs module could be bad, booster is bad, and master cylinder is bad. Even online that's the first thing that came up. Then I found your video. Fixed it right up and I learned something new. Thank you!

Good video it helped me, i made the same mistake, thank you very much.

Great video thanks for posting .

That's funny I had the same problem and I felt so stupid when I realized I put calipers backwards. Left on the right and right on the left

Good video. Looks like nice countryside outdoors too.

I didn't catch the problem. Never changed calipers before so that was new to me. Thanks!

I put 2 new front calipers on my truck, had the same problem with no pedal. Thanks Kentucky Yankee, I had the calipers on backwards. All good now

Old Sling Blade fixin your lawn mower, Great video, Thanks Yankee

I got one for you. Cusfomer did brakes and couldn't get them to bleed. Turns out they took the bleeders off the new calipers and wrapped them in teflon tape, covering the bleeder holes.

Thank you for this video!

I'm 61 and seldom ran into a caliper that went bad on my own cars, mostly wheel cylinders on drum brakes. It does make sense that the bleeder screws should be on top, to let the air out.

YOU, good sir saved me a helluva headache! Great post. Subscribed, shared, liked and would love to buy you lunch! Thank you!!!!

Thanks for a simple explanation the weekend warrior can understand.

Are you kidding me? 😡 I been trying to figure out what was I doing wrong. I even changed calipers at the auto parts and still couldn't figure it out. Smh thank you for this lesson.

Thanxx a lot, i've the same thing with a Ford Mondeo. I didn't know that(bleeders at the top. I had good pressure with engine off,but with engine on, the pressure was gone.

Thank you so much, just realized why I have no pedal. Changing sides on my calipers now

Funny. I watched a South Main Auto repair video with Mr. O when he worked on a Dodge and found that the Dodge factory put two left calipers in the back. Remember when the news expose came out about Detroit workers having liquid lunch hours in the park every day? lol!!

I know how ya feel no body to help you just gotta figure out away! Cool good information

Kentucky Yankee- I'm sure you know this but for the edification other less experienced mechs out there; The fitting at the end of the brake line at the calipers is called a banjo fitting. Not only are 2 copper washers required but the bolt is hollow. Very important that the washers and bolt are clean and not damaged and as you mentioned, start the banjo fitting bolt with fingers as far as you can. They have "fine" threads and are hollow so don't get too aggressive with torque. Good video.

I've got a 2017 Camry se with 25k on it . my brakes feel spongy. don't get me wrong I could stop. it goes down low enough though.I doubt its brake pads doubt its worn rotors since its a new car and low mileage (idk though). brake fluids good little below max line..master cylinder i would think that would be fine....What the heck could it be??is an adjustment what it needs?any advice would be great.

you are great and give advice !!!!

Very good video...I fall into the 20% of the viewers. I'm an amateur. I'm learning mechanical work. Thank you for your video... I learned a lot.

Lmao. Nice video. I caught the problem at 3:49 bleeder valves at the bottom.

Thanks man you just fixed my problem....

I don't know whats worse.... Calipers on wrong side or the use of a 12 point wrench when a 6 point socket could've been easily used. With that said excellent quick diagnosis

When voice don't match face. Lol

A few years ago I bought a used dodge truck from a dealer. The brake line on the front brakes uses a banjo fitting that bolts to the caliper. Sure enough it's possible to put in on backwards, which stretches it on a full right turn. And it tore off just as we were arriving home. Fortunately our driveway is steep, so no harm done. I called the dealer and asked him about their "100" point inspection on new arrivals from the wholesale auctiion. Then I bought a hose/line from NAPA.

Thanks for sharing.

good work man

The pump kit I bought says that you start at the caliper closest to the master cylinder. I was always told to start at the furthest from the master cylinder. And this Blazer does have ABS, so the closest first. This could be the problem with the spongy brake pedal... Great video by the way...

Ty great video

am gone try that on my 2007 toyota corolla lastime i did all brake changes at last my brakes do not work at all even after i bleed my cylinder even change my rear wheel cylinder for any leaks still got the same problem hope this thing works at last before replacing my master cyclinder i never had any problem before while changing brakes in so many cars

Hey Bud... I sure wish I would of found your video yesterday. Not sure if the boxes the new calipers came in were marked wrong or not, but sure as hell, the two rear brake calipers had the bleeder screw on the bottom. My question is... since neither the bleeder screw or the brake line banjo bolt were installed in the new caliper (they came in a plastic bag in the box), and since both the screws were the same size diameter and thread pitch; could the screws be switched so that the bleeder screw is on the top? Btw... the car is a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo.

learn something new every day....lol I just learned something I didn't know about brakes. apparently whoever did the brakes before didn't really pay attention to how it looked before they replaced them

First thing I saw was the wet caliper and liquid inside the rim so I thought they were leaking but then I also noticed the bleed screws are on the bottom

Saw the same problem in another shop video, very helpful. But you did NOT replace the copper washers with new ones.

My 96 ram 1500 has spongy brakes and doesn't build pressure till you rev the engine. But the whole brake line has been replaced. And when you press the pedal quickly. It makes a air sound

Calipers are on the wrong sides. Pretty easy find 👍it is a easy mistake . Great video

So who actually put those brakes on in the first place. That's why if you are a DIY'er, you replace things one caliper at a time and put things back exactly like you removed them. lol

I like the last part on your dog abigail, haha. Good video, thank you

This dude just solved my problem

I only knew that it was probably the calipers on the wrong side because I read a RU-vid comment in a different video talking about it LOL

Nice video I just did front pads and this never happened before my pedal isn’t recovering and building pressure - I never broke the system open i tried bleeding the fronts and didn’t work either any ideas ?

Working on another Dodge with a double whammy brake issue. 17 year old vehicle that had mushy pedal when it was below 50F. Seals in master-torn and causing internal leak. And replacing the vacuum booster. It has a small leak in the diaphram, big enough to cause engine stumble, off idle poor performance. Check valve and hose were good Just stepping on the brake in park, would drop it 200 rpm Interesting is that only new master cylinders are available, but the booster can be a rebuilt. Plus $50 core. Remanufacturers will not warranty their booster if you resuse an old master cyl and it develops a leak out the back seal.

The brake pedal is not airy when the vehicle is at rest but super spongy when it's running. Despite sinking almost right to the bottom, it actually works super well and the grip sets in just right in the middle. It seems to me that this does not match with the description of this video. I wonder if it is the master cylinder issue, or something else, but what can that be?

Good old Kentucky boy, like myself! Nice video, brother!