Hot rear wheels and rubbery smell

[Scrambler]

Hi all,

I recently had a problem with squeaking from the rear which turned out to be the brake pads (they'd done 50k km). As the dealer wanted €400 to change them I did them myself. All was fine but last week they started intermittently squeaking again. When they do squeak, the wheel gets extremely hot and there is a bloody awful smell like overheated rubber from the rear wheels. Any ideas?

Cheers
bob

 

[j5nsr]

hi mate sounds like a sticking rear caliper common on a lot of hondas open it up wind it back and lubricate if it works you're ok otherwise you might have to replace it mine was the same and luckily it was fine after lubrication i am sure someone else with a bit more knowledge will come and explain!

 

[vile]

Here you go Rob have a look at this.

http://typeaccord.co.uk/forum/topic/66-improving-brakes-%e2%80%93-the-basics/

 

[Scrambler]

Thanks for the quick replies - have to fess up and admit that I did just give the calipers a quick clean with the brake cleaner. Looks like I'll be stripping them down and lubing them and possibly changing the brake fluid - I'm not convinced the dealer did it at the 3 year service, after all, he didn't notice that the rear pads were almost non-existent.

Cheers
bob

 

[Hot Fuzz]

rob it's almost def the caliper I've recently had the same problem give the caliper sliding pins a good clean and re grease them. You may end up having to replace the the flexible hose because with time it perishes internally and prevents the free flow of brake fluid restricting movement of the caliper piston. If you're still having issues the next thing would be to replace the caliper it's self. You might want to think about changing the discs as well esp if they've been damaged by the pads rubbing

 

[Scrambler]

Well I've taken them apart and given them a bloody good clean and scrub up. It's amazing just how grotty these things get in the space of a few weeks. Anyway, all is now shiny bright and little rust spots gone, although I didn't grease the slider pins, so I'll probably be back doing it again in a fortnight. Hey ho. The copper grease on the back of the pads was cooked solid, too.

cheers guys
bob

 

[alnug]

best of luck tell us how it goes..oh and did you use a file on the caliper pad holding areas to make it smooth..also when you had the pads out did you look at the condition of the pads/discs to see how they have worn?

 

[kingnesh]

rob it's almost def the caliper I've recently had the same problem give the caliper sliding pins a good clean and re grease them. You may end up having to replace the the flexible hose because with time it perishes internally and prevents the free flow of brake fluid restricting movement of the caliper piston. If you're still having issues the next thing would be to replace the caliper it's self. You might want to think about changing the discs as well esp if they've been damaged by the pads rubbing

Good advice Paul, although I would make sure that you have sorted the sticking problem out before replacing the discs and another set of pads. It wont be cheap if it damages a new set of discs!

Good luck

 

[Scrambler]

Al,

I did file down the pad retainers, although they weren't too bad after I'd wire brushed them. The pads are brand spanking new - only swapped them out a couple of weeks ago. The discs didn't seem too bad, although I should probably measure them next time I've got the wheels off and make sure they're still in spec. I just checked the receipt from the 3 year service and it looks like the dealer didn't change the brake fluid, so I'll be doing that fairly soon. I'm sure it's going to be a much bigger PITA than doing it on the bike, although it looks straight forward enough.

bob

 

[F6HAD]

Bob - fluid change is essential really as the existing fluid deteriorates over time and moisture is collected in the system.

Al's covered it here to be honest, just ensure there is good and free unrestricted movement of the piston and sliders in the caliper, and the pads aren't sticking on the carrier.