Here's a recording of my ABS actuator

 

When the engine is ticking over and the brake pedal is pumped it makes this weird squeaking noise and the pedal is really soft, slow to return to its original position and only after 3 pumps or so does the pedal start to feel even somewhere near normal.....then after a few seconds it's soft again

 

however when the engine is switched off (last half of the video clip) the squeak has gone and the pedal seems a tad more solid

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a '95 TT (SWB) manual and so does not have a bleed valve on the actuator so it would appear that the actuator cannot be bled.

Ive had similar problems with mk4 golfs and the actuator is an electronic bleed through the diagnostic system on them not saying thats the problem but does sound like air in there to me

any idea if the later actuators required the ignition/battery to be 'ON' when bleeding the brakes rather than 'OFF/battery disconnected' etc?

not 100% as ive never actually bled a late model only early ones but it does sound like a possibility it is a must on some cars ive even had to have the engine running a one specific model once lol

It does sound like air in the system, but as for how you bleed it.....

 

Thought you were going to delete it mate?

It does sound like air in the system, but as for how you bleed it.....

 

Thought you were going to delete it mate?

 

That was the plan but the priority now is to get it mapped and on track, and to be perfectly honest with you mate, I can't be arsed swapping the master cylinders over and trying to run new lines for what could be very little (if any) gain. Far better to get the thing off my driveway and used rather than faff about with jobs that could quite easily drag on until Summer.

 

I'm sick of staring at it and tinkering with it and just want to drive it

That was the plan but the priority now is to get it mapped and on track, and to be perfectly honest with you mate, I can't be arsed swapping the master cylinders over and trying to run new lines for what could be very little (if any) gain. Far better to get the thing off my driveway and used rather than faff about with jobs that could quite easily drag on until Summer.

 

I'm sick of staring at it and tinkering with it and just want to drive it

 

 

Don't blame you mate, it's really frustrating having a zed just sitting in the drive. I know all about that lol. Have you done any work on the brake lines? Reason I ask is that I had a hell of a job bleeding my brakes after I'd replaced the lines. I tracked it down to one of the connections near the ABS not being fully tightened. It was tight enough to not leak but was sucking air in when I released the pedal. Might be worth a look?

I've just re-bled the brakes (this time with the engine running) and you could be right there mate, it does seem to be sucking air in from somewhere??

 

Round 10...ding....freakin' ding!

Another thing to check is BMC seals, they can under too much pressure pop outwards. This breaks the barrier between front and rear and causes all sorts of braking problems.

I had a problem with my lwb that made a squeaking noise when you braked hard and the pedal went soft. It turned out to be the brake booster which had a hole in it. Maybe not related but worth a look.