Hello everyone. I have recently bought a 2002 Seicento SX 1100. I noticed the brakes needed bleeding as they operated only when the pedal nearly touched the floor. Both rear slave cylinder drum bleed bolts were seized and one of the front calliper bleed bolts had been snapped off by a previous owner. The handbrake has no problems.

Yesterday, I had the car repaired by a recommended mechanic. He replaced both rear brake slave cylinders, a front disk caliper, one brake pipe, bled the brakes three times and replaced the fluid. After this work was completed, I was disappointed to discover that there is only a slight improvement in braking and the pedal travels about three quarters of its movement before the brakes bite. The mechanic said that Seicento brakes only work when the brake pedal is near the floor like Volkswagen Beetles ? I think the car would fail the next MOT because of this and I would prefer the brakes to bite sooner.

I would be grateful if any of the members could suggest how I can fix this problem as I don`t feel the car is safe to drive. Thanks for your help.

It's not about where they bite, but how much. As long as they stop the car effectively (any MOT station's brake tester will be able to tell you this), there's no problem. You'll just have to get used to the increased travel.

Welcome to the forum

Use a brake flexible hose clamp and clamp each hose off and check the brake pedal travel.
Have your brakes tested at a MOT station on the rolling brake tester, this should help identify if there is a brake that isn't performing well.

Your missing one vital piece of information here what condition are the shoes and front pads in as having worn shoes/pads will give you a low biting point

I can almost guarantee that your 'recommended mechanic' is a t w a t.

Rear drums need the wear edge removed and the shoes set to the right point, then you will be amazed.

D

Agreed regarding mechanic.

My pedal is only 20mm from the to and the stopping power loosens your eyeballs in your head so your mechanic is wrong

I would say now youve got all your niples done, get an eezibleed and do it again.

Rear shoes are a bit of a PITA if you've never done Fiat before, but there was a recent thread with photos which will arm you with all you need to know. Starting with new shoes is best, but check drums for excess wear and the infamous "edge lip" - which will need removing with a grinder if you arent renewing drums -helps give a much better pedal. Personally I never rely on the auto adjusting system - I use a lever and set the shoes myself - all this was in the thread.

The use of a brake clamp normally helps to to identify which corner is letting you down. If you had the luxury of 4, then the pedal should be rock solid. removing one at a time identifies where your problem is - I've used mole grips in the past, but be careful not to set them too tight or you can damage the hose.If the pedal is still very low after you've clamped all 4 and you know its bled properly, it can only be the master cylinder.

Make sure everything that is supposed to move does (rear cylinders, handbrake linkages, front caliper pistons, pads in the caliper are free) and your pedal should be back to normal.