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Rear Caliper Banjo Washers

M

MattyB801

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Accord Tourer Type S
Hi All

I have a 2003 Accord Tourer Type S, which has the usual sticky driver's side rear caliper issue. I have just recieved my replacement pair of calipers from Bigg Red (who have them in stock for £99/pair BTW), which I will be fitting this weekend.

I will obviously be looking to replace the copper washers when I do this as a matter of course, but I refuse to pay honda over £3.30 each for the privilege of using OEM washers (even Lee at HH was suprised!).

In order for me to find alternatives, does anyone know the size of the washer required? I guess they must be around 10mm ID and 14mm OD? There are many firms selling banjo washers for honda motorbikes on ebay for literally pennies, which must be pretty much the same thing??

Any help on this much appreciated, as I hope it will help members in the future if we can bottom out a cheap(er) source of these...

Matt

PS: I appreciate that anything to do with brakes needs to be 100%, but at the same time, having replaced OEM Honda washers before, I dont remember them being anything special.
 
Obviously your call, but I simply cleaned and reused mine... they're copper, so soft enough to reseal. And it's easy to check from behind with a torch that they're not leaking.
 
I know it is pricey for Some washers but twelve quid isn't going to bankrupt
 
I re-used mine too..

There is an Eric The Car Guy vid discussing reusing the Honda ones in preference to the third party ones. He does say its not good practice to reuse these crush washers, however in his experience the old used Honda ones were better than new cheaper ones.


about 2.30mins in, then again at the recap

 
Thanks for your replies. It's not so much a case of the money, it's the principle of paying do much for a 5p component! But regardless, I've got my local dealer parts dept number handy in case the new ones don't do the job.

If in the mean time if anyone has an old pipe they could measure the banjo hole size for me?
 
I've just had a mooch and I've found the old washers from when I did THIS job.

I thought they were aluminium (like the sump plug washers), but having filed the edge they are in fact plated copper.

Roughly (with a ruler) they are 15.1OD, 9.6ID and 1.2mm thick. Granted, they may be fractionally squashed as they've been fitted once. I've some decent callipers at work and will report back with a more accurate size tomorrow.
 
Hmm, crespo must be made of money if he doesn't care about paying £12 for a tuppence worth. Anyway...

You can reuse the copper crush washers by re-annealing them to make them soft again. Basically heat up until they're glowing red hot, with a propane torch or a gas cooker, and then quench in water.
 
Reiver said:
Hmm, crespo must be made of money if he doesn't care about paying £12 for a tuppence worth. Anyway...

You can reuse the copper crush washers by re-annealing them to make them soft again. Basically heat up until they're glowing red hot, with a propane torch or a gas cooker, and then quench in water.
Click to expand...


Mate I am in the industrial cladding game and use washers on a daily basis be it for steel erecting or sheet fixing etc and I can ***ure you that there is a huge difference between cheap and expensive. Yes they all look the same but the tolerances they are made to and the pressures and forces they can withstand differ quite dramatically.


Its 12 pound and like I said not going to break the bank, chances are cheap washers will be Just fine but then there is also that chance that they won't. And for twelve quid why even consider penny pinching.

The reason your car doesn't rust like an 80's Alfa is because the steel is galvanised. A much more expensive product than ordinary steel but I bet you are glad you have it.

There is nothing more irritating than doing a job twice because you needlessly skimped on a component.


Not being funny but if you can't afford 12 quid you really should consider public transport.
I
 
I'm a mechanical design engineer for industry by trade and I dont skimp on quality where required. However, i can ***ure you there isn't £12 worth of quality in the OEM supplied washers.

I recently replaced the calipers on an older civic of ours, and like an idiot i didnt even think to check the price before i ordered pads/washers/disc screws/ brake fluid etc from a local dealer. I do however remember looking at the copper washers, then at the invoice and thinking.....f**king hell, I've been royally bent over here. There was nothing that made them look or feel any different to the washers used in many other applications, Hence this post to find decent quality alternatives.

John at Bigg Red (who has been in the business for many years) also advised to avoid the dealer and use a local factor as in his words, 'they are a rip off for exactly the same part'.

Like many things Honda sell, there seems to be an incredible mark up on cheaper/smaller items such as nuts, bolts, screws, washers, trim clips etc. I get the feeling it's to cover there costs should they need to order them in, or just for the packaging/logistics etc. either way it gets a bit silly.

The latest is that i've done some looking into it and I've ordered a couple of different sets of washers from eBay from motorbike parts suppliers, who specifically mention fitment for honda Nissin calipers (albeit for bikes). Both sets are 10mm ID and 14mm OD, which seems in line with the used washer dimensions given above by Matt (thanks).

Anyway, as always, once they arrive I will look closely at the quality before fitment and report back. Trust me, I won't be fitting them if I have any doubt that they are suitable, and I'll be driving straight up to my honda dealer and bending over for OEM washers. Watch this space.
 
duty_calls.png


crespo said:
Mate I am in the industrial cladding game and use washers on a daily basis be it for steel erecting or sheet fixing etc and I can ***ure you that there is a huge difference between cheap and expensive. Yes they all look the same but the tolerances they are made to and the pressures and forces they can withstand differ quite dramatically.

Its 12 pound and like I said not going to break the bank, chances are cheap washers will be Just fine but then there is also that chance that they won't. And for twelve quid why even consider penny pinching.
Click to expand...

Ah ha, job ***le throwing in which case; chemical engineer so nyah-nyah. :p

It's a plain flat copper crush washer. It's purpose here is to deform to provide a fluid seal and not to provide load bearing as, I ***ume, your work entails.

crespo said:
The reason your car doesn't rust like an 80's Alfa is because the steel is galvanised. A much more expensive product than ordinary steel but I bet you are glad you have it.
Click to expand...

Irrelevant to the matter at hand.

crespo said:
There is nothing more irritating than doing a job twice because you needlessly skimped on a component.
Click to expand...

I agree. Quality components are important but in this particular case there is no difference. You could go and buy Goodridge or Hel branded copper washers if you desire for a few pence more.

crespo said:
Not being funny but if you can't afford 12 quid you really should consider public transport.
Click to expand...

That is quite frankly insulting. It's about applying intelligence and common sense.
 
As promised, the more accurate measurements:

15.2mm OD
10.16mm ID
1.43mm thick

BanjoWashers.jpg


and finally my two penneth:

Chances are you'll be ok to re-use your old washers, if they're in good condition -but unless you've had the car from new you don't know if someone else has pulled this trick already. Copper washers are a standard consumable part. I doubt there's a brake fitter in the land (save Honda themselves) that use genuine parts. I've noticed that (across a wide range of industries) small inexpensive (low margin) parts often carry a three to five quid price tag. It's about inventory and distribution costs, not the inherent value of the goods.

Good luck with the job. Hope you've somewhere warm to work :)
 
Reiver said:
duty_calls.png




Ah ha, job ***le throwing in which case; chemical engineer so nyah-nyah. :p

It's a plain flat copper crush washer. It's purpose here is to deform to provide a fluid seal and not to provide load bearing as, I ***ume, your work entails.



Irrelevant to the matter at hand.



I agree. Quality components are important but in this particular case there is no difference. You could go and buy Goodridge or Hel branded copper washers if you desire for a few pence more.



That is quite frankly insulting. It's about applying intelligence and common sense.
Click to expand...


I apologise for my last comment, I was tired and grumpy after a ***** day at work yesterday.

At the end of the day it boils down to personal preference, and 12 quid although steep for washers is just not enough to get me worked up over and for the piece of mind and lazyness I would have just paid it. Maybe I am richer than I realised.

I am going to be honest here and admit that I didn't realise they were not load bearing or under any kind of stress and in which case you are correct and any kind of copper washer would be sufficient.
 
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