Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!
Options
Brake
zhuxiaoqing
Member Posts: 3
My 89 Honda Prelude has a annoying (and
potentially dangerous) problem. The brake "loosens"
sometimes when I am sitting before a red light or
parking. Out of a sudden the pedal starts sliding
down until it reaches the floor and then the car
will start moving! The only thing I can do at that
moment is apply the hand brake, let go the brake
pedal and step on it again. Sometimes it will feel
'solid' again but sometimes it loosens.
It never happens when I am driving, but still I
try to figure out what's probably wrong and how
much its gonna cost to fix it.
Thanks!
potentially dangerous) problem. The brake "loosens"
sometimes when I am sitting before a red light or
parking. Out of a sudden the pedal starts sliding
down until it reaches the floor and then the car
will start moving! The only thing I can do at that
moment is apply the hand brake, let go the brake
pedal and step on it again. Sometimes it will feel
'solid' again but sometimes it loosens.
It never happens when I am driving, but still I
try to figure out what's probably wrong and how
much its gonna cost to fix it.
Thanks!
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
You're not looking at a really cheap repair. My guess is that it's in the $150-$200 range, at least.
gus
conference host
Brake problems were ...
* front brake cable
* left rear cable
* 2 rear cylinders
* 2 rear brakes
* 2 front rotors
Thanks in advance.
I've had it in twice to my dealer who said they fixed the problem the first time (wasn't fixed) and the second time they said it was a normal noise of the calipers moving into position. They said the mechanic duplicated the noise on a different Venture.
I insisted on hearing it for myself when I went to pick up the vehicle. A different service rep. and myself selected a similar make/model van off the lot and were NOT able to make the sound reproduce.
Do any other GM owners out there notice this sound when they release the brake after starting the vehicle?
If it is in the brake master cyilnder, it could be some contamination caught between a seal and the master cylinder bore, a cut seal, or a scratch in the surface of the master cylinder bore. Contamination usually appears and goes away. However, a cut seal or scratched bore requires replacement of the master cylinder, about $100 to $150 on Hondas.
Autoboy
Thanks. '96 Crown Victoria
When in doubt, bleed a little more, fluid is cheap. I would start with two quarts, probably run thru one bleeding, keep the other as a spare. I'd use Valvoline Syntech brake fluid.
Did mine on my '88 Crown Vic wagon a couple of times. Don't remember if I had antilock on that vehicle. Was pretty easy. Probably no special challenges with the antilock. Anybody else know?
I would take the chance that nothing special needs done, and if the brake light remained on afterward, would then go ask the ford service folks if there was anything special that needed to be done.
My Haynes manual doesn't say that the ABS requires any special attention, except to be sure not to get air in the unit. It has to be seperately bled, which requires an expensive tool. I don't plan on introducing any air into anything (unless I really screw up). I guess I'll just proceed as normal. Thanks for the advice!
I wouldn't mind upgrading to a better product, but I'm nervous about doing that because my owner's manual goes so far as to say: "WARNING: If you use a brake fluid that is not DOT 3, you will cause permanent damage to your brakes."
Any opinions?
Like I said, I would use Valvoline Synpower High Performance Synthetic Brake Fluid. Label says "meets and exceeds Dot 3 and Dot 4 specs, Dry boiling point 513F, Wet boiling pt 333F. For all ABS, Disc, and Drum Brakes.
Run it in all my vehicles, even the race motorcycle.
Don't use DOT 5 Silicone.
What could cause this?
Good luck.
It was a warped rotor. I remember when I had them turned, the machinist told me one of them was warped, but he said it wasn't a big deal. The caliper was sliding back and forth in the bracket. I added a little grease where the caliper contacts the bracket and the noise went away.
a clicking noise when the brake pedal is applied
very softly at low speed, around 5 MPH, at every
revolution of the wheel. I don't hear any
clicking noise when I apply the brakes in normal
manner (harder) at higher speed. I do hear
squeaking noise when I applied the brakes most
of the time. I got a brake job done about 2-3
month ago, replaced pads, and rear master cylinders.
Thanks in advance,
Farn
The slide pins should be lubricated if applicable, and for most cases an anti-squeak compound used on the back of the pads.
There's no such thing as a "rear master cylinder",
if your talking about the rear drum brakes you must be referring to the wheel cylinders. The master cylinder is under the hood on the firewall in your Honda, the wheel cylinders are inside the rear brake drums. I'm curious-did you have the rear brake shoes replaced?
autoshop where I got my brake job done and
see if they can adjust my brakes for me.
You are correct, it's wheel cylinders not
master cylinders. I check the work order.
It was leaking according to the autoshop
therefore they were replaced.
No, rear brake shoes was not replaced since
they were not worn.
Thanks again.
Farn
So far I have:
1. Checked runout of both front rotors. They are well within spec.
2. Checked rotor thickness at 8 points around disc, no variation noted.
3. Buffed the rotor surface with 150 grit emery cloth glued to a 2" sanding disc. There was some pitting, probably due to rusting of the rotor as the car sat on the dealer's lot. The buffing left the rotor surface very smooth, but I can still see some very tiny pitting. There is a rusted area of about 1/4 inch wide around the rotor in the space between the hub and where the pads make contact.
4. Cleaned caliper area, rotor and pads thoroughly with residue free brake cleaner.
5. Checked for rubbing between the caliper and the rotor. None noted.
6. Lightly sanded the pads with 150 grit emery cloth on a sanding block.
7. Verified that lug nuts are properly torqued.
Someone suggested that I bleed the calipers on the theory that one piston has air in it causing an uneven application of the pads and the noise. I haven't had the chance to try that yet.
My guess is that the pits in the surface of the rotor are causing the problem and normal wear of the rotor surface is wearing the surface down, making the problem happen less often. Perhaps parking the car with wet brakes and the rotor getting surface rust is the reason that the groan comes back from time to time, but doesn't stay.
The car is still under warranty, but the dealer just wants to turn the rotors. I shudder (pun intended) to think about letting them turn the rotors. If that is not the cause, I have just lost some rotor thickness. And if they don't do it properly, I may end up with runout and need them turned again, losing more thickness.
I am open for suggestions, opinions, technical advice.
I have a 94 Nissan Sentra LE with 86K miles. Recently one of the rear drum brakes is loudly squealing at the beginning of each trip when I step on the brake pedal. But the noise is gone after a few stops, and other than that everything else feels normal. The shoes have been put in there for about 5K miles, and they did not have the noise before. Does this mean I need some brake job? What is wrong?
Many thanks for your advice,
Gang
The Toyota guys said that their stuff is better, but they obviously have a bias.
(this is for a '94 Corolla)
Thanks.
Also, in general, how long are rotors supposed to last? I thought about buying a quality set of slotted and vented (not cross-drilled, though) Brembo's, but if you have to replace your rotors with your pads, that would suck.
R9999, one possibility is that the rotors are "glazed". Try cleaning them with brake cleaner.
Guitarzan
Community Leader/Vans Conference
Thanks for your help
frankly...
Piston may be corroded and stuck?
The cap of the master cylinder might have to be loosened to relieve pressure buildup as the piston is retracted?
You could also remove some of the fluid from the master cylinder with a squeeze bulb.
I glad there are these forums.
Thanks
(Thats' the brakes!)
The dealer said it was normal in winter because some moisture in break drum etc etc. I think if
it is normal, Honda should have mentioned it in the User Manual.
Any idea?
Thanks.
-Aston
though there is no power assist. After warming up
for a few minutes the brakes work fine. Some
mornings they are fine from the outset. What do
you think is the problem? Ernest
Thx for any feedback.
Service manager and factory rep. insist the wear is "normal". I have asked for further testing etc but have been refused. They insist that their inspection does not show a problem but may be intermittent. They will not take any responsiblity. Anyone have any suggestions on what to do next.
Steve
I had noisy brakes when I bought my 1994 T-bird and as expected took it back at about 10k miles. And as expected I was told that the noise was a normal thing with the car. Since I had bought it new I had a valid argument that saved me from having to live with the problem. I told them that normal noise was the noises that came with the car when I first test drove it before buying it, and the reason for me buying the car in the first place was for the lack of unwanted noises. I told them that they had failed to mention that the car was going to develop this so called normal noise, had they done so I would not have bought it.Had those noises been normal they would have been with the car from day one..... The dealer under warranty replaced the brake rotors and pads in three occasions after that at the different miles that the car started to do the same. You might want to back to the dealer and ask why is it that the so called normal noise was not there when the car was delivered. It was no easy task getting my point across but they finally listened. I see no reason why an up scale car like the Lincoln should have this kind of so called NORMAL NOISES. GOOD LUCK.
Thank you in advance.
get them turned or get them replaced.
Mechanics routinely overtighten wheel lug nuts because they use an impact wrench. Wheels should only be installed with hand tools and the lug nuts progressively torqued to the proper value (usually 75-80 ft. lbs.) using a hand torque wrench.
Don't let a mechanic first install the wheels with an impact wrench and then go back with a torque stick or torque wrench for final tightening. By then the nuts are already too tight and torqueing doesn't unloosen nuts. Just always insist on hand tools only.