[ TechFeature
By Andrew Markel, Editor, Brake & Front End Magazine
Honda Brake
Service Tips
An Indepth Look At The
Honda Vehicle Lineup
INSIGHT: LIGHTWEIGHT
REAR BRAKE DRUMS
The older Insight has a two-
piece rear drum design with
aluminum fins. The design bor-
rows from the old 1950 Buick
drums that had cast-iron spun
into an aluminum body. This
design has significantly reduced
weight over a cast-iron drum.
The use of aluminum fins on the
outside helps to assist with cool-
ing. Machining this drum can be
difficult, and all attempts should
be made to remove as little
material as possible to keep it
within the 181mm service limit.
Always inspect for cracks in the
friction surface of the drum.
32 September 2014 | Import-Car.com
BRAKE SERVICE
ALL MODELS: DARCO
FASTENERS
Some Hondas use Darco-coated
fasteners, which some caliper
pins and bracket bolts use to pre-
vent corrosion. When installing
new hardware, make sure you
replace with similar fasteners
that are coated or plated.
PILOT: QUICK BOOSTER
TEST
On any Honda, especially the
CIVIC: COLD START?
HIGH ALTITUDE? HARD Pilot, if only one of the slider
PEDAL? pins is seized, or the pads are
flexing in the bracket, the boost-
On some 2006-‘07 Civics, a cold assisted hydraulic system will
start in high altitudes may pro- have no problem forcing things
duce a hard brake pedal. This is to move. A quick check for this
due to a fast idle and low problem is similar to the booster
engine vacuum. The solution,
according to Honda, is to
replace the master cylinder rod
seal and reprogram the engine
module’s software so more
vacuum is produced during
high-idle conditions.
[ TechFeature
test: With the engine off, stroke the
brake pedal to dump the vacuum.
If the pedal feels good without
boost, but you’re able to get exces-
sive stroke with boost, suspect
excessive movement somewhere.
INSIGHT: IMA BRAKE
PEDAL SWITCH
The IMA system uses inputs from
the brake pedal position switch
and, on later models, an
accelerometer to determine how
much regenerative braking should
be used. A properly adjusted
brake pedal position switch can
34 September 2014 | Import-Car.com
BRAKE SERVICE
make a big difference in the oper-
ation of the regenerative braking.
If a customer complains that the
regenerative brakes are grabby,
readjusting the brake pedal posi-
tion switch might solve this prob-
lem. Also, if the pedal is not
properly adjusted, the engine idle
shut off will not work properly.
ACCORD: SAVE TIME BY
REMOVING ONE BOLT
Before removing the caliper guide
pins on the seventh-generation
Accord, remove the bolt that
holds the front brake hose bracket
on the knuckle before you start a
brake job. It makes it easier to
hang the caliper out of the way to
service the pads and
caliper bracket.
ALL MODELS WITH
REAR DISCS: LINE
UP THE NOTCH
ON THE REAR
PADS
On Hondas with rear
disc brakes, make sure
the notch in the rear
caliper piston is lined up
with the tab on the
in-board rear brake pad.
Failure to do this could
make it difficult to
reassemble the rear
brake assembly and cost you time
and money. It can also cause a
long or mushy pedal.
ACCORD: CLICK OR POP
WHEN PRESSING THE
BRAKE PEDAL
Got an Accord (2003-’04) in your
shop that clicks or pops when
you press the brake pedal? The
culprit could be the brake pedal
position switch. Here’s why: The
switch plunger doesn’t fit square-
ly into the switch casing. When
you press the brake pedal, the
plunger rubs the side of the
casing and makes noise. There’s a
simple fix for this problem: Just
turn the switch around so the
[ TechFeature BRAKE SERVICE

better strategy
to leave them
in place and
unplug them
from the har-
ness; and be
careful with
them as you
work on the bench. Tip: Think about putting the job
back together as you’re taking it apart.

ALL MODELS: REPLACE THE BRAKE

HOSE IF THE CALIPER HAS
OVERHEATED

If you’re replacing a caliper that has locked up and

connector lock now faces the 5 o’clock position.
created a great deal of heat, you should also replace
the brake hose. This is a good practice any time,
but particularly important with the Honda lineup,
because there have been instances of hose failure at
the caliper fitting after being subjected to the
extreme heat.

CR-V, PILOT: REAR DIFFERENTIAL

MIMICS BRAKE NOISE ALL MODELS: NEVER COMPROMISE ON
PADS
A complaint
often misdi- Most late-model Hondas are designed to work with
agnosed as a ceramic friction formulations, so it’s critical that a
brake prob- similar friction material goes back on the vehicle. If
lem in the an aggressive semi-metallic friction material is used,
popular CR-V more heat could be transferred to the caliper piston,
and Pilot making it possible to
models is a boil the brake fluid.
noise from The problem
the rear becomes even worse
when turn- if you use a cheap
ing. This turning noise at low speeds is actually brake pad set that
coming from the rear differential. On these models, does not include a
only the Honda “dual pump” oil can be used. set of shims. Honda
Changing the oil will take care of the noise. engineers put a lot of
effort into their shim
designs to stop the
ALL MODELS: STUCK ABS SENSORS
vibrations in order
You have to be careful with ABS sensors on most for Honda vehicles
Hondas. If they’re stuck in the housing, it may be a to use a lighter

36 September 2014 | Import-Car.com

[ TechFeature
caliper and knuckle to increase
gas mileage and improve ride
quality.
If you think you can out-engi-
neer a bunch of Honda engineers
with a cheap shim and tube of
brake lube, you may have a
comeback in the near future.
ALL MODELS: BETTER
BRAKE LUBES
Brake lubricants are critical in re-
turning a Honda’s brake system
to an optimal operating condition.
There are three criteria to remem-
ber when selecting brake lubri-
cants. First, does it say that it’s a
brake lubricant on the package? If
not, don’t use it. Some lubricants
may say they are silicone- or
molybdenum disulfide-based, but
they may not be formulated to
work on brakes. Second, look at
the effective temperature range of
the lubricant. At minimum, a
lubricant should be able to handle
400° F on a Honda. Third, check
to see if it contains petroleum dis-
tillates or any substance that can
be detrimental to soft parts.
ALL MODELS: RAPID
REAR BRAKE PAD WEAR
Electronic brake proportioning
(also called electronic brake distri-
bution or EBD) was introduced
on some Honda models in 2006.
In 2011, all Honda vehicles,
except the S2000, were equipped
with EBD. With electronic brake
proportioning, pressure from the
master cylinder is routed equally
to the front and rear brakes. So,
38 September 2014 | Import-Car.com
BRAKE SERVICE
there is no mechanical propor-
tioning valve in the brake system.
Instead, the anti-lock brake sys-
tem (ABS) controls what happens
at the brakes.
On some 2008-‘09 Accords, the
stock programming for the EBD
system caused premature rear
pad wear. Typically, the rear
pads would last only 12,000 to
20,000 miles. The fix for this
problem is a reflash of the ABS
system and installing improved
brake pads.
ALL MODELS: YOU NEED
SERVICE INFORMATION
All brake systems may look the
same after awhile, but with a
Honda, the unseen issues can
hurt you and cause a comeback.
It might be as simple as a torque
specification for a caliper bracket
or as complex as a parking brake
adjustment. You need to have
access to current repair informa-
tion for most late-model Honda
vehicles. If you use the Honda
service information website at
techinfo.honda.com, take time to
look at the very useful TSBs. IC