So I've noticed slowly my brakes have been getting spongy. So i did the "tie the lever to the handlebar" bleed method, which seemed to help, but just slightly. I figured maybe it was my pads which DESPERATELY needed replacing anyways so i replaced my pads and cleaned up the pistons, man those things were gunked up. It also had stock pads on it that were about .25-.5 mm thick when removed. I decided this was probably my problem so after riding a few miles with no improvement over old pads i figured I'd wait until they were bedded in to see improvement. well 300 miles later, and multiple agitation and overnight brake lever zip-tieings still no improvement. I can pull it back about 2/3 of the way before I get any noticeable braking, and at full grab can't lock it up over 20-30 mph. Checked line for damage, none. Brake fluid looks alright. caliper pins well greased and look dandy.
So unless i effed up the pistons/dust seals at the caliper, It's pretty much narrowed down to the master cylinder, right? well i inspected visually, and found that the dust cover on it was torn. i'll post up pics tomorrow. The problem is, i'm broke as ****. Oh the joys of being a 19 year old college student.
it's ~$45 (+a two week wait)for the replacement master cylinder parts, and if thats not the problem then that's wasted. I've never dealt with a master cylinder before, but i understand the basics of it.
So my question is, should i take this puppy apart right now and inspect and change the brake fluid with a proper bleed? or is this most definately a master cylinder issue and i should just search ebay or order up the replacement internals and change and bleed then?
is there a way to determine whether the problem is at the master cylinder or the caliper? It's possible there was piston seal damage i overlooked/caused, but would there be a way to diagnose where the problems at?
