Team-BHP - My other car is an Accord! Pre-owned 2003 Honda Accord 2.3L MT

A small update:

The right rear disc brake jammed and there was.smoke from the brake pads. After allowing things to cool for around 15 minutes the brake pedal started going in again.

Took the car to a local garage and asked him to check the stuck brakepads and caliper. He bled the brake line and the pedal now bites. So it might be just a case of bleeding the brake oil instead of worrying about the master cylinder.

Over the weekend, used a generous dose of WD40 on the various wiring joints found under the hood. And that seems to have solved the speed sensor problem too! The speedo now behaves perfectly fine!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Viju (Post 3831446)

Again, you have not mentioned the model or variant of your Accord, but I really don't think this is a clever idea to test it out yourself, especially on a public road whether you will be endangering the safety of other road users also.

Please understand that it is not only the ABS function that you will be disconnecting.

There are better ways of diagnosing faults. As I mentioned earlier, make some effort to list out the error codes which are showing up on an OBD tool and post them here. We can diagnose the issue.

Just noted your comment that you are having braking problems because of the ABS unit / sensor.

Cheers

I have posted this in my Accord ownership thread as well, but to summarize, I had the brake pedal suddenly lose its bite and plunge all the way in while driving. Pumping the pedal I could restore some braking and asap sent the car to Honda A.S.S. for diagnostics. The handbrake worked fine, so the problem definitely is with hydraulic system. Also a few days before this, I had a rat chew off a couple of wires, one of them on the left front wheel fendor, after which the ABS light on the dash lit up.

Now coming to the suddenly spongy brake pedal, the service centre said the front pads were gone, rotors needed replacement, ABS module needed replacement and if all this didn't fix the problem the master cylinder would have to be replaced too.

I just asked him to bring the car back, and surprisingly the brakes were good again. Then after a few days, the problem surfaced again. I checked the front rotors and pads myself, both look good and not in immediate need of replacement. I bled all four brake lines to ensure there was no air. The brake fluid levels too don't drop. The fluid is clear green, no contamination.

So the problem is not with the pads, rotors or the lines or fluid. Also the brakes are usually working well, so I doubt if the master cylinder is bad.

I also checked on the net and found that if the ABS sensors are bad, they may report a wheel to be locked and the ABS will release pressure on that wheel. If this happened, the brake pedal would not bite and would go all the way in.

So the way I see it, leaving the ABS connected would be worse than disconnecting it, at least till a solution is found.

By the way I haven't exceeded 40kmph on open city roads and 70kmph on open expressway with the Accord, so I doubt I run the risk of skidding or fishtailing. I must admit I hadn't thought of the EBD, though. I am just thinking of disconnecting it and just check if the pedal bites always. That should at least give an idea about the master cylinder.

Quote:

Originally Posted by honeybee (Post 3831534)

Also a few days before this, I had a rat chew off a couple of wires, one of them on the left front wheel fendor, after which the ABS light on the dash lit up.

I also checked on the net and found that if the ABS sensors are bad, they may report a wheel to be locked and the ABS will release pressure on that wheel. If this happened, the brake pedal would not bite and would go all the way in.

So the way I see it, leaving the ABS connected would be worse than disconnecting it, at least till a solution is found.

(1) Is your ABS lamp still ON? If yes, your ABS is not functional anymore. Did you get the wire to the left fender / Front Left Wheel Speed Sensor replaced? If not, why?

(2) Again, not wanting to go too deep into the technical aspects, if a wheel is reported to be locked, ABS attempts to release pressure from the wheel brake cylinder. For this, the inlet circuit from the master cylinder to the wheel is closed and the outlet circuit from the wheel cylinder to the low pressure accumulator is opened. This would not make the brake pedal go all the way in, but the pedal will become hard. Anyway, if any internet article mentioned it the other way around, I may be wrong. :)

(3) Diagnosing the fault correctly is the best solution. If the ABS does not throw any error code or warning lamp, I am very sure that the issue is not with the ABS. I suspect the issue is with your booster / master-cylinder. If there is a problem with the booster, it is not necessary that every single time you brake, you will feel a problem. It can also happen occasionally during some types of brake application only.

Anyway, all these parts for your Accord are available for as low as 5,000/- on EBay if you search.

Good luck and keep us updated.

The car has been taken to Mr. Shanbag. The Diwali holidays prolonged the affair but it was anticipated and not a problem.

Right now he has confirmed that the master cylinder assembly has to be replaced and the charges are similar to what Honda had quoted.

He will also be checking the ABS through the error codes and then confirm.

Power steering fluid leakage is onbthe pinion side and repairs will cost at least 12 to 14 k, much lower than the 40k quoted by Honda, but this is not a priority item. I can always top up the fluid every month.

I haven't had a problem with the engine cooling. In fact never once have I seen the radiator fan running after a drive, long or short. The temperature too has always stayed below half mark.

Got the car back and except the ABS and the dash console all other issues have been attended to. The brakes are working, though last night I noticed some noise coming from the front right brake as I press the pedal and hold it.

The three bits I didn't like are one of the original Honda hub caps is missing and the guys have no clue where it went, the original PUC is missing and I was charged Rs. 22 for insulation tape. First a local Tata service center and now a private garage has charged me more for pieces of tape that you can buy at Rs. 10 a full spool.

The lost PUC forced me to get it done at the nearby petrol pump. I paid Rs. 40, as against Rs. 100 charged at Dombivli. So that was a revealation.

The car performed well over a weekend trip of around 500kms. The left xenon bulb seems to have conked off and the horn is intermittent.
When dropping the car off to Select Auto I had shown them the front right tyre which is a Bridgeatone Turanza 195/75 and asked them to move it to the spare and put the spare in its place (the car had four 205/75 Chinese brand tyres and the Turanza as a spare when I bought it). Ahocked to find the Turanza was now sitting at the rear left, and because of this one wheel of a different size, the car was pulling to the left slightly. So got it corrected.

Quote:

Originally Posted by honeybee (Post 3944614)

The Accord will return to the garage for an AC overhaul. It is worse than the Nano.

The power steering leak hasn't been rectified yet, but it definitely has slowed down, because I had to top up the fluid just once in the last few weeks.

Did you get the transfer of name done successfully?
How do you manage the sourcing of original spare parts?
What is the estimated cost of the A/C overhaul?

Was wondering why should an Accord which has only done 48000 kms have so many issues, what are the chances of the odometer getting tampered?