Honda Accord CM2 – Brake Issues

[Damien Hill]

Hi Guys,
I’ve reached a bit of a dead end with a problem I’m having.
I’ve got a 2005 Honda Accord CM2 Wagon (Type S)
I’ve had problems with the driver’s side rear brake caliper.

Here we go:
Originally I had the caliper overheat and wear the brake pads on that side to nothing. I decided to change all the pads on the car at the time anyway as they were all a bit down. I machined all the rotors at the same time while I had it all apart which was all good and well. I cleaned out all the slider pins so they were nice and clean and applied silicon paste which had them moving great.
Went to compress the piston on the driver’s rear side to install the new pads and found the piston was seized. Nothing was going to push it back in so I replaced it with a second hand one which appeared to work fine. I installed the replacement caliper and was able to finish the job.

Now I’ve found the issue hasn’t even gone away and I’m burning through another set of pads on that side! I’ve removed the wheel and checked everything and the caliper is moving fine and the piston I can still compress.
After a drive all the other calipers are fine temperature wise but the driver’s side rear is cooking and you can smell it when you park up. You can hear the metal creaking as it’s cooling down and it’s impossible to touch. All three of the other calipers are a good temperature and I can happily put my hand on them.

I’m kind of at a dead end. I’ve tried bleeding the brakes and re lubricating them up to make sure and it’s still no better. Is it possible the second hand caliper could also have a problem? I couldn’t see it being an issue as the piston compresses and extends fine.

It’s there some kind of splitter valve on these models that could be shot?

Any advice I would truly appreciate

Kind Regards

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Topic

[Richard Kirshy]

Off the top of my head,
There may be a restriction in the line preventing the caliper from retracting.
There may be something funky happening with the ABS affecting that wheel.
Possibility of water in the line ( old brake fluid ), expanding when heated and causing the caliper piston to expand.

[Dan]

Few thoughts:

1) Machining rotors is generally a bad idea.
2) Rear calipers are typically screwed back in, not pushed.
3) If you can’t retract a piston, try opening the bleed screw. If there is no difference the piston is seized. If there is a difference, it’s likely there is an obstruction in the brake line. The most likely obstruction is a collapsed line. Typically when this happens, you’ll still be able to apply brake force to the pad, but when you let off the brake pedal the piston won’t come back, and it will start overheating. Exactly what you are describing. Note: If you open the bleed screw, you may end up having to bleed again.
4) Always possible its the ABS — but that wouldn’t be my first guess.

[Damien Hill]

Thanks for your reply nightflyr
I think what I will do is take it for a small but hard drive around the block and come home and jack it up straight away and release the bleed valve and if it releases the piston I will know if it is the caliper or something with the hydraulics.

[Damien Hill]

Thanks for your reply hpmax
I was aware of some calipers being screwed in to compress them. My old Accord had that setup. But this Accord is just a standard push in piston.
I have had a look around the car and followed the brake lines and cannot find any collapsed or damaged lines.
I had performed a fluid replacement and brake bleed when I originally replaced the caliper which was not long ago but sadly that made no difference.

I am also wondering if the second hand caliper I put on also has an issue. I can compress the piston fine as if I was changing brake pads, but maybe it has an issue retracting. As all three of the other calipers are working with no issues at all and have the same temperature except for this one.

[Dan]

FWIW, you my not be able to determine if a line is collapsed from an external inspection. I believe they can collapse internally without affecting the external appearance. If you can free the piston by opening the bleed screw, I’d just get a replacement line. They aren’t expensive (typically $10-20) and they are generally pretty easy to replace.

[Author]

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