Reply to "Brake Bleeding"

One issue that constantly comes up is, if you bleed brakes using fast fluid flow- as in pumping the brake pedal very fast or with a pressure bleeder, be aware the brake shuttle valvein your front trunk WILL travel to one end of the valve body and probably stick there. The Pantera, unlike almost every other car that has such a valve, does NOT have return springs so the shuttle will remain at one end of its travel, virtually disconnecting that caliper from the system. A hard pedal but poor braking follows.

The vendors have gotten many cars in for brake work in which the shuttle has been jammed in one end of its valve for an unknown period, and have gotten good at freeing them up with judicious use of air pressure in the bleed valve. But IMHO the real fix is to take the assembly off and put it on a shelf where it can't cause trouble.

All it does is light up a red warning light on the dash when brake pads get too thin- or a line blows off. The same light comes on when the e-brake handle is pulled so you never really know what its warning you of... And any driver worth the name will glance at the fluid levels and pad thicknesses every now 'n then, sort of pre-flighting their car. Trust me- you won't miss this troublesome assembly.