Hi folks

My brakes are rubbish. I've swapped the discs and pads over from a donor car, because the brakes were quite new on that one and they worked really well.

After the swap, the brakes are still better on the donor car than my new one :-(

I'm going to completely change the brake fluid, but do I have to drain / bleed the clutch as well - as I understand it, it uses the same reservoir? I don't think the system has air in it, because the brakes are consistent (consistently crap, that is) but maybe the fluid has been contaminated and I don't know how long its been in there.

Also, is there anything else that I should check that could be making the brakes rubbish?

The car is a Bravo 1.8HLX. The old one was a mk1 and the new one is a mk2.

Cheers

Test the brake assistance.

Key in the ignition but off, press the brake pedal several times until the pedal feels "hard" & hold the pedal down, then start the car, if the servo is working the pedal should sink, if it doesnt you may have lost brake power assistance.

You don't HAVE to change the clutch fluid but it's daft not too, it is the same cylinder and just one simple extra circuit to bleed.

You don't say what was wrong with the original brakes, maybe the old mechanical bits were hiding another fault that's still there.

If not the fluid then the master cylinder is the other main component (as well as the servo)

Seized calipers or worm drum components are most likely in this situation

Thanks for your help folks.

Ffoxy - I checked the brakes as per your suggestion - the pedal depressed after ignition so I assume the power assitance is working okay.

Bluejohn125 - The car had been stood for a while, the discs had corroded quite severely, and the brakes felt like they were grinding after a long journey. I was also advised the pads could do with changing soon. The car's only done 3000 miles in 2.5 years, I think it was a second car for an old couple and they hardly used it a year or so before selling it. My car was written off and I kept it for spares, hence having a donor car.

Strange thing is that 250 miles after the discs and pads have been swapped, the brakes still feel like they're grinding a bit. IU can feel vibration through the brake pedal that was never there in the old car. The front discs are smooth thouogh so I'm sure it's not the pads.

Would old clutch fluid come back into the system and re contaminate the brake circuit if I didn't change it?

m20b25 - I was beginning to suspect this, the handbrake doesn't feel too good and that uses the drums doesn't it... I'm going to get the car on some stands this weekend and check the front calipers. Is there an easy way to check the drum brakes? I'm pretty technical and I'm prepared to get my hands dirty

Thanks again for your help people

Rubber, flexible brake hoses.
Official factory advice: change them every 10 years....!!
They will slowly disolve on the inside, causing brake problems, while they may look OK from the outside..!

If the 1.8 has rear drums they are fairly straightforward to pull apart, clean and reassemble. They are probably due an overhaul, then the handbrake should sort itself out. But a workshop guide would be useful.

You'll also be able to check the cylinders for leaks.

You may find that the drums have started to wear and develop a lip, or the self-adjusters don't self-adjust. See how you get on, it's all pretty do-able..