I’m having two problems with my 93 Honda Accord; breaks a I think a bad catalytic converter. I recently had a tune up done and break job with new rotors on the front, then got it back and breaks seized up and car was pulling to the right. so had to take it back again and he put new hoses on and I had told him when I had pulled into my driveway the rotors were glowing red and it smelled like burning rubber. So then he said it was fixed and I took the highway and had to immediately get off as car started shaking, lost the ability to accelerate, muffler noise got louder and had to press the gas pedal down all the way,rpms were 300 and car barely went 25 mph till I pulled over. Again rotors(both front rotors) were glowing red but the pulling to right side was not there anymore. Called the mechanic and told him and he said the rotors where probably warped, so replaced them cause they were still under warranty. I also asked about the calipers and he said they were working fine. So now I have the car back again and it seemed to run fine for about 15 minutes and then again lost the ability to accelerate, muffler noise got louder and rpms went up and pedal was pushed all the way down and barely able to go 25mph. Also when I let off the pedal to pull over it basically stopped itself, there was no gradual coast like it normally would. Front rotors weren’t glowing red but did feel hotter than the back ones when I put my hand by the wheel.
First step is to find a new mechanic. it doesn’t sound like he has done any proper troubleshooting or tried to recreate the problem. Now something is causing the brakes to engage, and given the age of the car this could be that the rubber hoses have deteriorated and are acting like a one way check valve, causing the brakes to stay engaged.
I’d tell you that this mechanic is totally incompetent, but that would be giving him more credit than he deserves. The first thing that needs to be changed is HIM!
At this point you probably have damage caused by the excessive heat. Flex lines, boiled brake fluid, sticking calipers, these all need to be addressed. But you’ll need a competent shop to address these issues. Needless to say, you also need new rotors and pads… again.
Please let us know how you make out. We do care.
The OP said mechanic already changed hoses. That leaves calipers or master cylinder. Your (new) mechanic should crack both lines from the master cylinder when the brakes are binding. If this instantly frees up the brakes, replace the master cylinder, if not replace the calipers.
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The OP said mechanic already changed hoses.
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I would suggest that the new hoses may already be damaged by heat and, in the goal of getting everything sorted properly, they should be changed as a part of the project. It’s very little additional money.
Thanks for all the responses. I’m having a freind, who was unavailable before, put in the new cat and is going to look at my brakes for me at that time. The appear to finally be in working order but he is gonna pull everything apart to check. Definitely will never take any of my cars to the other guy again.