Upon pulling off the front wheels I noticed that the right front "inside" pad was worn more heavily than the outside, and both left side pads. The guide pins appear to work fine, but I noticed a couple of tears on the piston boot. After researching this, it appears that replacing the boot and cleaning out the piston/bore may solve the problem. In the mean time, I went ahead and replaced the pads with new ones (free with lifetime warranty... the parts store was fine with issuing me new ones under warranty this time even though it was due to uneven wear as I indicated I would fix the problem right away.)

So I moved to the rears to see how everything looked back there. Left rear side looked ok. However the right rear "inside" pad had a section where it looked like it wasn't even contacting the rotor. Turns out, this portion of the rotor has accumulated an amount of buildup (rust?) and at this rate the pad is wearing unevenly (only the "upper" part of the pad is wearing. The piston boot appears to be fine, and the guide pins appear to be moving in and out with ease.

On top of all of this, the system has never been bleeded of it's original fluid (to my knowledge - unless some shop did it in conjunction with replacing pads early on, but I doubt it.).

Please help me develop a plan of action here. I'm considering keeping this car for the long haul. The extent of what I have done on my own with the brake system is replace pads from time to time. I feel like I'm willing to try to do things myself to avoid paying a considerable amount of money. Any assistance with this would be most helpful.

2007 EX-L 4-cyl
170,000 miles

 

Rear pad stud on pad back side was likely misaligned w/ caliper piston slots. This causes stud to bear on high point of piston rather than aligned w/ slots. This results in cocking of the pad and premature wear on one end of pad.

Get a shop manual and understand pad alignment to caliper pistion when installing new pads. A tool of some type (check auto parts loaner tools) to turn piston clockwise and retract piston to allow new pad installation.

Brake bleeding is necessary to flush old fluid which is likely contaminated w/ moisture. A vacuum assisted bleeder is a good inexpensive 1-man bleed option. Two man (pump pedal and crack bleeder) is also an option.

Lube caliper slide pins and replace any torn or damaged boots.

good luck

 

Thanks. So let me repeat what I think you said. For the front, replace the boot and clean out the piston/bore in the caliper and monitor brake wear. For the rear, verify proper alignment and monitor further brake wear. Is this correct?

Also,is the rear rotor still ok in that it is rusted on the "half" that the pad wasn't touching the pad? Do i need to go ahead and replace the rear brake pads now and re-inspect later to determine if that fixed the issue or if it keeps wearing the same?

Lastly, when I go to replace the boot on the front, after I remove the caliper and disconnect the banjo bolt, how do I keep brake fluid from draining the reservoir empty? I'd like to go ahead and bleed it anyway, but I've read where it's not good to let the reservoir go dry due to air entrapment. One method I read was to insert a plastic bag (e.g. ziplock) under the reservoir cap and screw it on to create a vacuum. I'm kind of stuck here...

Thanks

 

You don't need to remove the banjo bolt. Just hang up the caliper, then remove the bracket to replace the boot.

Watch this video on how to do rear brakes. The vice grips with fuel hose in the video is the simplest way to stop the fluid leaking out. He also explains the piston alignment. There are other good pointers in there to help you out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kf8C4Qxu-A