Hybrid brakes and calipers

[JHZR2]

I was rotating tires and doing a brake fluid flush on my 2015 Accord Hybrid today. It has 112k miles.

All original brake components. All silent and everything works great. FWIW haven’t touched anything besides brake fluid flushes. Rotors don’t get swept much especially the rears, but it’s always been like that fwiw.

Front right:

Rear right:

Thing is, rear left is worn completely!

I’m annoyed that this has happened, I’m guessing that the caliper lost lubrication on the pins??

I’m still tempted to do a pad slap (I have a set of OE front and rear pads) because the system is smooth and quiet. Not sure if resurfacing the rotors is prudent? Or just bite the bullet and replace ith potentially lower quality aftermarket?

Any other recommendations for dealing with this one rear side that’s worn to the backing?

 

[ctechbob]

With rotors this cheap I would throw those right in the trash and replace them and give the whole system a once over, front to back. Lube the pins, flush the fluid.

 

[Hirev]

That is odd. Bad rear caliper???

 

[The_Jeff]

Found a dragging rear caliper on wife's Prius at about your mileage. Hose and pins were fine, caliper was bad.

Both her cars and mine got pads & rotors at this mileage. Went with semi-met for better rust scraping off the rotors. They have good bite and are keeping clean as expected.

Hybrid cars should have some logic that uses friction brakes for the first stop of the day just to keep things clean and used.

 

[DCDG]

If no problem on the front axle leave it alone you can lube up the slides but I wouldn't go pad slapping it. Is the parking brake built into the caliper? If so they often fail and don't entirely release causing issues like you're having. Or being a hybrid the rears aren't used fully due to regenerative braking and that's the end result a seized sticking caliper(s)

 

[brages]

I've seen the same thing on my Prius and HAH. I did front brake jobs on both when getting vibrations braking.

I don't think it's stuck pins, just that corrosion eats the rotor faster than the pads can clean it up.

 

[Hall]

Not sure if resurfacing the rotors is prudent?

Do that - should be doable at least once on OEM rotors.

And start servicing the brakes routinely.

 

[Trav]

I have posted this previously but I will post it again. This is a very useful tool for folks that have multiple vehicles and do their own work.
I bought it years ago and it detects brake caliper and hose issues quickly with no guessing.
For some reason very common (in Europe) drive on brake testers are not common in the US, I laugh my backside off when I see the guy from Fantom works doing a brake test by locking up the brakes on the road then looking at the skid marks, a totally bogus and unprofessional method.

https://ipatools.com/product/disc-b...fsoEuFa2fQEv7aUbiKR8Ws5nADHi4VjF7M1TG-hWblbVb

$100 cheaper here..

https://www.autotoolworld.com/Innov...y6AMm0A4nr6FblmswT8amASbPhkrGpK2F2vCqWnyWgLHo

 

[supton]

Looks normal to me. If you went 10 years without doing more than brake fluid I'd say you did excellent. I have results like that after a few years. IMO the brake pad ears are not sliding and are getting stuck: each time the brake is used, the pad gets pushed hard by the hydraulics but cannot slide out due to the rust. Pad then wears away rather than just sliding away from the disc.

I don't see electric parking brakes but on mine the e-brake really clamps down. If I go 2 years without lubing the brake ears I will be in need a brake pad. Which is what I now do, replace the one pad that is bad, cheap economy but I swear, I'm doing this like once a year now. On our hybrid I've gone through 2 or 3 sets of rear brake pads in 5 years and am just now thinking about doing the fronts at 127k. It's not hard braking, it's the e-brake and corrosion for me.

Rotors just get funky wear patterns as the years go by. 5 years is a good run. I don't think records hurt braking (my opinion, no data) but I bet it's somehow wears pads faster, so just replacing all is best, plus when you get huge patches it's just going to keep going downhill but faster. I do wonder if water kicked up by the front tires might hurt rear rotors a pinch more? rears seem to get worse patterns than fronts.

 

[Rand]

When doing the brake fluid flushes a good idea would be to take them apart and clean them up.. but you still got 10 years which is pretty good IMO.

2020 Elantra at 6 years, rears were frozen from crust and rust.. and wore one inside pad to the backing plate.. other 3 were at half life.

The fronts I did at 4 years. due to uneven wear and the terrible rusting of the oe rotors

For your rear brake not lubing them for 10 years didnt help, but I bet the pad ears rusted into place and couldnt back off from the rotor.
vs the pins seizing- either or both are possible.

 

[JeffKeryk]

It is what it is. I would just bite the bullet and do a quality brake job service. Pay once cry once. And you will have piece of mind.
Were you able to do periodic inspection, cleaning and re-lubing the sliding surfaces?

Kinda funny... I was very surprised when the rear brakes on our beloved '06 TSX wore out pretty fast; the fronts were fine. I don't remember the mileage.

 

[JohnnyG]

Yep, saw a Prius the other day with the same issue. Outside of rear rotor was completely rusted brown. Inside pad was doing all the work. Slide pins undoubtedly stuck solid for months.

 

[nthach]

I have posted this previously but I will post it again. This is a very useful tool for folks that have multiple vehicles and do their own work.
I bought it years ago and it detects brake caliper and hose issues quickly with no guessing.
For some reason very common (in Europe) drive on brake testers are not common in the US, I laugh my backside off when I see the guy from Fantom works doing a brake test by locking up the brakes on the road then looking at the skid marks, a totally bogus and unprofessional method.

https://ipatools.com/product/disc-b...fsoEuFa2fQEv7aUbiKR8Ws5nADHi4VjF7M1TG-hWblbVb

$100 cheaper here..

https://www.autotoolworld.com/Innov...y6AMm0A4nr6FblmswT8amASbPhkrGpK2F2vCqWnyWgLHo

I might have seen Mercedes mention using these in the workshop manual for a W126/R107 chassis car as part of a brake inspection, no?

FWIW, I went 180K on a Prius with original front pads and rear shoes. Replaced the friction as a pad/shoe slap but I’m thinking of replacing the rotors/drums out of PM with 235K on the clock. I had to replace the rear pads on the parent’s RXh at 151K - could have gone a little longer but I had the parts on hand. I also did the same with a newer Prius at 102K - 4mm of rear pad left, this was getting used as a taxi so in went Duralast Gold pads and Bendix coated rotors(the cheapest Geomet option I found).

 

[KrisZ]

Do you have full wheel covers? No way would I let these brakes get this far if I was able to see the through the spokes.

As far as doing a pad slap, I don''t think it will work given the rotor condition. It may be smooth now because the pads only contact the smooth parts, but once you free up the sticking pin/caliper and the new pads make full contact, you will get pulsation most likely.

 

[The Critic]

Need rear pads and rotors.

 

[JohnnyG]

On this subject, has anyone ever tried using original Honda ShinEtsu Silicone grease on these slide pins?

I got a tube of that stuff recently for the weather seals/rubber parts on my Mercedes, works great. I've also used it on a few other applications, like my dog chain clasp, which is constantly exposed to the weather. It seems to last way longer in that application than anything I've tried before.
This stuff seems to resist weather and stays very slick for a long time. Being a silicone grease, it likely will withstand a lot of heat as well.

 

[JohnnyG]

https://www.shinetsusilicones.com/rtv.aspx?ID=G-3W-0-M

I see no drawbacks, but there may be a product more suitable.

 

[KrisZ]

On this subject, has anyone ever tried using original Honda ShinEtsu Silicone grease on these slide pins?

I got a tube of that stuff recently for the weather seals/rubber parts on my Mercedes, works great. I've also used it on a few other applications, like my dog chain clasp, which is constantly exposed to the weather. It seems to last way longer in that application than anything I've tried before.
This stuff seems to resist weather and stays very slick for a long time. Being a silicone grease, it likely will withstand a lot of heat as well.

Other than being pricey, it should work as long as it doesn't contain any moly or graphite.

 

[PandaBear]

like my dog chain clasp, which is constantly exposed to the weather

Is it safe as in is it food grade? I would be a bit concerned of that.

 

[JohnnyG]

Is it safe as in is it food grade? I would be a bit concerned of that.

My dog doesn't chew her clasp on the leash, if that's what you are getting at here.
And I've personally never tasted a caliper slide pin, nor had the urge to.