Hard brake pedal after changing pads

I changed all of the brakes pads today and the brake pedal is harder to press now. The brakes work but like I said the brake pedal is much harder to push down than before.

What did I do wrong?

Thanks

Did you clean and grease the pins??

Silly question but is the pedal up higher due to the new pads and increased fluid? Are you getting full braking with less pedal travel? If so that is fairly normal. Feels firmer since the pad engages fully earlier in brake pedal travel.

My understanding on the pins is if not smoothed ( I lightly sand but do not grease) they will not allow the pads to retract and this will make the brakes drag. This does not make the pedal harder to push.

I see what you are saying Randy but I need to drive it more to see if that is the case. I just drove it around the yard some and that is it.

Would having the set screw or getting the mounting bolts too tight cause my problem?

Also, I did grease the pins.

I don't think the set-screw or mounting bolts would do it. Most alignment or binding issues just cause quick pad wear since they cause the pads to drag. Having very worn pads causes the piston to extend further making a pedal mushy. This is also much worse if air or moisture is in the brake lines. When you install new pads the excess brake fluid gets pushed into the reservoir. This excess fluid could contain moisture or air and thus will make a much firmer pedal since they are no longer in the brake lines. Fluid resists compression whereas air or water compresses far more easily.

I'd bet that is it. You are feeling fluid that does not have air or moisture in it. Then again I could be totally wrong....

As for greasing the pins I've always thought that was BS. I smooth the pins with fine sandpaper to allow easy motion with no snags but I always thought grease would allow more dust or sand to stick to the pins. Either way I don't think it matters as long as the pins are free from bumps or grooves.

pins need to be greased in side the boots to work properly!

Steve, it may be that the new pads are harder material than the old ones too. That would give the feeling that the pedal is harder. Last time I bought pads I had a choice of soft, med, or hard pads.