Help me track down my braking problem :(
 

I drive a Honda Accord sedan.

Due to knowing nothing about cars and maintenance my car never had a brake bleed. So being a 2003 the caliper started sticking 18 months ago (winter 2009/2010).

I ended up replacing front calipers and all discs and pads. I also replaced fluid with ATE super blue.

A few months later I had a sticking caliper in the rear. One of the brake pads on the sticking caliper lost a small piece out of it. The piston went back in no problem and the boot was intact.

I replaced the rear calipers and kept the same pads.

So lately I have been having some juddering from the rear and the one side hotter than the other. I thought the caliper was sticking again and the rotor was warping. The other day it felt like it locked up and car was downshifting to maintain speed.

I took it apart yesterday and found out 1 side of the pad was COMPLETELY gone except for like a 2 inch square bit left. I put in a left over brake pad set from and ordered new pads and rotors for the rear.

My question is, why is this happening again? I am planning to replace the rear brake hose for that caliper. Do you think I should also replace the caliper again?

Sorry for the novel, I am just not sure what to do...

Grease the caliper slide pins? Adjust parking brake?

Are you taking it somewhere and having this work done? If you don't know much about cars, throwing parts at a problem can be a waste of time and money. Make sure you know why you're having these issues before spending money on parts you might not need.

I will regrease the pins, is there a specific brand you recommend? I greased the new calipers when I installed them last year.

There is a little play in the parking brake before the first click. I will adjust this too.

White lithium grease.

You should go to a brake specialist. When you know nothing, a car forum is the wrong place to get advice.

Yeah, don't use lithium or petroleum based greases. Most parts places have Permatex caliper specific lube in little packets at the counter, or you can get larger tubes. Silicone based and caliper specific are what you should look for, if it's even your slide pins.

Negative. There is actual brake lubricant designed for caliper slide pins. I used Kleen-Flo Eze-Slide when I put the TRD pads on the XRS.

"Eze-Slide is a silicone based brake lubricant specifically designed to withstand extreme operational temperatures associated with heavy braking. Prevents corrosion of sliding caliper pins to keep brake pads from wearing unevenly."

http://www.kleenflo.com/en/index.htm
Search under Brake Products

As I recall It didn't cost a lot either. It should be available at most parts stores.

I kinda had a problem like that. My main problem was brake pad didn't fit was it suppose, so I had to file down lil bit on the corner to fit perfectly. Ever since then I had not a problem w my car.

DW40. Fixes anything that squeaks.

(trying to alleviate the tension here)... Then again...

lol this thrad

Please don't hijack

I spoke to my friend who used to be a mechanic and he thinks it is probably what ichitaka said (pad does not fit perfect and may need to be filed slightly). He is going to look at it with me tomorrow

Let us know how it goes :thumbsup:

OK. After a lot of troubleshooting and not finding an issue we decided to go ahead and try replacing the caliper.

Replacing the caliper worked. But in replacing it and seeing how well it worked it is apparent the other rear caliper is on it's way out.

So my next question is, what would cause a pair of calipers to go bad after only a year?

rotor or not equal pressures could cause it

1. Heat

2. Weather - Depending on your location, some parts tend to wear our quicker than others in different areas. Example, warmer climates sometimes can dry out the rubber seals quicker on the piston or brake line, causing premature wear.

3. Inappropriate brake fluid used - Not very common but it has happened, where the brake fluid was not the rated DOT fluid, or when switched from a minimum of DOT3 fluid to a DOT4 and there was no fluid flush. Causing moisture to appear inline the brake system and result in premature wear.

4. Oxidation of the caliper itself can damage seals, not very common, but it has happened.

5. Dirt or Moister found its way in the brake line, either from just being old fluid, or accumulated some how.

6. Impact Damage.

Those are some reasons i can think of, I dunno if it fits your case. Or maybe those calipers are just crap. Iv turned away many defective non-oem calipers that had a shorter life span than OEM calipers, taken from places like Autozone, Napa, ect.... Napa does offer a lifetime warrente for certain parts, it might be something to look at if your buying a cheaper non-oem replacement caliper.

The calipers in the rear were Honda replacement parts. The caliper appear to function properly: slide pins lubricated and slide easily, hand brake functions properly, piston turns back in with minimal effort.

The caliper I bought today was from autozone and looks the same as the one I took off (same markings,, numbers on it).

I originally had brake problems because I never changed the fluid. When I replaced all the brake parts I bleed the whole system and put in ATE Super Blue fluid. I have bleed the system 2 times in past 18 months.

I am going to replace the other caliper and bleed the whole thing again tomorrow.

My location is NY. I hope this doesn't happen again in another year.