oldasdirt Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 Hi all, I am new to this Reatta creature. I traded an antique motorcycle for it from the original owner. She has 226,144 miles on her, but can still turn a head or two.The original owner and his son, tried working on the brakes. They placed a used ABS unit on the car, removed the rear calipers, rotors, and front bleeders. when they couldn't get fluid to the rear, even told me they tried compressed air, they let it sit with parts off for over three years in the elements. I have replaced the accumulator, pump, calipers, rotors, and pads. I followed the bleeding instructions from info on this site. The rear bled out nicely, pump coming back on after 5 or 6 pumps and shutting off. All dash lights are off, and no ABS failure notifications on the screen. BUT....I do not have pressure to the front calipers, even after pumping and bleeding, as you would reg brakes. I also am concerned with the hard pedal and travel distance. I don't know what "normal" should feel like on this car. There doesn't seem to be any pressure for two inches of travel, then back pressure for about an inch, then stops. I have restored 33 sports cars over the years, up to now, my Lotus Esprit was my favorite. I have fallen for this lady, soooo...help? I just retired from Southern California where I had a great mechanic and friend, with many parts and info resources, to Eastern Washington. They know a lot about Big Foot here, but not Reattas.....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVET Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 Lots of info on the Reatta brakes. Be sure to state which year your car is as there were changes over the years and the brake system for 1991 was quite different. Start here: http://reattaowner.com/roj/repair-information/repair-tutorials-a-information/category/64-brakes-mechanical Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldasdirt Posted April 22, 2018 Author Share Posted April 22, 2018 Hi. .sorry, she is an 89 coupe, thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 You have a great resume of rebuilding cars, so I am probably going to suggest some things you have already tried. First the Teves ABS system is quite different from other brake systems, but it was state of the art back in the '80's ....almost every car manufacturer used it on some of their cars (usually premium models) but its life span was only a few years. The first thing I would do is disconnect one of the front wheel hoses to see if there is flow.....if you have flow/pressure before it goes into the flex hose and not after, you know the answer. The other thing to consider, since you are checking the hoses, why not just replace them and then you will know they are ok. If the records you got with the car indicate the brake fluid was changed recently, that is good, otherwise flush out all the old fluid.....many owners have just flushed the fluid and the brakes started working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 7 hours ago, oldasdirt said: I also am concerned with the hard pedal and travel distance. I don't know what "normal" should feel like on this car. There doesn't seem to be any pressure for two inches of travel, then back pressure for about an inch, then stops. That's not normal. You should get a pedal that feels similar to any other car with power brakes. The hard pedal is consistent with the pump not running or not building any pressure. Are you certain the pump motor is running? Do both the yellow and the red brake warning lights go out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldasdirt Posted April 23, 2018 Author Share Posted April 23, 2018 Hi. ..thanks to everyone for your help. ....both lights go out, and I have plenty of pressure to the rear....it beads out well. As I work through the different issues I inherited, from electrical issues created by the former owner, to things they damaged, I have to shake my head and laugh. I do have the original master. I wonder if they damaged the one on the car, when they tried compressed air. Since this system is new to me, I am treading lightly, as not cause unecessary work or damage parts. I did remove drivers hose.....no pressure. I am patient, so I will keep working on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 It could be a problem with the ABS valves. You should check to see if you have any ABS codes. Report back with any codes you find. How To Check ABS Codes Also take the brake test at reatta.net. Let us know the results of the tests. https://www.reatta.net/brakes/brakes_troubleshooting.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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