Hayes Dominion A4 bad bleed or leak?

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Hayes Dominion A4 bad bleed or leak?
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flag provin1327
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Posted: May 8, 2022 at 9:16 Quote
I have a set of Hayes Dominion A4's and I'm having issues with the rear brake. When I bleed the brakes they feel amazing but after a few rides the rear brake lever requires more and more of a pull to get the pads to bite. I'm to the point where I have to pull the lever almost all the way to the bar, noticeably further than the first ride after a bleed and noticeably further than the front brake. When I do a bleed on it though that all goes away for a few rides and they bite right off the top and feel amazing. I'm not seeing any leaks and I am not experiencing this with my front brake, only the rear, but I have no idea what the issue could be. I follow the Hayes bleed guide exactly and my pads have 1.5 mm of material left. Brand new Hayes A4 pads have about 2 mm of material. Any ideas?
flag kiranseligman
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Posted: May 24, 2022 at 19:14 Quote
provin1327 wrote:
I have a set of Hayes Dominion A4's and I'm having issues with the rear brake. When I bleed the brakes they feel amazing but after a few rides the rear brake lever requires more and more of a pull to get the pads to bite. I'm to the point where I have to pull the lever almost all the way to the bar, noticeably further than the first ride after a bleed and noticeably further than the front brake. When I do a bleed on it though that all goes away for a few rides and they bite right off the top and feel amazing. I'm not seeing any leaks and I am not experiencing this with my front brake, only the rear, but I have no idea what the issue could be. I follow the Hayes bleed guide exactly and my pads have 1.5 mm of material left. Brand new Hayes A4 pads have about 2 mm of material. Any ideas?


Sounds like a leak… try first take the pads and wheel out snd placing a bleed block wrapped in paper towel inside the caliper. Then zip tie the lever tight. Let that sit a day or so and see if there is fluid on the paper towels(if so you found the leak). Also during this time when you zip tie the lever wrap the lever in some paper towel to see if any fluid drips. If it isn’t leaking anywhere after that then could be something else. After you bleed them it feels fine, then after a few rides they pull to the lever. Does it feel like they pull, get firm, then with more squish pull to the bar? Possibly air that was trapped. I ride dominions and love them and have never had this issue. I have had great experience with their customer support and are usually quick to help me.
flag CodySerrano7mK
Posted: May 29, 2022 at 18:32 Quote
I’m having somewhat of the same issue. I get them to bleed real good. But then when I take a rip up and down the driveway to check them out the first 2 or 3 hard pulls are 3/4 to the bar with no feeling. After that they hit hard and fast. Seems like they need a little temp to want to work. Yes I already aligned pads with rotor on the stand so it’s not the pads being too far away from the rotor from pushing the pistons back pre-bleed. Fronts work wonders. TIA
flag kiranseligman
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Posted: May 29, 2022 at 20:03 Quote
CodySerrano7mK wrote:
I’m having somewhat of the same issue. I get them to bleed real good. But then when I take a rip up and down the driveway to check them out the first 2 or 3 hard pulls are 3/4 to the bar with no feeling. After that they hit hard and fast. Seems like they need a little temp to want to work. Yes I already aligned pads with rotor on the stand so it’s not the pads being too far away from the rotor from pushing the pistons back pre-bleed. Fronts work wonders. TIA

When you bleed them, do you push fluid through only? I’ve always blocked the flow on one of the ends at a time, and using the opposite end pull the syringe. This will expand any tiny air bubbles making them easier to come out. Maybe try that if you didn’t do that already.
flag CodySerrano7mK
Posted: May 30, 2022 at 6:01 Quote
I have done that and then I’ve also let them sit with a cup on the master overnight and the lever zip tied to the bar. Wondering if it’s not my pads or rotors. I’m thinking I’m going to try and do what you recommend with the paper towels to see if maybe it’s a leak. Don’t really think that would be giving me the feeling I’m getting though. Thanks again.
flag provin1327
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Posted: May 30, 2022 at 7:46 Quote
To follow up here I believe my issue was not a leak but rather air in the system. The levers must have spots where air can easily hide because since my last bleed they have felt great. A bad seal would have reared its head by now. Pulling a vacuum on the master cylinder syringe during the bleed process is a must with these brakes. I pushed fluid through multiple times and pulled up firmly on the syringe many many times until the tiny bubbles finally stopped.
flag CodySerrano7mK
Posted: May 30, 2022 at 9:33 Quote
I suppose it doesn’t hurt to try and bleed the stubborn buggers again. They definitely work. I just feel like they should work better.
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