I feel like an idiot here, but I was going to try and change the rotors and pads on my 240 but after I got into it a bit decided to let a mechanic do it. I had gotten as far as removing the caliper (I think that is what it is called) and after I loosened the four bolts the fluid drained. I put things back together and after I added more fluid, the brake peddle goes to the floor and makes makes a sound like when you use a bellow on a fire.

I was going to drive this to my mechanic but obviously cannot now. Any help is appreciated. Thank you

Thanks for everyones input on this matter. It is a lesson learned and fortunately was not an expensive one. I took the car to a good Volvo mechanic and he did a thorough bleeding, replaced the pads (the original mission) and the master cylinder is fine. All told, the cost was minimal and the car is up and running and the brakes are better than ever

Thanks again for all the advice. This board is terrific

You might want to get the Bentley 240 manual to guide your next job.

$31.47 with free shipping at Amazon.com today.
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jds

Be good to that shop!

Considering the circumstances, they could have run up your bill, and you would have been at their mercy.

Seems like a decent place to me.
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DAMHIK: Don't Ask Me How I Know - - - Sven: '89 245, IPD sways, electric rad. fan conversion, e-codes, 28+ mpg - auto tranny. 500 mi/week commute. '89 245 #2 (wifemobile). '90 244 (spare, runs).

You loosened th wrong ones.. Sounds like the ones that hold the two halves of the caliper together.

For future reference...http://home.no.net/ebrox/Brakes.htm


It's good that you are trying to work on your own car. Maybe next time ask first so we can possibly send you pics. OR find a friend that has done them before. You can almost do brakes on any car once you've done them once and understand how mechanically they are supposed to work.
You'll need to bleed them hopefully the entire Master did not drain and yu can just bleed the one side
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me

Don't try this kind of work without a good shop manual at your side. Also, if it is your first time, have a friend with you who has done this kind of thing before.

I am all for DIY and have been doing my own brake work for years, but I read every available manual about it ahead of time and watched experienced guys before jumping in myself.

It sounds like you are in over your head.

Another good way to go is to sign up for an auto shop class at a local community college, trade school, adult education, etc. Most areas have classes like that available.

Knowledge and experience are the most important tools.

John

I'll take your word that you can't drive it. Let's try to see why.

re: "...removing the caliper (I think that is what it is called) and after I loosened the four bolts the fluid drained...."

By "four bolts", what exactly are the bolts you loosened. Did you mean "four" for both calipers? Or four on each caliper?

You only need to remove two (large, maybe ~17mm or so) bolts for each caliper to remove them. That would leave the two brake lines intact (assuming you have a pre-'92 car, or one line if you have an ABS-equipped '92-93), but you can still manipulate the caliper to pull it off the rotor (and hang it by a wire or coat hanger onto the spring).

Two possible scenarios, both not good:
1) To make "four" bolts (on each caliper), did you (in addition to the aforementioned two large bolts) also remove the small (bolt-like) fittings for the brake lines also?
2) You kept the brake lines attached, but when you pulled off the caliper, you perhaps stepped on the brake pedal(?), which popped the pistons out of the caliper and released all the brake fluid.

In any case, you also wrote, "...after I loosened the four bolts the fluid drained...", so in effect you lost your fluid, either because of (1) or (2).
So it's no wonder the master cylinder goes to the floor, despite having added more fluid. Adding more fluid just traps air bubbles in the lines lower down, so you have air bubbles in the system, which are compressible and therefore prevents you from generating adequate braking force (you can only do this with lines free of air) -- this is why you can step the pedal to the floor -- it will not stop the car. To correct this, you absolutely MUST properly do a complete and thorough (and probably repeat several times) brake fluid flush. And to do so, you need to do it properly, with a pressure bleeder -- I suggest the Motive PowerBleeder (it's the best around).

And if I haven't given you enough bad news already -- and I'm sorry about this -- it's probably an almost sure thing that you will also need to replace your master cylinder. It's almost always ruined when you can step on the pedal all the way to the floor -- it's internal seals are ruined.

I'm really sorry to tell you this. Your best scenario right now is to have the car towed to a shop who knows their job, particularly on Volvos.

That will give you time to get some repair manuals (and also go to this website's 700FAQs page), so the next time to try to do the brakes, you'll know what, and what not, to do.

Thanks for all the info everyone. It sounds like I screwed this one up so I will take it to a mechanic and hope for the best. Thanks again

Good luck with it. It sounds like, at the very worst, you'll need to have that one caliper replaced ($80-ish) and the whole system bled again, probably using a power-bleeder, which is a system using pressurized air to push new fluid through the brake lines.

Then complete the original brake job, just replacing the pads and rotors, which is normally not quite as traumatic!

Wish you luck with it!
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: 92 244-M47-207K ::: 90 745GL-M47-268K ::: 88 245DL-AW70-230K ::: 88 244 SOLD! 87 244 SOLD! Still looking for a bright red or black 244 with sunroof...

The front and rear calipers are held to the strut or axle assembly by two bolts. If you undid four bolts, well, you probably broke open the two halves of the front calipers. Make sure all FOUR bolts are tight and then follow the brake bleeding procedure in the 700 FAQ to get your pedal back.

Currently, you have air in the hydraulic system that snuck in when you opened the caliper, get rid of the air with the bleed procedure, and you will be good to go.

jorrell
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89 244 171K miles, 92 245 236K miles, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup

What year is your car? Does it have ABS? Did you start on the front brakes or the rear?

There are a lot of knowledgeable folks on this board, so the additional information will make a big difference.

Regards,

Bob

:>)