95 Accord EXL 4dr 4cyl 186K

OK, so I'm going to try and bleed my brakes one more time to see if that won't fix my problem. If it turns out that I do need a new master cylinder, are there any "hidden" techniques for installing it and getting it up and running? Will it need to be bled itself? Is there anything else I need to do or be aware of?

Thanks in advance.

 

Adjusting the piston...

Take the old MC out, measure how far the piston rod sticks out. Cross your fingers & hope the new one is exactly the same. If it isn't there's a special measuring tool so you can adjust the pushrod down at the brake pedal. Exact details might be different from year-to-year, so I'll just suggest you get your hands on a Helm book...

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Bench-bleeding...

Get some tubing to fit where the steel brake lines are gonna go, looped up so they squirt into the reservoir.

Clamp the MC in a vise or something, just to hold it. Fill the reservoir, pump the piston rod until fluid keeps squirting into the reservoir without bubbles.

Be prepared for a bit of a mess when you install it into the car.

If you don't do this, it takes FOREVER to bleed the air from all the little hangout places inside the MC. But it can be done without bench-bleeding.

 

Are you bleeding the brakes in the correct sequence? It goes: RR, LF, LR, RF.
I just replaced my m.c. in my '96 Accord. The pedal would slowly go to the floor at stop signs and lights. The brakes worked good, but the pedal wouldn't hold and the car would start moving. The m.c. switch was not a hard project. The Haynes manual did a good descriptive. Good luck.
trinket

 

Thanks, planning to do it sometime this summer. Bought it last summer from the dealership, and its been sitting in my closet all year. Same problem as you, pedal goes to the floor, but it usually occurs when its hot, or the A/C has run. Either way, might as well replace it (trying to keep the car running as long as possible).

 

If I remember what Hayne's said... It was RR, RL, FR, FL. Maybe I did mess that part up. I'll double check. Either way, I'm going to try bleeding the system again before I do a MC replacement.

Thanks for the input and tips.

 

i get the same thing now with my accord...i was in denial and kept telling my self it wasnt but now that i read your post i gotta change the master cylinder. in my case when replacing the m.c. do you have to replace the booster too?(the black round thing behind it).

 

When I replaced the MC in my '95 Integra, I didn't have to replace the vacuum booster. (My MC hadn't leaked fluid into the booster.)

 

No. You don't necessarily have to replace the MC and brake booster at the same time. They are independent unless you learn that they are both bad. There are tests that can be performed to point you in the direction of which is bad. The Haynes manual does this and I'm sure the Helms does too.

Here's a little motivation for doing the work yourself. The MC is fairly straight forward. Depending on your model, you maybe able to rebuild your existing MC. The dealer quoted me about $400 (including the parts and labor) to replace it.

The brake booster is not the same. They recommend only buying a new one or one that has already been refurbished as it is not a job for the normal person. The dealer quoted me about $800 for the brake booster job. Now maybe if you had the work done at the same time you might could come out a little better, but yeah, you're right, I doubt it.

 

I have now re-bled the brake lines in the CORRECT order (RR, LF, LR, RF) and I did get some air out of the lines. However, while they now seem to be a little grabbier, the pedal still gradually goes to the floor. I guess this means that a new MC is definitely in order....

 

Dealer installing a new MC today for me... $325 incl. tax...

It was getting bad (pedal all the way to the floor and not holding the car stopped), so I had to do it.

Just wanted to follow up to let everyone know. Thanks for the input!