2007 Honda Accord LX 4cyl, approximately 90,000 miles, So I’m no mechanic, I’m a female with some limited mechanical knowledge, so far I’ve had 3 mechanics, 2 of which were master mechanics, one shade tree guy, Here’s my problem, So out of the blue I began smelling the brakes burning ( after driving it about 5 miles or less) and my pedal was very hard to press down, and I only had about half of the braking power I normally would. The first mechanic found a “broken caliper, left rear I believe is where it was, and replaced the pads all around, it didn’t help at all, and so far, for process of elimination, I’ve had a master mechanic replace all calipers, ABS module, Master Cylinder, Caliper lines, completely drain and replace fluid and bleed the lines of course, even the alternator because it had apparently gone bad and since it was under warranty anyway , and in theory I guess maybe the thought was the ABS system maybe wasn’t getting the correct current and was causing a malfunction, of course bled the lines, the disc are in great shape, the car has been very well maintained, there was some fluid in the booster which he removed before replacing the MC and that didn’t happen again, and the booster is functioning normally ( he says).,,So anyone have any ideas, theories, crazy ideas!! I’ll take any suggestions

 

Wow, sounds like everything in the brake system was replaced. Do you still have the brake pad smell?

 

Yes , absolutely nothing changed, test drove it after every piece was replaced and nothing helped at all!!

 

How do you know that the smell is from the brakes? Are you still having issues with the brake pedal? Perhaps the smell is not from the brakes, since you've had pretty much the whole system replaced. Also, I feel like your mechanic(s) may have taken advantage of you, in doing all of this work. They didn't fix the problem, so I'd complain and demand refunds.

 

I know what hot brakes smell like but I did question myself about that and the mechanics that have driven it agree, yes the pedal does the same, all symptoms persist regardless of what is done

 

And also the brakes lock up and get red hot

 

Is this all four brakes, or is one corner of the car having an issue?

 

Just the front on both sides and the caliper on the left was locking up , it had been just the front drivers side with every test drive until the MC was replaced a few days ago and the then the damn passenger side caliper locked up instead of the drivers side!’ It’s making me insane!!

 

Are you planning on some DIY diagnostics, or just looking for suggestions?

I guess a few things could cause this behavior. To split the braking system, you have to figure out if this is the hydaulics (caliper piston, lines, master cylinder), or mechanical like the brake pads, caliper brackets, rotors. I'd also assume that any new parts on the system could be bad out of the box. So a new master cylinder doesn't necessarily mean a working master cylinder.

Secure the car on jackstands and safely remove the front passenger tire. You can unbolt the bottom caliper pin and swing up the caliper. See if the pistion can be puhed back in. You'll need a large c-clamp or a loaner tool from the parts store will work. The piston should retract fairly easily. You also want to check that the brake pads can slide in the caliper bracket freely and aren't stuck.

There are some good youtube channels on brakes. Schrodinger's box, SouthmainAuto, and Pinehollow Diagnostics have videos on brake service/diagnostics that you might want to check out.

 

All the suggestions I can beg you guys out of!!