1987Honda accord dx

[GaGirl]

So I am a new to the mechanics world but time after time of having my car worked on and ending up worse than they started I have decided its time to be self sufficient, so bear with me I'll get there . My Honda has so many problems I really don't know where to start but I'm not giving up on it and I could use any advice I can get right now I am having some pretty serious front end problems I had a "friend " change my brakes and calibers he was suppose to do my rotors as well but finished and said "oh I couldn't get the rotors off "so on my way home the car started shaking and wobbling so hard I almost had it towed 3 miles from home I parked it and have been trying to figure out where to start to figure out what the problem is and how I can fix it myself. Also I noticed today when I was under my car looking for any obvious problem I could find I noticed one of the calibers was leaking and on the same wheel there was a lug nut that did not match the rest.please someone help and any one know of a manual for dummies lol I laugh but I am a woman and have never had to be very mechanically inclined but I can't drive my car now and I'm sick of being took advantage of because I don't know what I'm doing.I have the longest list of problems with it but I need to start by getting.g it on the road.

[Oldblueaccord]

Well first off shoot us the list.

Working on cars is probably 50% knowledge and 50% tools.

You didn't mention much about tools. For a front brake job you will need at least a decent jack,and a set of metric wrenches. The rest you prolly can learn watching you tube videos and asking questions.

I guess you can start by making sure your lug nuts are tight and the brake fluid is full. Hopefully your friend did a decent job on changing the brake pads.

[Dwaynecmpbll]

If he changed the calipers and its leaking you will have air in the brake lines and your pedal will be soft and the brakes will not work very well if at all ...there are a couple of places calipers leak...the bleeder valve( its a small nut with a nipple on it there is one on every caliper should be an 8 or 10mm) , the fitting where the brake line hooks to the caliper could also be leaking.... Those are the most likely ...it could also just be leftover fluid from the brakes being bleed after the caliper was installed . if the brake caliper is leaking you need to figure out where and fix that then bleed the brakes you need another person to do that

[ryan427]

Hm. The wobbling/shaking is certainly a concern. It is possible that one (or both) of your calipers is/are seized shut. Typically, when the calipers are removed from the rotor, you'll change the pads and grease the slides (cylindrical... what the caliper rides on when opening and closing). If there is a lot of rust (sounds like there is since he couldn't get the rotors off) the calipers might need some attention and/or replacement. It's very possible that the rotors were damaged. You might get away with resurfacing them but replacement now is very cheap.

I don't mean to discourage you, but brakes are one of those things you don't want to fudge. Once you watch someone replace them, you'll see how you can easily perform this repair yourself. As Oldblue mentioned, you should definitely have the tools and skillset though... a must. 2 cents. There's a right and wrong way to do everything.

[Dr_Snooz]

The first place to start is by pulling the wheels off and having a look. My guess is that the calipers are leaking at the copper crush washer fittings on the banjo bolt. Those need to replaced each time the bolt is loosened. If they didn't get replaced or got goofed up somehow, they will leak. Get some new ones of those from the auto parts store. Tell them you need crush washers for the front brake caliper banjo bolt.

The wobbling is probably because you didn't get the rotors "turned" before installing them. Any auto parts store should know a place that does it. It's about $15-25/rotor.

Mismatching lug nuts is not a big deal, so long as they torque to spec and hold. If you're worried about it, the auto parts store sells sets of lug nuts for next to nothing. Replace them all. The guys at the counter can tell you which ones to buy. Also buy a torque wrench (3/8 in. Drive Click Type Torque Wrench) and tighten the lug nuts to 80 ft-lbs.

If you don't have any tools, buy a kit from the auto parts store, and add to it as you need. You don't need anything super fancy, just some sockets, combo wrenches and a couple screwdrivers (UltraSteel UJ75135S - Multi-Purpose Tool Set | O'Reilly Auto Parts).

Specific to the brakes, download the manual (https://www.dropbox.com/s/m0u3rucoi8...anual.pdf?dl=0) and read section 20. Then re-do all the work that your "friend" did. As you re-trace his steps, you're bound to find what he did wrong. The rotors are held on with two little screws and if those are rusted on, you won't get them off without an impact screwdriver (Impact Screwdriver Set with Case). Get one. You're going to need it to remove the screws. Also, pray that your friend didn't completely ream out those screws in trying to remove them. If he did, then you're going to need a shop to remove them for you.

Having said all that, if you remove the calipers, which you'll probably need to do in order to fix the leak, you will also need to bleed the brakes. If you don't, the brakes won't work. Bleeding is typically a two-man job and it's best when those two men know what they are doing. Basically, this is probably not the place to cut your chops wrenching. Take it to a shop and have them get it roadworthy. If you still want to learn how to fix it, start small by changing your own oil. Then do all the routine maintenance. As you grow in confidence, tackle small repairs, then big. What you have now is a big ugly mess that a good shop might have trouble straightening out. It's not the ideal place to learn, unless you can afford to let the car sit while you learn all the things you need to.

Good luck.

[ryan427]

So were you able to take a look? Really hope you're not driving around and chancing it.


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