99 Subaru Legacy SUS. Cut all 4 rotors, new pads all the way around, bleed brakes, no ABS lights on. Fluid is topped off. Why the soft pedal ??? And yes I looked for leaks in lines and found none. What is the small motor in the front right behind the side head light with all the brake lines going to it. If this is part of the ABS ?? Please explain how does it work, What the small motor does, when does it run and how to test it to make sure it works and if it has a fuse.   thanks

is this car new to you or did this problem develop recently?

 

maybe have a helper really mash on the pedal while you watch at each wheel - maybe a brake caliper is cracked and flexing?

 

sometimes brake hoses can 'balloon' - some people install master cylinder braces because of firewall flexing.

 

what kind of tires? what brand/type of pads? I once bought some Wagner pads on clearance that were horrible.

Edited July 29, 201510 yr by 1 Lucky Texan

99 Subaru Legacy SUS. Cut all 4 rotors, new pads all the way around, bleed brakes, no ABS lights on. Fluid is topped off. Why the soft pedal ??? And yes I looked for leaks in lines and found none. What is the small motor in the front right behind the side head light with all the brake lines going to it. If this is part of the ABS ?? Please explain how does it work, What the small motor does, when does it run and how to test it to make sure it works and if it has a fuse.   thanks

Sounds like you did everything to firm up the pedal. Maybe the master cylinder is bad.

Classic sign of an internal leak in the master-cylinder:

- Car in Neutral on flat-ground; engine idling;

- Press and hold the brake pedal, with a steady foot.

 

If the brake pedal slowly goes down to the floor, then you have an internal leak in the master-cylinder (brake-fluid leaking past the piston seals, from the high-pressure side, to the low-pressure side).

You might be able to fix this with a seal-kit, but it is normally easier and more permanent to change out the whole cylinder.

When you bled the brakes did you push the pedal all the way to the floor at any point?