Thanks to those who were kind to respond to my rotor thread, I can't afford to replace them at the moment. This thread poses a slightly different question regarding brakes.

I'm taking a long trip next week, thus the dilema. I want to be safe.

In December after having my car in at the mechanic, he mentioned I will soon need rear brakes. At the time, other than the rotors being warped (car shimmying when braking) I hadn't noticed any issues while braking. 3 weeks ago a different mechanic replaced my master and slave cylinder. (they were shot, clutch to the floor, leaking)
Since then, my brake pedal is spongy and it concerns me.

Is it possible that my brake pedal is spongy due to lack of thorough bleeding when S/M cylinders were replaced?
Is it possible that my brake pedal is spongy due to wear on the back brakes? (being that I was told they needed replacement 2 months ago)

so far I have yet to hear any squealling? Is it easy to check to see if I need rear brakes (pads). Is it worth bleeding the system?

thanks all, as always

Also, I noticed I didn;t see a DIY on rear brakes. It is the same process?

 

The clutch hydraulic system is completely separate from the brakes. The clutch work shouldn't do that, unless the mechanic was randomly messing with other stuff.

Worn out brake pads don't often cause a spongy pedal. It sorta depends on what the mechanic was really thinking when he said you needed rear brakes.

Maybe you can look between the spokes of the rear wheels to see the brake pads. But it's easier to see if you take the wheels off. You don't have to actually dismantle the brakes. Just look to see how thin they have gotten.

 

You can try bleeding the brake lines to get any air out of the system. Are you leaking any brake fluid?

You should find out how much of your rotors are left. They can be machined at a dealership for a lot less money than replacing them.

 

A stuck/sticking slider pin on the caliper will cause that problem

 

okay, I'll take a look and see how much brake pad I have left. I called (of all places) Meineke yesterday, just to get a quote. 188.00 to replace the rear brakes! WTF? That sounds ridiculous to me. To machine each rotor would be 75 a piece. so, needless to say I'm not feeling Meineke. My mechanic quoted me 150 to install new rotors. (labor only). That's starting to sound more resasonable.

Again, how complicated is rear brake pad replacement?

thanks

 

Rear brakes can be done pretty easily if you're accustomed to working on your own car. If you've never done any work, then your brakes may not be the place to start. Especially if ever drive behind me...



Jackthe back up & support it REAL GOOD on stands. Take the wheels off.

Disconnect the handbrake cable from it's little lever #23. Remove the bolts #37 from the caliper slide pins #17 & 32. Now you can pull the caliper body off. Tie it up, don't let it hang by it's hose!!!

Take the brake pads #8 out fromthe caliper bracket (not numbered). Remove the caliper bracket (bolts #40). Remove rotors & carry them to some place for resurfacing or buy new ones.

Fit the new pads into the caliper bracket, check that they fit nicely. I've often had to file off the paint, or a little more, so they fit nice without wedging tight. Brake grease or anti-seize where they fit.

Put rotors back on. Put caliper brackets back on. Put pads into the caliper brackets.

You'll need to retractthe caliper piston (#9) back into it's cylinder to make room for the new, thicker pads. Can't just push it in with a C-clamp because of the handbrake auto-adjust mechanism. Have to TWIST it clockwise. Be careful for it's rubber boot - don't let it twist & tear. Only retract it enough to fit over the new pads, usually don't have to retract all the way.

Put the rest of it back together...

Apply the brakes & the handbrake abunch of times so everything is settled & working. A test drive in traffic isn't a realgood place to discover you've screwed it up.

 

rear brakes are very easy. Previous post was correct ... you will need to twist caliper piston (counterclockwise) to retract it. I would open the master cylinder cap to allow the fluid to rise as you twist it back into place.

Years ago I bought a little tool at the auto parts store designed exactly for these types of "foreign" brake pistons. It looks like a small metal cube (about 1.5 X 1.5 inches) and fits many different foreign brake systems. It pushes onto a 3/8 ratchet extension. This way you can use a rachet to "twist" the brake piston back down.

 

Thank you guys for all the great help. One Question. Will the rotors just slide right off. I have read about the difficulties of removing the front rotors. Is it the same for the rear?

 

Rear rotors come off easyI believe they are only held on by 2 screws once the calipar comes off. However, front rotors are a whole different ballgame (if your car is like my 95 accord). Pads are easy to install but front rotor replacement requires machine pressing the rotor (a poor design in my opinion).

Ive replaced pads and rear rotors myself. However, I took my car in for the front brake rotor replacement. I do believe that the rotors can be "turned" while still on the car. However, if they need replacement, more work is involved

 

thanks for help. I NEED front rotors, but that will have to wait. Okay, So I guess I'm going to take crack at the rear brakes. Thanks for all the help.