ALLEN E

I have changed several makes of disc pads before ( toy and Honda), but recently while having my 5k mile tire rotation done at a shop I heard that many of us do-it-yourselfers fail to turn some bleed valve while compressing the caliper and it causes a problem with the brake system.

I looked in the repair section here and read the pad replcament thread on 99-2003 pads, but there was no mention of a bleedvalve which I believe was in the master cylinder area?

Is this mechanic selling BS, or is there a bleedvalve that I need to open while forcing the brake fluid back into the master reservoir?

Thank you

Allen

JimBlake

Kind of a strange explanation, but not completely bogus. Maybe he's afraid to give a clear explanation 'cause you'll do the job yourself. I can guess a couple different things he might have meant...

Honda rear calipers have the auto-adjusting ratchet for the handbrake. You have to twist the pistons, you can't just push them back in. Every so often you see a thread here about someone using a C-clamp & destroying his rear calipers.

Front or rear, when you push/twist the pistons in (to make room for new pads), you push fluid back to the reservoir. Watch that the reservoir doesn't overflow & make a mess. Some mechanics like to suck some fluid out of the reservoir, some like to open the caliper bleed screw. Sometimes it's just a good excuse to bleed the entire brake system with fresh fluid.

ALLEN E

Thanks Jim

How do I turn the piston to get it to retract?

Thanks

Allen

jschmid

Most have a couple grooves in a cross fashion. Some people have used a large flathead to rotate the piston back in, or you can use a specialty tool that has various prongs to fit into your piston grooves:

Sham

I did mine last winter, and it was pretty easy. Bought that exact tool from an auto parts store, about $12. One side was really hard to turn, and needed extra leverage, the other side was easier. After you turn the the piston back in, install your new pads, and then once everything is done, and you're back in the car, pull up and down on your ebrake several times, until it feels like normal once again.

BTW, hands down, this is one of the easiest cars to change pads on. Jack car up, take wheel off, remove one bolt, and take out old pads. Press or twist piston back in, and install new pads.

Also, open the brake fluid reservoir, and watch it to make sure it doesn't overflow when you press the pistons back in.

ALLEN E

Thanks again.

Just finished. I bought the block, and a chilton's manual just to be safe. It did nothing to help.... but the one thing I got from the newer brake post in another forum here is that you need to rotate the piston horizontal to mate with the pin on the inner pad.

On one side, the one that was squeeling from the tin warning piece, the tool barely fit in. It took me 5 minutes of contorting, trying different cube side combinations to get it started to turn. Once the block fit in it went easy, and the other side went w/o a problem.

Thank you

Allen

jschmid

Cool. If you are planning to do any other work on your car, take that Chiltons manual back and cough up a bit more for a Helm's factory service manual. It's a must have for a DIY'er. www.helminc.com You can get certain manuals on CD on ebay sometimes, but I like the paper copy, a lot easier.

JimBlake

Chilton book $20 (?)
Helm book $75
Yeah, it's a big difference. But after having the Helm book, you'll be amazed at how much detail is missing from the cheaper books. Chilton & Haynes are OK if you're only gonna do simple things. Or just to give yourself a better understanding of what the mechanic is doing.

AccordSleeper

i got a honda shop manual for a 1995 honda accord if anyone is interested?

ALLEN E

Sounds good.

How much

Email me at hemiallen@hotmail.com please.

Thanks

Allen