Midas sucks

I was about to drive my truck up to collage and I was putting new brake bleeders on as the old ones were getting rusty. I couldn’t get any fluid to come out of the new ones so I eventually gave up and took it to my closest shop, Midas, To see what they would say. After 2 days of me going back and forth with them, they said my new bleeders are clogged and so is my master cylinder. So I said screw it if you guys are going to fix it back to 100% then I’ll pay the $600 in repairs as I need to drive this truck from Cali to Idaho the next week.

after 5 days of going back and forth with them because they couldn’t get all the air bleed out they said they finally got it right. I picked it up and the pedal was extremely soft. But I needed to leave so I had no choice but to deal with it when I got to Idaho.

fast forward a few months, yesterday, I decided I should adjust my drums as they haven’t been adjusted in a while. After I flushed the job I was pumping the pedal just to see how it felt with the car off. And I think I found the problem. With the truck off and all air out of the brake booster, the pedal goes half way down (to the height of the gas pedal) before it is stiff. I’m thinking the push rod was never adjusted when Midas put the new master cylinder on. Is the push rods even adjustable in these? Any help or recommendations would be appreciated!

I know that the gap is not from my drums because if I put the parking brake all the way down it’s the same way and the parking brake is super stiff.

 

Op apologies I can’t answer whether the push rod is adjustable as I never had to service it, I just wanted to let everyone know of the replacement bleeder part numbers:

47547-04010 for the fronts and 47547-12010 for the rears

and that this works:

Motive Products 0101 Universal Power Bleeder 2-Quart Tank with Hose and Round Adapter

$73 Motive Products 0101 Universal Power Bleeder 2-Quart Tank with Hose and Round Adapter

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CJ5DWKO

I also made a homemade master cylinder adapter:

 

Water is wet.

I don’t think Midas is a mechanic shop nor do mechanics work there.

I might have to try this.
Kind of disappointed with Motive right now. Bought their bleeder which from day one leaked at the gauge. Contacted them and to date they’ve done nothing about it.

haven’t figured out how to make it fit my Toyota res adapter

$71 power probe ba10 small adapter for toyota

power probe ba10 (quick connect style) which it seems many other company bleeders fit.

 

What’s wrong with the normal way of bleeding? I am not a mechanic and have only done the old grab a buddy to pump the brakes.

 

I’m an engineer for a reason, can’t spell but great at math. haha.

 

Motive used to make a version with the quick release chuck for those master cylinder adapters. I have one on mine. Still might. It was on their site.

 

Just be careful. Some brake pedal strokes are greater than the thickness of a vacuum-operated power booster and when you reach the limit of the diaphragm in the booster you could damage it. It happened once to me.

 

This is typical of these type of jobs given to people with no experience or training nowadays. So your results and what you pay will reflect the individual’s experience.

 

Midas expensive, possibly all stupid. I went one time from other crap, never again did I go back. If bleeder screws was that @#$! up, instead of back and forth crap, they suppose to quoted you, new front loaded brake calipers, and rear wheel cylinders

 

Cut him some slack he’s an art major

 

works well for me for past 40 years

 

The quality of any shop is subject to the quality and oversight of the management, including making good hires, keeping training up to date, releasing problem employees, etc.

This is even more noticable in big box shops and franchises.

I'd wager there are some very good Midas, Firestone, Gooyear and even Jiffy Lube shops. But if you don't know the management personally, or a least a high ranking staffer, IMHO you're taking a significant risk in using such places

 

This way is simpler, no need for a second person and from what I understand it’s easier on the internal components of the master cylinder.

 

the normal way is a pressure bleeder. That is guidelines. It is easier and cheap.

if you want to deviate by throwing hammers at the engine though that could be good just post a video for entertainment. Gotta spice up life.

I have a clutch. Manual is not gonna cut it. Nor would it with ABS.

if I wanted a bleed I’d grab a $50 pressure bleeder. If I wanted a shitshow I’d grab another person. To each his own can’t all do it right.