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I posted a while back about my brakes being spongy. I've tried a lot of different solutions to no avail.

I bought my 07 Mazda 3 around 7 months ago. They told me about the spongy breaks, and said they'd most likely need bleeding (silly me). I bled my brakes from the furthest away from the master cylinder and made my way closer to the master cylinder. After that, still very spongy. So I took it in to a shop, so they bled the brakes. Still the same and said it was the master cylinder that needs replacing. So, I replaced it, bled the brakes and still the same. Making sure I didn't do it wrong, I took it in and got them to bleed the brakes. And, it's still very spongy. They looked around the calipers for any leaks, and I looked in the hood at the brake lines and there isn't any leaks. There are definitely no leaks. I do know that if the calipers are on the wrong way, that could cause air to be stuck in the lines, but they're the right way.

Also, when I press my pedal, I hear this whOOOoooo sound.

I've looked online and I've seen a few stories about Ford and Mazda having a valve getting stuck in the ABS pump. Is this most likely the problem? I feel like I'm going around in circles because I've literally tried everything.

Thanks for viewing!

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  • Have you checked to ensure none of the soft lines are bulging when the pedal is depressed?
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Sep 5, 2019 at 1:38
  • Yes I checked. They all seem fine. So, my only thought is the ABS pump
    – Jonathon
    Commented Sep 5, 2019 at 16:41
  • deffinitely first bleed the ABS pump ! and only than bleed rest of system xD good workout for your legs
    – Michal
    Commented Sep 12, 2019 at 17:49

2 Answers 2

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Just thought I'd quickly update you on the situation. Put it simply, it's now fixed. It was indeed the ABS pump, and bought a used one on ebay for 55 dollars and I replaced it at home on my driveway. I've heard I needed to get it re programmed, but, I've drove around for a few days now and it's like new so I'm not going to bother with that. No issues at all.

If you are going to replace the abs pump on your own, just make sure that you dont cross thread the ends on the brake lines. It's very easy to mess up, and you'll have even more problems.

It's very messy so I'd suggest getting some ends that clip on the lines to stop the fluid going everywhere. Make sure the lines are in the correct order. Overall, this was very tedious and I definately struggled as some lines wasnt going in ect.

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  • An easy way to see if your ABS is working is to brake hard while driving at ~15 mph on gravel so the tires lose traction. If you can make the tires skid, you should be able to distinguish the pulsing feeling in the brake pedal from the ABS pump working.
    – the_storyteller
    Commented Sep 11, 2019 at 15:07
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I'm really not sure if I'm allowed to give an update on an oldish thread, but I'll see if I can get away with it.

The new ABS pump worked great for a while. However, the brakes slowly started to get soft again to a point where they was back to it's original state. I then had to slam on for a deer, causing them to go back to how they was.

I'm just seriously out of ideas now. Surly, the ABS pump can't of gone bad YET AGAIN if that was the problem in the first place. It's a real shame, because I really do like my Mazda, but I'm starting to get to a point where I give up and get another car because this is ridiculous.

If it was indeed the ABS pump that went bad in the first place, then another ABS pump goes back, then why the heck didn't Mazda call for a recall?

Any other suggestion's would be appreciated. There's no leaks, master cylinder is fine and everything. Just read my previous thread.

Frustrated isn't the word. Thanks again every body.

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