<U>Please check edit below...</U>

I check the archived under "brakes" and only found 1 post of 70 sounding like my problem. Just double checking now cause it was a different generation Accord. The one I read about was 5th gen and mine is a 4th gen.

I owned the car for 2 years now and quite a few months ago I went to apply my brakes and nothing. I had to quickly pump the pedal to get anything. But it only happened that one time. Now with it being extremely hot outside my car has done this everyday for the past 4 days.

No squeaking sounds and no shakey steering wheel when brakes are applied. No leaking either.

I read it to be the MBC or air in the lines. I'm not guessing the 'air in lines' route, due to nobody has touched my brakes since I bought the car from a Honda dealer 2 years ago. I don't have the space to work on my car in my apt complex, so Honda is probably gonna get my money for this.

When I owned my 89 CRX Si, Honda replaced my MBC and it cost about $350 out the door. Is it gonna be close for my 92 Accord LX too? Or should I look for a new/reblt one at an auto parts store if cheaper and take it to a brakes shop; Midas, Les Schwab, Waltz, Buckys, etc.?...and have them install it?

<U>EDIT:</U>

First thing I did was search...now that I searched and posted I decided to read the first 2 pages here and seemed to answer my own question.

Now just one bigger question reflecting the money, which was mentioned above. Honda of course will take all my money. What is the work skill level to a DIY job here for the MBC? I've done an uncounted amount motor swaps, front end conversions, interior work, ...but I've never done brake work. And I only know one thing about 4 gen Accord brake systems, they suck.



Modified by D16Z6racing at 3:26 PM 7/26/2006

 

Some thoughts:

-Heat might cause expansion, including entrained air bubbles.

-How old is the fluid and when did you last have the system flushed and refilled?

-Check a bad booster by pumping the brakes down w/ ignition off, then restart the car with your foot on the pedal. Should sink a little if good.

-Check a bad MC by placing your foot on the pedal at a constant amount of pressure and no movement. Pedal will sink in around 30" to 1' if the MC is going bad, maybe quicker.


Last, my opinion is the MC is bad and the hot weather is a coincidence/exacerbating factor. I couldn't see this being over $300 to fix at a good garage (double that at Honda), UNLESS the calipers are junk from corrosion issues and need replacement (cheaper than rebuilding), then figure around $200 per wheel, parts included.

This guy seems to be in the same boat: https://honda-tech.com/zerothread/1702450

 

Just last weekend, I had my Brake Master Cylinder changed on my 5th generation EX with ABS.

Every shop I called quoted 1.7 hours labor, they stated that bleeding the ABS costs a little more than an Accord without ABS. Independent shops quoted me $300 - $310, out the door (Labor, BMC, Brake Fluid, & Tax)

Honda also quoted me 1.7 hours labor, and priced ranged from $340 - $470, out the door, for the same thing. Some dealers must have been charging premiums for their advisors.

I finally got a friend of a friend who owned a shop to do it for me for $260 with genuine Honda parts.

Removing and replacing the Brake Master Cylinder isn't too hard, just be sure to use Flare Nut Wrenches (aka Line Wrenches), to remove the brake lines, as they are easy to round off. You will have to bench bleed the BMC, but someone posted on HT a simple way by hand and some hoses, with pictures. Then to be safe, bleed the brake lines.

 

If I can find the recipt I will scan it. I had the same problem with my '93 LX. Went to Advance Auto Parts and bought a brand new Brake Master Cylinder for $55, then also bought flare wrenches, to get the fittings on the lines off, a 1 man brake bleeder tool, and some brake fluid. It all ended up being like $85.

Took it home, parked in the shady garage and went to work. Took the brake hard lines off first, then the nuts off the studs that hold it on to the brake booster. This took like an hour because of the akward position of the nuts. Then I took the new one, filled it with brake fluid and bench bled it. Put it on the car, this took another hour. Then started bleeding, with 2 jackstands and 1 jack. Long process when you have to take off wheels and put them back on, so another 2 hours for that. Then afterwards, everything was great. Way better than shelling out $400.