sorry for the long post but i’m at my ends with this car😭 i seriously need advice so please read this whole brake saga!!

okay yall im getting desperate now. I’ve had my 13 tsx for 3 years now and for 2 years of me owning it i’ve had nothing but issues with the braking system. I kept having to get the brakes bled cause they’d get soft but was told there was no issues with the brakes at all the first 2 acura dealer visits. I ended up upgrading my hoses to braided stainless steel and upgrading my pads to ebc redstuff and powerstop drilled x slotted rotors and still was having brake issues. So anyways, i took it to a different dealer (honda dealer in my area) and they found that the MC was leaking into the brake booster within an hour and a half of me dropping it off(November 2022). after being scammed out of $1400 later, they were both replaced but still never felt right and a new issue developed where the brake booster was leaking the vacuum reserve and the pedal would go hard after 30 minutes. I replaced the check valve myself and the issue continued still. So fast forward to a month ago i noticed fluid seeping out onto the brake booster out from the MC. Took it to acura cause honda said that acura was the last to touch it. Found out that the honda dealer put oriley brand MC and brake booster on it and that’s the reason they never felt right and that the same thing as last november was happening. So anyways, i couldn’t afford oem brand new parts this time around so i was able to find a used oem MC and brake booster off ebay for 75 bucks from a 11’ tsx with 74k miles that was rear ended. after being scammed out of another $1500 (JUST LABOR) at acura, the booster still leaks out the vacuum pressure sitting for 30 minutes even with the new check valve. However i’ve noticed that since i take my breaks at work in my car without driving it (just sitting in it with it running, not driving it just idling for 10 minutes) after i turn my car off and it sits for another 2 hours before my shift ends, i go out and when it’s normally hard from it leaking the reserve vacuum out, it’ll be completely soft and go down so many inches before its firm and definitely feels like air in the lines but there’s no leaks ANYWHERE(and no its not the vacuum reserve as it leaks out the vacuum pressure for whatever reason). And when i do go to leave work it’ll be scary when I push down on the brakes and it takes way more travel before i stop. Usually they’ll firm up if i either pump them a few times or if i rev the shit out of the engine (I know, weird correlation). I don’t believe it’s the ABS modulator because when I do a full brake and engage ABS the pedal still feels completely fine afterwards + it was tested by the dealer and they said that it’s working fine and isn’t introducing air in. There’s also no leaks at any of the calipers or anything like that. I’ve put way too much money into this issue and i’m at my limit with it. Please help anybody!!!!

 

First things first? Did that Honda dealer tell you if they put in O' Riley's parts? If no, I don't need to tell you how big of a no-no that is. If you have the receipt and it shows that they used new OEM parts, you should take it up with Acura client relations cause that is straight up fraud. Second, don't know anything about the TSX's braking system, but the salvage MC and BB might be bad from the get go? A potential way to test the BB is to adapt a smoke machine to the vacuum port and see if there is smoke leaking. Also try to verify that the MC is good and that it is bench bled properly. Bad bleeding at the MC will cause weird braking issues. When all of that is fixed and known to be good, bed the brakes to get proper rotor transfer. EBC should have the procedure on their website.

Take care and good luck. You sure as hell need it.

 

So it does show on the receipt that it has oriley part numbers but they just never told me that it was oriley parts on it. But also, the master cylinder is definitely good because a majority of the time the pedal feels good now it just feels like air is getting let in somehow occasionally but I don’t see any leaks ANYWHERE. But the brake booster i’m not sure but i don’t hear any vacuum leaks anywhere even after shutting the car off but it’s had 2 check valves replaced on it so i’m not sure. I don’t believe it’s the VSA module because if i engage ABS the pedal usually feels way better after as if it bled the system of any air. Someone told me they had the same issue and ended up being the calipers but my calipers visually all look fine and move freely so i’m stumped. Once i have time i’ll try and check all the hard lines but i dont rlly believe im gonna find anything unusual.

 

Ok. Do or have someone do a ABS bleed with a scan tool. Use a lot of brake fluid in the flush to be sure all the old stuff is out. Lot of times, the booster won't make weird noises. The best way is the smoke machine. At a standstill, mark where the fluid is on the MC and then depress the brake pedal a ton of times and see if the brake fluid moves. If there is no movement. There are no leaks. Don't have the SM for the TSX, but ask one of the guys on here if they have a copy of the brake bleeding order.

 

46100-TA1-A01 is the part number for the MC.
01469-TP1-A10 is the part number for the BB.
All together they cost about $630 online from oemacuraparts.com

 

all of that has been done but it’s weird because even when air does get in somehow it eventually fixes itself it seems like and it’s making me suspect the VSA modulator. do you happen to know if the modulator has to be programmed to the car specifically?? i found an independent shop that quoted me $220 for labor but said they’d only be able to do it if doesn’t have to be programmed specifically. i’ve seen people with 8g accords/crosstour be able to replace it without needing programming. The service manual for the TSX only shows that you have to do the “VSA sensor neutral position memorization procedure”.

 

TBH I don't know if it needs to be programmed or not. I don't own a TSX. My impression is that the VSA modulator/ABS pump is passive in normal use and generally wouldn't cause something like this. But I since I don't know that much, take it with a grain of salt. Again, do the check that i mentioned in an earlier post with the car at a standstill. Whether there is air or no air, it is a good test since if it moves a noticeable amount, something is wrong (Air/fluid leak issue). I personally think that the work and parts in the system need to be rechecked. Something seems to be off with either the parts or the work done.