Honda Car Forum

Hello,

I have a 2005 Honda Accord EX Sedan 4cyl auto, and it has about 34,400 miles
on it. Its used on regular roads city and hwy. I had the rear brakes changed
at about 28k miles. I have made sure that the fluid is full and also needed
a front rotor replaced by warrenty for a defect during the first 6 months of
ownership.

Heres my question:

When on the highway at about 60 mph and braking to a slow down maybe to 30
mph the steering wheel has been shaking a little more than usual lately.
Sometimes even when going slow like at 10-15 mph the brake pedal feels like
its vibrating a little during normal braking with no slick surfaces. I also
noticed that the general braking performance seems not as good. My thought
was the master cylinder??

I am bringing it to a Honda dealer in three weeks for a checkup, but wanted
to know if anyone has any ideas about this situation so I will be able to
ask the mechanic if they checked these areas of possible concern.

Thanks,
Al

"alfred" wrote

> When on the highway at about 60 mph and braking to a slow down maybe to 30
> mph the steering wheel has been shaking a little more than usual lately.
> Sometimes even when going slow like at 10-15 mph the brake pedal feels
> like its vibrating a little during normal braking with no slick surfaces.

I had a similar situation with a '97 Civic sedan, and it turned out to be a
problem with the rotors. They needed to be turned. That fixed it.

On Wed, 06 Jun 2007 22:59:49 GMT, alfred <tomboy83@yahoo.com> wrote:


>Hello,

>I have a 2005 Honda Accord EX Sedan 4cyl auto, and it has about 34,400 miles
>on it. Its used on regular roads city and hwy. I had the rear brakes changed
>at about 28k miles. I have made sure that the fluid is full and also needed
>a front rotor replaced by warrenty for a defect during the first 6 months of
>ownership.

>Heres my question:

>When on the highway at about 60 mph and braking to a slow down maybe to 30
>mph the steering wheel has been shaking a little more than usual lately.
>Sometimes even when going slow like at 10-15 mph the brake pedal feels like
>its vibrating a little during normal braking with no slick surfaces. I also
>noticed that the general braking performance seems not as good. My thought
>was the master cylinder??

Where did you get the insane notion that the master cylinder can cause such
vibration.

Check for out of round rotors, tires, etc.

I have brand new tires, its not that and they are filled to the proper
pressure. The tires were balanced and the car steering was aligned front and
rear. The brakes front and rear are okay also.

It could be the rotors, have to look into that.

The reason I thought it was the master cylinder is because I had a Ford
Taurus GL 1987 years ago and it did the same thing and for that car it was
the master cylinder. Others told me that braking which causes the steering
wheel to shake or vibrate means the master cylinder also.

Al



Where did you get the insane notion that the master cylinder can cause such
> vibration.
>
> Check for out of round rotors, tires, etc.

On Thu, 07 Jun 2007 01:39:17 GMT, alfred <tomboy83@yahoo.com> wrote:


>I have brand new tires, its not that and they are filled to the proper
>pressure. The tires were balanced and the car steering was aligned front and
>rear. The brakes front and rear are okay also.

>It could be the rotors, have to look into that.

>The reason I thought it was the master cylinder is because I had a Ford
>Taurus GL 1987 years ago and it did the same thing and for that car it was
>the master cylinder. Others told me that braking which causes the steering
>wheel to shake or vibrate means the master cylinder also.

Something has to generate a force dependant on the angular position of
one or more wheels. Master cylinder can't do that.

I'd recheck the tires; a defective tire can easily add a lot of vibration.

"AZ Nomad" wrote

> I'd recheck the tires; a defective tire can easily add a lot of
> vibration.

But he did specify that the vibrations occur only while braking... ?

Thats right, only when braking at higher speeds does the steering wheel
shake or vibrate and only at low speeds does the brake pedal vibrate or
pulse a little. As far as the tires, I have them filled to 35 lbs cold,
which I know is higher than the 32 lbs cold on the door jam, but the
mechanic said it improves gas mpg a little.



> But he did specify that the vibrations occur only while braking... ?
>

On Wed, 6 Jun 2007 18:54:33 -0700, Howard Lester <heylester@dakotacom.net> wrote:


>"AZ Nomad" wrote

>> I'd recheck the tires; a defective tire can easily add a lot of
>> vibration.

>But he did specify that the vibrations occur only while braking... ?
Could still be a defective tire. Force on the tread can make the
tire pull to one side or the other.

But most likely, it's the rotor.

On Thu, 07 Jun 2007 02:04:12 GMT, alfred <tomboy83@yahoo.com> wrote:


>Thats right, only when braking at higher speeds does the steering wheel
>shake or vibrate and only at low speeds does the brake pedal vibrate or
>pulse a little. As far as the tires, I have them filled to 35 lbs cold,
>which I know is higher than the 32 lbs cold on the door jam, but the
>mechanic said it improves gas mpg a little.

It also makes the tires wear out faster in the center. The best pressure
is what the car maker recomends. What is important is the shape of
the tire, not the pressure. Less weight on the tire means less pressure
for the same volume. If the car maker says 26lbs, then that is what you
should use; not what some tire jokey uses so that they can use the
same pressure for everybody with bothering to think too much.

Howard Lester wrote:
> "AZ Nomad" wrote
>
>> I'd recheck the tires; a defective tire can easily add a lot of
>> vibration.
>
> But he did specify that the vibrations occur only while braking... ?
>
>
as nomad says, there's nothing in the master cylinder that can cause
that. not on a frod, honda, or any hydraulic system.

with a honda, the most likely culprit for your brake problem is
incorrect torque. especially as you've just had tire work done.
re-torque the wheels yourself, with a 2 [or more] stage process, 1324,
1324, using a torque wrench. do NOT NOT NOT allow a tire monkey to
fasten your lug nuts with an air tool. EVER.

before re-torque, with the wheel off, apply a /little/ antiseize to the
face of the hub also.