1998 Accord Ex 2 dr 2.3 ltr Auto trans, Now I will first say I know nothing about these cars and this one is my first. I took it for a spin just down the drive way and the brakes to me seem softer than I'm used to. With that said, this is a disc brake car. 4 WHEEL disc brakes. So does the pedal feel softer? Any info would be great. It stops don't get me wrong. Just not like I would expect. Master cyl is full. Pads about 50%.

Thanks!

 

Maybe air in the hydraulic lines? It's possible that 12-year-old brake hoses have a bit more stretch than new ones...

Are you accustomed to a Porsche? Stock Accord brakes aren't gonna be absolute rock-solid, but it should be very similar to any other comparable car.

Brakes got gradually soft in my Saabaru & it turned out to be the brake pad shims were corroding. New pads & general cleanup of calipers made a big difference. Take the wheels off & have a look.

 

Jim gave you good advice. It shouldn’t have a soft pedal but pad to rotor contact can you a soft feeling pedal. Does the pedal come up higher if you pump the brakes? Which would indicate air in the system? If the car has been sitting for a long time pads seize. You mentioned you just took it down the driveway. If the rotors are a black color I would get them cut if possible. I used to do Used cars for a dealership and from sitting we had to do a lot of pads that seize from rust. One of the maintenance items on that dealership menu was removing the pads and sliders and lubing them, and the brake system should be flushed. On rear disc, if you ever do the pads you screw in the caliper piston rather than used a C clamp. There is a cross cut into the center of the piston.

 

OK it has been sitting.. tags on the car are 09. Rotor are not black Light rust. Like a week in the rain if that makes sense. Nothing that I would call abnormal.

I didn't try to pump them. They do stop, guess I just expected more pedal and less travel. Brake hoses are probally as good a place as any to start. I would assume.. there is likely no adjustment on disc brakes, because they are self adjusting.. It's just another thing i've noticed... I did take it for a couple mile spin just to stretch it's legs.... Runs well.... Dang More work on a $200 dollar car... who would have imagined.....

Are the Front Calipers rotary like the rears? Or is that just the Rears? What did you use as lubrication for the slides on the calipers..Would any High temp grease work?

Thanks!

 

At the dealership they used grey anti seize but that is a personal choice. I like it a lot and that is all I use on imports unless you have the grease that come with the factory pads. I don’t know about the other lubricants they sell. It goes in between the pad shims, where the pads slide and where the caliper contacts the pads. Inside pad is the piston area. There is no brake adjustment but from sitting the pads may be seized and will give you soft feeling pedal. Light rust will go away from driving.
I believe your front rotors have the hub outside the rotor and are pretty involved to change them, but if they are not warped or torn up you should be able to just replace the pads if needed.

 

Kris,

I think when you say the pads may be seized your meaning seized to the caliper? (not sliding) Heck.... that has to be what you mean... dang thing wouldn't move other wise.... Never mind this post...... Thanks for your help!

How do I flush the Rear brakes, or is it something that would be smarter to take to a brake shop and have them do?

 

Rust builds up on the calliper, under the end clips, causing them to clamp down on the pads. Lot of information on brakes in this link, if you care to read it.
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/faq.html#transmission
I would also try to avoid the pumping brake pedal method, to bleed the brakes. It can often mean a quick death to the master cylinder seals at this age.

 

The pads on your Honda ride in a slot and they seize to that. It is one of the lubrication points.
There are many ways to flush the brakes. You can remove the fluid from the master cylinder with a section device fill it up with new fluid then starting from the furthest bleeder from the master you open the bleeder and pump the fluid until it come out clean then do the bleeding procedure which is having someone pump up the brake after you close the bleeder, then open the bleeder while they keep their foot on brake it will go to the floor, close the bleeder and repeat. In the order of the furthest from the master, but you need each bleeder to have clean fluid coming out to be properly flushed. You have to not let the master run dry or you will have to start over.

You can gravity bleed. Which is just taking off the master cover off and opening a bleeder(order still counts) and just make sure the master never goes dry. You may have to pump it a few times for the fluid to start moving. Don’t get brake fluid on paint and if you do clean it up quickly so you don’t damage it. To not make a big mess, you can get some tubing to attract to the bleeder and the other end into something to collect the fluid. A Mason jar with a hole drilled into the cap works wells. I gravity bleed most of the time and may do the two man operation if I don’t like the results.

There is equipment to bleed the brakes also.

In bleeding brakes I have had one mishap in thirty years and that was the master cylinder piston got stuck in the applied position on one car.

 

1998+ brake bleeding order is LF-RF-RR-LR.
Doing the wrong order isn't all that bad, just a small risk that you'll need to go around again to get all the air out.

 

Update: You Guys Nailed it on the head. The rear calipers were hung up. Pulled calipers cleaned the tracks/slides and hit the shoe slides with a die grinder and took the rust off them and used anti-seize. Stops on a dime! No more soft pedal THANKS!

Oh first full tank of gas through it....... 26.897 mpg with combination driving... So why did I wait so long to buy a Honda? Sure beats the Truck at 14.30 mpg. I think I'll keep the Honda!