92 accord lx.. sudden brake problems
 

hello everybody, this is my first post here. I ended up buying an accord from a friend, because i drove it once and fell in love with it, however, it does have a few problems, some of which ive solved myself thanks to the diy guides, but this last one i need some help with.

Just today, going around a corner, my brake pedal became really stiff. I went on another half mile to work, and parked. When i parked, i smelled burning brakes and a small amount of thin white smoke coming from the front drivers brake. I have a friend who works on cars, and we both think the pads and rotors need to be replaced. They are worn horribly, the pads are almost down to bare metal, and the rotors are so old they have a big lip all around the outside of them. After letting the car sit for 8 hours, i drove it home without a problem

i believe what happened was that the combination of the rotors being worn down so badly, and the pads also worn down to nothing, was that the caliper may have extended as far as possible, and somehow got in a bind and was unable to retract.

I was wondering if anyone has had or heard of similar problems, and if my idea seems like a good possible cause. I would hate to do all the work to replace the rotors and pads, just to have this problem continue



Edit- One thing i forgot to add, when i stopped at oreillys to price pads and rotors, he told me this car came with one of two sets of calipers on it, and i would have to identify which one i have to get the correct pads. Is there any way i can find this out without jacking it up and taking the wheel off to physically look at it?

Here is the OEM part number from Honda: 45210-SM2-023

Description: CALIPER ASSY., R. (17CL-14VN) (NISSIN) (N/A FOR USA:USE RMD P/N 45018-SV4-003RM)

I think that you are right about the cause of the problem. I am not sure if you need new calipers.

FYI: Changing the rotors is not as simple as removing the caliper bracket and removing the rotor. Google ericthecarguy replace captive rotors to see a good YouTube video on how to change these rotors.

Your observation / analytical skills are v good. If you lived near me,
I'd bring my car over every 6 months for your test drive evaluation ... :D