brakes... brakes?... BRAKES!?!?!

[1987HondaAccord]

hey,
yesterday tried on some 195/60/r14s that i will be putting on once my tires get old, and to see how much these wheels grip I tried to force my car into a slide. I was going about 40 when i started to apply the brakes but i never got into a slide. starting up i can get the wheels to spin a little so i wouldnt be supprised if i could get it to slide.
When i was slowing down it never lost traction. I had my foot all the way down to the floor and the wheels never locked up or lost traction. Since i have been the owner i have noticed that the brakes arent perfect. they have always been a little soft. My question is: is there something i can do to adjust my brakes so they grab more? i should have been slowing down much more with the pedal to the floor. is this just because the car is old? I drove a friends 1990 626 and the brakes were super hard. how can i get my brakes better.

thanks for you help!

p.s. does anyone else have "soft brakes" like this?

[shepherd79]

sounds like you have leaking master cylinder.
it should be very easy to replace one.

[dXsquared]

bleed the brakes... then inspect for lotsa wear... then look at the wheels cylenders...

they should all be clean and not WET.

Travis

[maka_RTH]

check your brakes and make sure they're still good. and make sure you got brake fluid...., lol, well, bleed the system

[Sean]

sounds like bad brake hoses when they age they give up pressure by swelling. this will usually reduce effective braking by upto as much as 60% or more dpedning on the severity.

[Sm0kin]

i had to readjust my brakes, for some reason my e-brake auto adjuster is missing in both my back tires. the brakes actually got to the point where the pedal would travel to the floor. i replaced the adjusters, brakes, and the wheel cylinders(one was spewwing due to a part stabbing it) adjusted them, bled them, and boo yow. fixed $50 +/- for the parts.

[accordboricua]

Sean u mean all the lines that go from the pump to the four brakes? Some are copper or some kinda metal right? Or are they made of rubber? I have the same problem...I really need to press the brake pedal hard to brake like the new cars...well I know it's 13 years now but...

[AccordEpicenter]

yeah but also do the obvious, on my lxi the inside surfaces of bolth discs rusted and made them no good, and the brakes felt like crap. I just got new discs and pads and it feels way the hell better. If I were you id just make sure i had good rotors and get some honda oem pads or the new AEM pads. Both are nice and designed for your specific app

[ACCORD EX]

could be a lot of things ! calibers , leaking master cylinder ? is teh fluid ok ?

MIKE

[smufguy]

can also be frozen calipers like mike mentioned and leaking master cylinder has been a rising problem with the 3gs now. My camry is gettin a new one put on this friday so that should be fun.

[1987HondaAccord]

my rotors are grooved.... could this be the problem? The previous owner "forgot" to have the brakes changed for a while and now the rotors are grooved. it looks a little like a record, but the grooves arent as deep.

[Mantis88LX]

if the grooves arent very deep i dont think it would make a difference.

[Sean]

nope hoses are the rubber line that go form the body to the calipers drums etc. those things really seem to give up braking effiecnecy. and if they have never been replaced id do it soon. i just did them on my honda and the desparetly need to be done. if you live in a slaty eviroment then i don know how they survived this long. there are some braided stianless replacements avaible but cost is an issue at least GET HOSES FROM TEH DEALER. replace all four. then go and check the brake out after thorughly bleeding. if it was the master cylinder braking would be very erractic this sounds consistent. brake hoses check them out.

[Grant2k]

if the pedal is that soft if may just be air in the lines. bleed them first and see what happens. and grooved rotors shouldn't really effect that but just for safety purposed have them checked and if they are too bad to cut than replace them.

[nanaimo_honda_accord]

its not a good idea to be locking up the brakes. thats how tires get flat spots and then you will feel a vibration

[1987HondaAccord]

so I had a mechanic look at it and it turned out to be the cylinder in the left rear wheel, Not the master cylinder. I called up Midas, and they said the part would be like 150 and labor would be like 120 (arm and a leg), So i didn't go there. I went to a different mechanic and they made my problem go away. The pedal feels much better now.

Only one comment that i would have about it though. They tightened up the E-brake. It used to go up like 14 clicks. Now it only goes up like 3 (if i pull it up kinda hard). But the pedal feels soooo much better!!

Thanks for everyone's comments and tips. It looked like I actually knew what i was talking about

[Grant2k]

yeah, tightening the e-brake is a good idea. i should do that.

[smufguy]

but u know its just for a temporary fix, not a permanent job.

[Grant2k]

well, it's not a temporary fix, it's maintenence. i know it has to be replaced, but if you adjust it a month after you replace it it's not a fix, it's just maintenence. see what i'm saying?

[1987HondaAccord]

Originally posted by smufguy
but u know its just for a temporary fix, not a permanent job.

were you saying that to me or not?

[smufguy]

no it was for grant. But i understand what he meant with his reply. Thanks dude