brakes 2000 contour SE

I have a couple of questions about the front brakes on my car. I just replaced the pads and rotors, both new, no resurfacing the rotors and now that i have everything put back together the brakes won't grab till the pedal is almost to the floor. I didn;t mess with the calipers so no air should be in the lines. Also how exactly does the pad retaining spring go back on? I honestly forgot to look before i took em off. I found a recall for the master cylinder on this year and model car. Could i have damaged the cylinder by compressing the calipers back? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

It's usually recommended that you open the bleeder screws to compress the calipers on a car with ABS rather than forcing the fluid back into the system. This isn't so much to avoid getting air into the system, but rather to prevent forcing the fluid back through the ABS pump. I've never really heard of anyone having problems by compressing the calipers without opening the bleeder screws, but for future reference, I'd avoid the practice.

I'd suggest you attempt to bleed the brake lines in the recommended bleed sequence. Your service manual should have the recommended bleed sequence.

As an option, I have been very impressed with Speed Bleeders. They are bleeder screws that replace the OEM bleeders and contain a one-way valve. To bleed your brakes, you simply open one bleeder at a time about half a turn, then slowly pump the brake pedal. The one way valve prevents air from entering the system. They also make compressing calipers very easy.

I don't have any stake in Speed Bleeders, I used them on my track car. I'd drive to the track, then swap tires, brake pads, and rotors once at the track, and would flush the brake system every couple of months. Speed Bleeders almost make the process enjoyable.

-Rod