I replaced the front pads on my 2001 TL today. this was the first time I ever touched brakes.

For the most part everything went smooth but I have some question.

on the first side I tightened the slider bolts back down to where the rubber boots was completely compressed. I then noticed on the other side that it shouldn't be compressed, is it bad that I did that to the first side? should I go back again and back those slider bolts out?

The second side I didnt squish the boots but they are more squished than before, I assume because the new pads are thicker?

The brake pedal was and still is squishy and the brakes dont "bite" or even grab super hard. I noticed the brake fluid is down to the minimum level, should I add more to get some bite or is there something else that i need to look for??

I just replaced the front pads, nothing else. I used cheap NAPA brand pads.

Any info would be great so I don't die from having faulty brakes!!!

THANKS

 

one more thing that I just remembered, the brake warning light in the dash has come on from time to time. Usually a hard acceleration would cause it to go off.

I was thinking it was something to do with the E-brake but now it has me thinking.......

Thanks!

 

Brake light comes on due to low fluid.

 

You should replace the brake fluid.

Just bleed them repeatedly until all the old fluid is out.

 

I did add a little bit to fill it up to max but did not notice any more pressure on the brake pedal.

Will bleeding the brakes help with the soft pedal and braking???

Thanks!

 

yes you are low on old fluid. And if you just replaced the front pads the level should have gone up toward the top line. As you press the pistons back into the calipers the fluid is forced back up into the master cylinder and reservoir. Check the rear calipers as well as there may be a leak.
It may help account for the soft pedal. Brake fluid does not evaporate but it does absorb water from the air so it is important you beed all the calipers until you only get clear fluid with no air bubbles.

 

ok thanks! I might bleed and replace all the brake fluid this weekend. Sposed to
be wicked rainy so I will throw it in the garage and give it a whirl!

I am also still wondering about the slider bolts and rubber boots. Should I back those out so the boots are not compressed??

Thanks!

 

TORQUE spec on the bolts is critical
you have overtightened a few bolts for sure
the fronts are ~40 ft pounds for caliper to bracket iirc
ck that on autozone diy section or may be in our diy info for brakes

you should tighten them equally, not blast down one as tight as possible and hit wrench with hammer, and the other just over hand tight,,,not gonna work!
The caliper should have free movement in/out and the pads too,,everything has a little room to move, inside those boots is grease to allow movement

flush/bleed order is special to the TL
LF= driver front, then clockwise around the car LF RF RR LR
adding fluid does nothing to remove old fluid
wiki hygroscopic for why its bad news to leave old fluid in
It causes soft pedal !! and weak braking

after full bleed you need to put some normal medium use on the new brake parts-
so they bed into each other- the pads and rotors coming together to act as one = max braking
Performance pads require special bedding procedures

 

buy 2 qts DOT4 spec brake fluid,,any brand, regular or synthetic,= your choice

Expect 1.5 qts used for a good complete flush

 

ok Thanks! Prolly gonna bleed the system tomorrow, I will back out those bolts so the boots are not crushed. I think I forgot to put the old plates on the new pads also. (silly me)

Hopefully new fluid will do the trick! I will inspect lines for leaks while I am at it...

 

Double check everything. You don't want to make a mistake when it comes to the brakes...

 

Thats why I never did brakes. To much can go wrong...I will figure it out.

 

What if you don't have backing plates/shims on your brake pads... is that bad? My front ones do not have them...

 

dont just loosen the caliper bolts- loosen then torque to correct spec
you can borrow a torque wrench at parts store, or a neighbor, or buy one at harbor freight tools

every bolt has a torque spec= based on type of bolt-strength/grade, and its diameter

shims are optional on some pads- its not a big deal as long as you dont experience any rattle from loose fit
RacingBrakes pads dont come with, so I called tech support
"If we wanted you to run shims we would have included them"
Im guessing it allows heat to escape from back side as well

new fluid makes all the differance in braking!
did you wikipedia hygroscopic yet?
everyone needs to do this --once a year is a good plan= to protect our aging parts
and keep max brake torque available at all times

 

What's a good new brake fluid to use? Just go to Honda? Or should I buy some synthetic? I see it's a bit pricier but I'd imagine that it has a much higher boiling point so will be a better product. Changing over to Legend calipers and steel lines soon so curious as to what the best would be.

 

having the brake fluid changed out is this summers "big" maintenance item. I think im just going to go to the Acura dealer to get it done - or should any mechanic be able to do it if i tell them the bleed order?

 

well I tried to bleed my brakes with a couple of problems.

Before doing the pads the pedal was squishy and The car didnt have a lot of braking power, well things are still the same. I bled the front brakes with no luck on getting better brake bite or a firmer pedal. While I was bleeding, the fluid barely just dribbled out. The online videos I watched shows it coming out with some force. I did it with and without the car running. I only did the fronts because things were not going well so I packed up and stopped. Does anyone know why I wasn't able to bleed correctly or what can be wrong? And again, thanks!

 

Are you opening the bleeders enough? The fluid should come out easily.
For Brake fluid find the one that has the highest WET boiling point. It is not the DRY number that most fluids will display largely on the front label. Read the back. I like Castrol GTX it has the highest WET temp I can find.
There is a specific method for bleeding the brakes requiring either a bleeder kit (so it can be done by one person) or you will need two people: One to apply pressure to the brake pedal and the other to open/close the bleeder. If you have not done this before please go to a shop or find someone who has -or check you-tube. The engine does not nor should be running.
If you just went to the caliper and opened the bleeder you may have let more air in.
Don't risk an accident. Get help.

 

yes I opened the bleeders all the way, I had a helper step on the pedal for me while I bled.

I think I might have left the cap to the res on while doing this but dont remember if I did or not. I will try it again when I feel like doing it again.
Thanks!

 

put a 2x4 block under the brake pedal arm so the pedal only goes its normal 3/4 way to the floor
If helper is pushing it all the way down = new master cyl is in your future

helper should pump pedal 4-5 times and hold it down as if stopped on steep hill
They call out- Holding! you open the bleeder maybe 1/4 turn and their foot pressure will force out a small amount of fluid
- when pedal reaches block helper calls out DOWN and you close the bleeder
repeat several times until all clear new fluid comes out,,

each caliper should use about 2 fills of the resivour

since you have a problem, go to a brake shop or basic private honda shop
remind them by having it written on the work order:
LF RF RR LR ONLY!!
dealer gets $99-150 for this simple job

 

wet boiling point is when the fluid has absorbed moisture thru hygroscopic action
which is why we all flush the brake fluid annually--right??
dry point is normal uncontaminated new fluid

If you ever got fluid as hot as the limit, you are using the brakes too much and are on a race track or mountain!

I like synthetic but it doesnt matter for street drivers
5 bucks a qt vs 3 for dino, only need 2qts,,,how is this an i$$ue

do use DOT4 spec,,and SS lines can use DOT 5.1 (note never 5.0) as its silicones kill our system)
pricey but awesome stuff IF you track day or drive like an escaped mental patient

 

Yeah I deff did something wrong, I did two calipers and only had to add a couple of drops when done.

 

failure to build pressure with 4 pumps -not fast- just pump1thousand pump2thousand pump pump and hold down
Helper holds it on - you open the bleeder ~just enough~ for fluid to come out
The 2x4 is critical if helper doesnt know to stop pushing at 3/4 travel when bleeder opened and hold it there- calling that `down` as far as your needs are concerned

all the way to the floor- or open the bleeder then push pedal-- wrong!!

It helps to have a clear plastic line on the bleeder- with other end in cup holding small amount of new brake fluid- so it cant suck air backwards
the clear tube allows visual referance of progress
ck our DIY section