2006+ Honda Civic Forum banner
Cancel
Create thread New Garage Forums

FN2 Brake Bleeding - soft pedal issues

2 reading
Jump to Latest
21 - 40 of 54 Posts
#21 ·
I posted the above without seeing your reply.

Yes just be methodical and consistent with it. keep at it and just remember the idea is to keep the system pressurised while you bleed at all times. Otherwise your just be pushing air back and forth.

With pushing on the pedal it doesn't have to be really hard, just enough as when you open the bleeder the pedal go down constantly and smoothly. If hes stamping on it, you will flip a seal in the master cylinder.
 
#23 ·
Hello Leet74, just checked the Honda Shop Manual, the good news is even if you let the master cylinder run dry (I don't think you did) the system will bleed by just refilling the reservoir and bleeding the system (some cars require the master cylinder to be prefilled) (Ford's mainly) the video you sent is excessive movement of the brake pedal, caused by air in the system or hose failure.
Xzibit described the normal (and best) procedure for bleeding the brakes, this will work on the FN2, I've done it on mine, I just put a piece of wood on the floor underneath the pedal to stop it from going all the way down.
The honda method is more or less the same, you pump the pedal a few times to put the system under pressure, hold the pedal down, then release the bleed nipple, wait for fluid to stop moving, tighten bleed nipple, repeat process.
Both methods require 2 people or a the tool to lock the pedal down in the Honda version.
Make sure you have a light behind the clear tube from the bleed nipple so you can see the fluid moving and any bubbles in it.
Just check the hose to the caliper first, start the car, get someone to push the pedal, check to see if the hose expands/swells. There is no point in bleeding the system first to find the hose damaged after, cos you'll have to replace the hose and bleed the system again (it's a long shot but worth doing just to take it off the list)
Last point, pressing the pedal a couple of times won't bleed the system from the master cylinder to the caliper, it'll take a while. Just watch the clear pipe, you'll know when it's bled properly when it's perfectly clear, any small bubbles need to be taken out.
 

Attachments

#24 ·
Leet74 said:
Not sure what you mean about clamping the calipers...
Click to expand...
This will probably cause outrage amongst the purists, but I don't care and here goes. Get a brake line clamp from Amazon or eBay. Search for "brake hose clamp" (or use a G cramp). I have one of THESE but the 'plier' type may be easier to use but I have not used one.

Clamp off each flexible hose in turn as close to the car as you can get. Test the brakes. If the pedal goes 'good', then the fault is in that hose or caliper. Clamp at the caliper end to establish hose or caliper.
If that fails then I suspect that you need to cast an eye in the direction of the master cylinder.

As Xzibit said above. It is 100% usual that the pedal goes softer/further down when the engine is running, so are you absolutely sure that you actually have a problem, because suggesting that as s symptom smacks of not knowing that is normal. (No offence intended)
 
#26 ·
M8TJT said:
This will probably cause outrage amongst the purists, but I don't care and here goes. Get a brake line clamp from Amazon or eBay. Search for "brake hose clamp" (or use a G cramp). I have one of THESE but the 'plier' type may be easier to use but I have not used one.

Clamp off each flexible hose in turn as close to the car as you can get. Test the brakes. If the pedal goes 'good', then the fault is in that hose or caliper. Clamp at the caliper end to establish hose or caliper.
If that fails then I suspect that you need to cast an eye in the direction of the master cylinder.

As Xzibit said above. It is 100% usual that the pedal goes softer/further down when the engine is running, so are you absolutely sure that you actually have a problem, because suggesting that as s symptom smacks of not knowing that is normal. (No offence intended)
Click to expand...
similar method to why I suggested clamp on the calliper
clamp calliper piston fully in and see if pedal went stiffer
the plastic hose clamp pliers are useful for a few jobs mole grips can do the job but can also damage hose easier
the plastic ones are cheap if you do a few diy jobs

 
Discussion starter · #27 ·
Thx for all the helpful replys

My car had genuine honda brake fluid in, but i just got a 500ml bottle of dot4 from car shop down the road

Ive just about used all that 500ml now, do you think all the honda stuff would have come out now or may there still be some in the system mixed with the cheaper stuff ive used.
Could mixing fluids cause soft pedal issues?

I know honda firmly state to ONLY use their brake fluid, but isnt that just sales pitching
Or would there be a noticeable difference / improvement in the brakes if i put Honda fluid back in instead of the cheap stuff

Also ive seen big bottles of Pagid performance dot4, for good prices that i nearly bougt yesterday. It says its 'synthetic brake fluid' not sure if thats the same as the Honda fluid...
 
Discussion starter · #31 ·
Just some more info..

Ive not had chance to bleed all the brakes again yet

Went out in the car this afternoon, pretty much straight away when i pressed brake pedal, it went funny and felt like it 'collapsed' a little, sudden drop of pedal maybe inch or two and it made a scraping / grind noise
Almost like the sound of gears grinding

Then the pedal was ok again, then it did the noise thing again ...

after driving it around for 10mins it was like every 2nd time i used the brakes i get a sudden drop feeling off the pedal and the loud grind/scrape sound coming from it

I'll try make a video tomorrow and catch the noise it makes
 
Discussion starter · #34 · (Edited)
The below info seems to describe what i been feeling... but im driving round real slow and braking gently.. And the grind noise i hear sounds like its defo inside the car around the pedal area.

This grinding noise has only started since i bled all 4 calipers on my own couple of days ago



What does ABS braking feel like?
When ABS is working properly, the driver may feel the brake pedal suddenly drop, followed by a rapid pulsing sensation. There may be a grinding or buzzing noise coming from the vehicle during the period ABS is activated. It may also feel like the brake pedal is pushing back when ABS activates.31 Jan 2017
 
Discussion starter · #35 · (Edited)






Just got couple vids done, listen for the noise near the end of each clip

When it makes the grind noise i looked at the dash, theres no abs lights coming on or anythin else

Dunno if its worth metioning too but after a 5min slow drive just and some easy braking when i got home all 4 brake discs are too hot to touch

I been aware of them getting seemingly hot for a while, i defo dont have any sticking calipers, ive checked them all when i rebuilt the front left one while back

All 4 wheels spin real freely when jacked up, no feeling of sticking brakes when driving and putting in neutral and letting it roll
All caliper slider pins were checked and are perfect, nice and free, pad shims were wire brushed and copper greased, pads go in and out of the shims freely.
 
Discussion starter · #37 ·
Tyre pressures spot on,

On the abs matter

Months ago i was under dash adjusting clutch pedal height.

When i started the car after i had abs and vsa lights on dash, for a week or two they came on intermittently

Then they stayed on permanently,
reading up on google a bad wheel sensor was likely cause but i didnt have a scanner to find out which one, as i barely used the car i just ignored it

One night someone in front of me made me slam on and car skidded a little bit

I took both rear wheels / brake discs off and cleaned the sensors and the toothed metal cogs the sensors read from, the metal cogs were full of orange rusty colour dust

My warning lights went out about 2wks after cleaning the rear sensors and never came back on

Few weeks ago i got a foxwell nt650 scanner cause id cleaned T/body and the tps needed resetting
The scanner does abs to, i did a scan and it had a stored code for 'rear right wheel sensor open circuit' but id had no warning lights come back on for a long time

I cleared the codes and the next day i got the abs/vsa light come on again, but day after they went off again

And that repeated one more time,
theyve not come on again for last couple weeks, scanned abs few times and showing no faults

My scanner does live data too, i had it plugged in while driving round for good while, the live data display showed all 4 abs wheel speed sensors. All 4 sensors were working fine throughout / giving the same speed reading for each wheel

So not sure whats goin on there, maybe its a intermittent wiring problem in the connector or something..

Ive slammed on the brake few times and the car has not locked up / skidded
 
21 - 40 of 54 Posts
About this Discussion
53 Replies
8 Participants
Last post:
armand.seferi20
2006+ Honda Civic Forum
posts
2.5M
members
109K
Since
2006
A forum community dedicated to all Honda Civic owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, modifications, engine swaps, troubleshooting, wikis, VTEC, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
General Discussion (8G) Greece Engines and Transmission (8G) New Member Introductions Wheels, Tyres, Suspension and Brakes (8G)