96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

Hey guys,

I've been having a problem with my front brakes on my 1996 Honda Accord EX (2.2L). I would appreciate ANY help on the subject. I have spent over $1000 on my brakes, trying to rid of a LOUD LOUD SOUND heard when braking at low speeds (once the brakes get hot). It will not, however, occur when braking while reversing?

Here's the story:
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Last year, when I bought my Accord, the front passenger side made a slight "tick tick" or "grinding" sound when I braked at low speeds. It gradually got worse (louder) and so I took it to a garage. I had him tell me that the rotors needed to be changed, so I went ahead and did that, but the sound was still there. I then proceeded to change the pads (as per his recommendation), and that did nothing either. I lost trust in him and went to another mechanic, who told me that the rotors were 'cheap quality' and needed changing, so he went ahead and did that. Anytime the brake was opened/taken apart, the sound problem would go away for a day or two, but then would come back with a vengeance. So the 2 sets of rotors and the pads didn't fix it; I eventually ended up changing the bearing (recommended by another garage), and finally a 4th mechanic I went to decided it was the caliper at fault. He claimed he changed that, along with sanding the corners of the pads, and doing other 'stuff', and finally the sound seemed to go away ($800-1000 later).

This summer, while driving with my windows down at the beginning of summer, I heard the same sound start up again, but this time on the driver side. It gradually got worse - way worse than the passenger side ever was! I have had the rotors, pads, and caliper "sliders" changed to no avail. The sound is still there and LOUD. Again, whenever I take it to a mechanic to check it out, merely opening the brake/replacing the pads (opening the caliper) makes the sound go away for a day, but then something happens which brings it back?

I had a friend ask me to record the sound. There's a lot of wind, but when the wind dies down (as I brake), you hear the noise clearly (particularly in Recording5.wav). Here are some clips:
http://www.trunkspace.ca/brakes/

I hope someone can identify the sound and tell me what it is, before I go to another dishonest/clueless mechanic. The latest mechanic I took it to claims it could be the ball joint (which IS loose, but just slightly! hardly noticable), the cv joint (though the sound does not happen while turning, only while braking), or the caliper (which I believe was changed already). So far, I've had the edges of the rotors sanded down, i've had the back plating (which was rusted) clipped in case it was touching the rotors...

Sorry for the long read; I really hope someone can help! I'd appreciate it immensely!

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

I was not able to hear the noise,,,,,,,,,,,,,Has anyone installed Honda factory rotors or pads ?? have them chk the frt syspension especially take a look if the radius rod nut is loose

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

You weren't able to hear it? Can you try clip 5? (http://www.trunkspace.ca/brakes/Recording5.wav). Once the wind dies down, the brake sound is pretty apparent.

The pads currently on the car are original Honda pads. The rotors, however, are not. I haven't taken it to Honda because i'm 99% sure they will tell me it's because they are OEM rotors, will request that I put original Honda rotors on, and the sound will still be there ($300 later?).

As for the suspension - nope no one has looked at that. I'll keep that in mind when I take it back to the garage. Thanks for the reply =)

Anyone else? I know the sound quality is low but i'm hoping the brake noise can be made out. I know I could hear it clearly, but then again I know what i'm listening for...

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

I heard it......on #5

Have never heard such a thing from the brakes before. Sounds like a CV joint to me, but I cant think of any way possible that a bad CV joint would only make a sound when the brakes are applied. I assume that you have checked the joints. Easy way is to go to an empty parking lot and make the sharpest turn you possibly can in both directions (i.e. drive around in a circle). If they are bad, you should hear it.

Does the car brake normally (there is no noticable difference in stopping power, etc.)??

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

It brakes perfectly! I feel the "sound" in the pedal a bit (a slight vibration, which would indicate the rotor?) but it's so slight... and the car brakes really nicely. Stopping power is excellent.

As for it being the CV joint, the car does not make any sounds when I turn a sharp left or right (i've tried), but I had someone else say it could be the CV joint as well. It's just not a sound that would occur (from a CV joint) when you braked (and only when you brake lightly at that!)

Thanks for the continued suggestions =) Mucho appreciated. Still hoping someone had the exact same problem/sound and managed to figure out what it was.

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

The creaking noise? Sounds like the pads moving in the saddles. Have you checked the rotors for runout?

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

Runouts?

The rotors are a bit rough, but not enough to cause the kind of sound that's being made. My guess right now is that the calipers are at fault. I had a mechanic change the sliders on the calipers, and the sound went away for a few hours. I washed and waxed my baby, took it out for a drive, and the sound came back! Really frustrating...

I wish I could just finally figure out what it is!

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

Runout = Are the rotors warped? You measure it with a dial indicator. If they're causeing the noise you can probably eyeball em with them turning.

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

Without using any "measuring" tools (a dial like you suggested), i've had a few mechanics tell me that the rotor is warped, but again, this is like the 3rd or 4th rotor now? The very first guy I took it to a year ago told me that the rotor was warped and needed to be changed, and then told me that it was caused by the bearing.

What I did is I went out and bought a bearing and a rotor. I'm going to try to get those 2 parts swapped on Saturday.

Between now and Saturday, if anyone has any other suggestions (since i'm taking the car in to get work done anyways) on any other relatively "cheap" parts I may want to change at the same time, please speak now! =)

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

ill listen to it right now.

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

so when you get off the freeway it doesnt shake the steering wheel? i bet it doesnt........and you bet i know what that is....one of two things


one: there is a metal shield behind the rotor....it may be contacting the rotor once it heats up in there. metal expands. bend it back ever so slightly away from the rotor.


two: there are two little clips that attach to the caliper that hold the pads in place. one of them is offset just enough so that it touches the rotor once it gets hot. your pads and rotors are probably just fine.

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

let us know how it goes.

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

When I get off the freeway (highway here =)), the steering wheel doesn't shake.

1) The metal shield behind the rotor was clipped in the spots that it may be contacting the rotor (near the bottom). I know the plate needs to be changed but that is now what's causing it, and the brakes were applied while the car was up on the lift, and the mechanic did not see the brakes making contact with the plate

2) The two clips in the caliper (the "sliders") were thought to be the problem. The reason was that one of the 'pins' on the top slider (in the caliper) was actually BROKEN, and there's a line on the rotor going all the way around, giving us the impression that the slider was touching the rotor at some point. The top slider was changed, and the sound went away for a few hours. I washed and waxed my car, delighted that the problem was fixed -- took the car for a spin all buffed and shined, and the problem came back! I was fuming!

Basically, both things you suggested have been looked at/tried =)

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

no the sliders allow the caliper to move around as the pads loose their material. im talking about the thin little metal clips that actually hold the pads in place. the reason why i think we are talking about two different things is that there are no "pins" in the clips

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

Hello again =)

The 'pins' I speak of are simply the L-shaped parts of the sliders. If you look at a slider closely, it has 2 of those, and one of them had a side of the metal broken off. I can't really explain it, but the "sliders" i'm referring to do exactly what you described - they hold the pads in place. I once re-inserted the slider myself so I know that it's definitely what holds the pads in place!

Still lightshow, I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to try to help me figure this out. This problem has been the biggest mystery i've ever had to deal with .. with any car! It's gotten so frustrating that i've been ready to give up on an otherwise PERFECT car (knock on wood!), sell it and move on! No one can figure this out...

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

i still think you should recheck both of those things i have mentioned. but one thing you have not said anything about replacing yet is the caliper brackets. if they were bent even the tiniest little bit, they would make a sound like what you have

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

the wheel bearings make that sound when they go bad but you can hear it at all times. not just when your braking

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

Hey guys,

Well first off I wanted to thank everyone who took the time to read my long initial post, and especially to those who replied with suggestions.

This had been an ongoing intermittant problem for over a year now, and one (really smart) mechanic finally pinpointed the problem and fixed it.

I mentioned in my original post that the rotor would not spin completely round, and that someone once told me it was due to a bad bearing? Well it wasn't, but the rotor rotating crooked WAS what was causing the noise. It turns out that the spindle was bent (the front driver-side wheel had either hit something like a sidewalk really hard, or a mechanic had bent the spindle while removing one of the numerous rotors which were put on). I bought a spindle from a scrapyard, replaced it, and the rotor turned completely straight afterwards. The steering wheel used to shake a bit on the highway, and that went away too.

So anyways - the scraping sound was caused by the metalic brake pads hitting the rotor at an angle, due to a bent spindle. I hope someone with a similar problem in future can get the solution from this thread!

Thanks again everyone!

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

i feel like i just read a freakin book. what a great success story. lol. glad to see you got it fixed and thanks for posting the solution for anyone else who has this problem.

RE: 96 Accord - Brake Problem!
 

Well, you should hold onto that particular mechanic tighter than an Alabama tick!