okay, so let me preface this by saying that i think i have a fairly serious problem with my ABS module.

now here's why i think that, the car is a 1995 Legacy L AWD wagon by the way:

1) ABS light has been on for quite a while. something like 3 months now, maybe more. prior to that, i was having a wierd problem where the abs light was always on, but when i turned the car off the abs pump would still be running, and would drain my battery if i didn't catch it. i replaced the relays, and it hasn't done that in a while now, but the abs light itself is still on.

2) upgraded to WRX calipers, rotors and stainless steel lines at all corners. just using stock rotors and pads with synthetic DOT 4 fluid, nothing fancy.

3) have now bled the brakes a total of like 18 times in the past two weeks trying to get rid of the squishy pedal. have also gone through three 32 quart bottles of brake fluid in the process.

just did a gravity bleed today. or should i say, i attempted to, but after about 2 1/2 hours, the first caliper (front passenger) was still spouting out air bubbles like it was designed to do that. i checked to make sure that there were no leaks in any of the lines, and nothing dripping out of the master cylinder. i also checked to make sure that my bleeders weren't coming out too much, and that my lines had secure connections at all junctions.

4) brake booster works just fine. pedal gets good pressure when the car is off, but when the car is on, pedal is extremely soft, and will not engage until about 7/8 of the way down (i'm just guessing on that, but it takes a LOT of travel.

5) i thought maybe it was just an internal leak on the master cylinder, but today when i was checking around the abs pump, i noticed that the paint beneath it was wet with something and was peeling off. that automatically made me think that it was leaking, but i can't tell from where.


so anyway, before i waste more money on gallons and gallons of brake fluid (Autozone guys must be wondering why i need so much!), can anyone possibly confirm what is going on? i think i might just replace both the master cylinder and the abs pump (well, maybe, i'm considering just taking it out), but if there's a way i can fix this without replacing the two most expensive parts in my braking system, i'm more eager to pursue that route!

 

Try to bleed the brakes with the engine running. Put the car up on jack stands(four corners) remove the wheels, start the motor and bleed as usual. I had a problem a while back. This was the only way I could get a good bleed.

 

yeah i tried that too after hearing that ABS brakes have to be bled with the engine running so that the abs pump is running. did that maybe 5-6 times, but don't know if that actually did much. i figured a good gravity bleed should be able to take care of anything, but after seeing all that air come out for that long, i'm not sure. maybe there's a loose fitting that i'm just not seeing...

 

anyone else have any ideas? i really don't want to spend any more money on brake fluid if it's not going to do anything.