Hey guys,

I found out today that the rear rotors on my '94 Accord LX are rusted out. They're so badly rusted that they're almost peeling off. I replaced the pads just over a year ago, and the e-brake works. I don't know if the rear calipers have ever been replaced.

My mechanic told me that this happens when the rear brakes don't engage, so the rotors essentially never see any friction that grinds off surface rust, hence the rust build up. Seems plausible, I suppose.

My thought was the rear calipers are seized, but then wouldn't the e-brake not work? Or maybe the pads are so worn that they don't engage the rotors? Although this doesn't seem likely either because I replaced them fairly recently and I would've heard them screeching from the wear tab. Or maybe they're so old that they're rusting from the inside out?


What do you guys think is the cause of this?

 

Pic's?

Something doesn't add up in my tiny head....which is really tiny.

Anyway, if you did the read pads you should be able to do any repairs needed, First thing I would do is remove the rear wheel(s) and inspect things.......with the e-brake on can you turn the rotor......with a helper pressing the brake pedal can you spin the rotor?

Are the caliper slide pins moving freely.....is the "notch" in the in board pad aligned with the slots in the caliper piston? When you changed the pads.....how freely did the caliper piston screw back into the caliper?

 

I don't have any pics at the moment.

On an incline, the e-brake keeps the car from sliding. When I depress the brake pedal, it definitely feels front biased, although this should be normal? The pads appeared to be seated correctly in the caliper when my mechanic showed it to me. I replaced the pads a while back, but from what I remember, it wasn't particularly easy or difficult to screw in the piston.

Now that I think about it, I remember there being a ring of rust on the outer edge of the rotor when I replaced the pads before. That same ring of rust was still there the other day and didn't seem to have reduced at all. So I'm guessing that the piston might have seized open? Is it possible for the e-brake to still engage the rear brakes if the caliper doesn't work with hydraulics?

I'll do a proper inspection when I get the chance. What do you suspect it could be?

 

The handbrake mechanism inside the caliper actually pushes on THE PISTON from inside. So if the handbrake actually works I don't see how the piston can be seized. Same thing for the INBOARD pad being seized in the caliper bracket.

However... Look for any possible way that the hydraulic pressure isn't getting to the caliper. Corroded or pinched hydraulic lines? You'll know whether you can bleed the rear brakes.

There's always a ring of rust near the outside of the rotor. That's the small area where the pad doesn't touch. How about rust on the middle of the rotor surface, where the pads actually squeeze it?

 

So I should check if I can bleed the brakes?


The area where the pads should squeeze the rotors is where all the rust is. There's a lot of rust, I might add.

 

I'm thinking one of the following:

1. Jammed/Rusted caliper
2. Incorrect brake pads
3. Incorrect brake pad installation
4. Compromised brake line(s)

 

I finally got around to inspecting the rear brakes in the morning. Only the driver's side is bad. When I disengage the e-brake and pedal brake, the wheel spins, but with quite a bit of resistance. It looks like the inner-most 1/2" of the rotor is dragging (pad meets rotor even when brakes are disengaged), whereas the rest of the rotor doesn't engage with the pad. E-brake and pedal brake engage the brakes as they should, so pistons and hydraulics should be fine.

I'm guessing wrongly installed brake pads?

 

When you replace the pads, you would have had to spin the pistons to get them retracted (to make room for new pads). There's slots in the piston, and you have to end up with those slots aligned so they take the little pin on the pad backing plate. Is that lined up correctly?

Also... It's very common to have to file a little bit on the backing plates of the new pads. Just where they engage in the caliper bracket (maybe just the thickness of the paint). They shouldn't bind up or be wedged tightly in the caliper bracket. That way when you release the brake pedal, the pads actually release. Is it possible the pads have worn down into a wedge over the last year since you installed them? If so, you might have to get new pads again.

 

It might be time for a complete rear brake job....