sparc

2007 Acura TL Base

Parking brake lever moves up about an inch or two, but there is heavy resistance. There are no audible clicks at any point in time even when I really try to pull up. Based on other threads, it seems like I should be hearing 6 to 8 fairly audible clicks. I tried looking up youtube videos on the lever, but I couldn't find any examples as to how it's supposed to move and sound.

At times on the road, I feel like the brakes are almost proactively trying to engage as soon as I let off the accelerator. Almost as if i'm driving a hybrid with those regenerative electric car brakes.

Any suggestions? Is it possible the parking brake is permanently engaged? Gas mileage seems a bit low, but i'm new to this car.

sparc

I've also noticed some sort of burning smell occasionally on both rear wheels.

thoiboi

Your e brake mechanism in the rear needs maintenance

sparc

is it something i could do myself? like spray some PB blaster on something that is seized?

thoiboi

Um.. these are your brakes we are talking about. they're located in the rear brake drum behind the disc . you have to take it apart and examine what the problem is. It could be a number of things . If you're not comfortable with DIY, I'd suggest taking it to a mechanic

sparc

gotcha. I thought it might something like the parking brake cable mechanism being seized where it attaches in the rear. I'm new to the Acura TL so don't know enough about this particular car and the e-brake design/repair.

NoTLoud

There's a service you can perform on the e-brake to fix poor engagement. Parking brake should be fully engage after several clicks, I think about 7 to 8. There are two places you can make adjustments from, either underneath the center console or at the actual parking brake drum itself. Check the tension underneath the center console, there is an access hold underneath the armrest. For the major adjustment, you need to adjust the actual drum by removing the rear wheels.

When I first got my car, I would rip the e-brake all the way up and it still wouldn't hold the car.

Search around and find the service manual for our car, it has a section on how to perform the adjustments, which is what I used to set mine up properly.

If your e-brake was constantly engaged, you would probably know. It would cause significant drag on the rear wheels, I would imagine. It very well could be that the parking brake drum is tightened down too much. Again, find the service manual for our car and find where it goes over the parking brake adjustment procedure. I forget exactly what all the specifics were, but it took me about an hour or so to get everything dialed in to spec.

thoiboi

https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...-041-a-578017/

https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...-041-a-770166/


Parking adjustment links per our garage thread.

WDPanda

Sounds to me like you have an issue under the e-brake lever. Remove the centre console (2 trims, ~4 screws) and look there first. Easiest vs removing your wheels.

sparc

I botched this whole thread and misunderstood the symptoms. Nothing at all wrong with my parking brake. It was kind of late and I overthought it.

Looks like it's a stuck brake caliper on the drivers side rear. I see some old threads on the burning smell that I was having.

The pad on the drivers side rear was half the thickness of the passenger side.

WDPanda

Seized calipers happen, has nothing to do with the ebrake.
your ebrake lever doesn't go up right? Fixing your seized calipers/pads won't fix your e-brake problem. I also recommend getting new rotors since I'm sure they're warped if it's half the thickness than the other already and overheated many times.

sparc

ebrake lever goes up 6 clicks so no issues there. I messed up the posting of the symptoms in the first post. I actually took a second look at the vehicle today and removed the rear wheels.

Corrected Info and Symptoms:

• Occasional Burning Smell near rear wheels
• At times on the road, I feel like the brakes are almost proactively trying to engage as soon as I let off the accelerator. Almost as if i'm driving a hybrid with those regenerative electric car brakes.
• Brake Pad thickness of driver rear is almost half the thickness of the passenger side rear
• Driver Rear Caliper is heavily coated in thick scaly rust. Passenger Rear Caliper has about 1/4 of that level of rust. Front Calipers almost have no rust on them and they are original.
• I raised the rear of the vehicle and the driver rear wheel is experiencing resistance when I try to spin it. Passenger rear wheel spins freely.
• Parking Brake moves 6 clicks so seems to be working normally.
• All brake pads and rotors were replaced about 3 years ago
• All original calipers

Things I Plan on Replacing:

• Replace Both Rear Calipers (I would guess I could get away with drivers side rear, but it seems like the passenger rear is probably going to seize at some point soon too.)
• Replace Both Rear Pads
• Replace Both Rear Rotors

Any Suggestions on other Maintenance with the rear brake system?
Does the Parking Brake system need any regular lubrication or servicing while the rotors are off? (even though it is working ok)

NoTLoud

From what I have read and heard from people, the rear calipers on the TL's are prone to seizing.

I agree with the three items you have listed to replace. Don't think you really need to worry about any other maintenance items, just make sure you lubricate the brakes components correctly. If you are happy with the parking brake, then I would leave it alone. As far as I am aware, there isn't any sort of regular service that needs to be performed unless the parking brake isn't holding correctly. Check out the links thoiboi posted if you want to read up on the parking brake service.

thoiboi

Title updated per OP's request

sparc

what do you guys think of these calipers? Ebay Link: Rear Black Powder Coated Performance Brake Calipers ACURA CL TL HONDA ELEMENT | eBay

These BrakeMotive Calipers say they are powder coated. Alternative is the Wearever Calipers (Cardone) from Advance, but they seem to get a bit more surface rust.

I looked on rockauto and there are a bunch of different brands of more expensive calipers. Centric, Beck Arnley, Cardone, Raybestos, etc but there isn't much info on whether they are any better than these.

RC51Ryder

I'm getting ready to be on my 3rd set in 7 years. Kinda frustrating since the rears don't do as much as the fronts. Heck, they don't even handle parking brake functions since there are shoes for that and I find that mine seem to fail when it is cold outside

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

It has been my experience that pretty much all Honda sliding (single piston) calipers have this issue.

Iggy

That's been my experience also.

Running the pistons full travel once every few months and keeping the fluid fresh helps with longevity though.