1993 honda accord LS 2.2L 135k miles.

Amazon sent me the wrong front brake pads, but I didn't realize that until I pulled a pair and compared them. I reinstalled, but now have almost no brakes. The procedure I followed was this:

1. jack car and remove the wheel,
2. remove the lower caliper retaining stud, rotate caliper upwards and bungie out of the way.
3. use a wood block and large C-clamp to apply pressure to push the piston back into the brake caliper. (This made a "zweeeeee" sound as I did it, but seemed to move without binding)
4. The inner pad came out easily, but the outer did not want to come out. I jiggled the inner pad a bit, and no dice.

I compared the inner pad to the new set and it was different, so I put the inner pad back, and reinstalled the caliper.

Now I have very little brakes, and all I hear from the side I worked on is some scraping when the brakes are applied.

Note: I also did the outer tie rod end on that side, and during the process bent the dust cover (tin pan behind the rotor) a little bit. I mostly bent it back, and it doesn't seem to have anywhere where it rubs, and there is no sound when the brakes aren't applied.

Q1: My thinking is this: That "zweee" sound I heard when I closed the piston was air passing a hydraulic seal, and that I now have air in my brake system. However it does not appear to be leaking brake fluid. Am I barking up the wrong tree here? Is this likely to be stuck pads, or a stuck piston?

Q2: Also, based on video I looked at on youtube, the pads should prettty much just come out without persuasion. Or is there something here that I am missing about removing the outer front pad?

Thanks in advance!

 

If you didn't open the bleeder, you likely didn't introduce air into the system.

I'd say southmainauto has the best youtube videos on brake installations. Ericthecarguy is excellent too. Your pads should slide in the caliper bracket with a slight drag. If a pad is stuck, you need to remove the pad, then the stainless steel clip the pad ears slide in. A lot of times, rust builds up under the stainless steel clip and squeezes the pad stuck, so remove the clip and clean out the caliper bracket with a wire brush. A file will work, just don't remove a ton of material. Remove a little bit at a time.

For the brake pads, compare the distance between the ears of the pads to see if they are the same distance apart and same width to slide in the bracket. You'll need to do this even if you temporarily install the old pads to the caliper can work properly to squeeze the pads.

Lastly, retracting the piston in will require pumping the brakes for a bit until you feel a firm brake pedal. I'd do this with the engine not running. Pulling the e-brake can also help set the rear calipers. Also check the brake fluid reservoir to ensure you are extremely low on brake fluid.

Until you are sure your brakes are working properly, do not drive the car.

 

Thank you for the feedback. You were right, no air in the system.

What happened:

The new pads came in, and I took everything apart again. I found that one of the old pads (an OEM pad) had apparently bound so bad that the piston cracked it in half. It was bent and only partially applying.

I took everything apart, cleaned and greased the old guide clips really well and reassembled. New pads were: KFE KFE4645-104 Ultra Quit Advanced Premium.Ceramics. These pads seem a little more progressive than the OEM ones. Overall, I am satisfied.


Thanks again!

 

Glad you figured it out and the brakes are working properly.