Changed my brake pads but brakes started smoking due to a stuck caliper (99 Honda Accord)

Question

Long story short, I was doing a simple DIY brake pad change and it seems that the brake caliper got stuck (the the brake line seem to be slightly twisted). I went for a test drive in the neighbor and unfortunately, the front driver side brakes started smoking and the rotors actually turned red from the immense heat.

I know I messed up and made a noobie and stupid mistake on my part but I'm wondering what else I could've messed up. I'm guessing since the brakes were smoking and the rotors were red (with heat), the rotors are warped. I'm hoping thats the extent of the damage but I'm wondering what else could be affected?

To make it short

1) stuck brake caliper, most likely due to bent brake line 2) test drove and braked at 35mph and front driver side brake started smoking, turning bright red and loud noise 3) I tried to take off the caliper but it seemed stuck

Questions

1) Outside of brake pad and rotor, what else could be damaged due to a stuck brake caliper? 2) If the caliper is stuck due to a twisted brake line, can I just bleed it to uncompress the brake caliper?

thanks for any answers and to save you guys time, yes...I messed up and made stupid mistakes but I will learn from this.

Answer 1

The caliper should be fine once the brake line issue is repaired providing it didn't get hot enough to melt the seals. The pads may appear fine but I would replace them. Pads that got that hot mays have hairline cracks in them. The cracks could eventually cause pieces of the lining to flake off. The rotor is likely in need of replacement also. As far as potential collateral damage the only thing that may be an issue is the front wheel bearing. At the worst you may have taken a few thousand miles off it's life expectancy. I wouldn't worry about it until you start having problems.

Answer 2

As a side note: It might make sense to replace the brake line as well. I am not sure what you mean by "twisting" the brake line (as a 180 or even 360 degree twist of the line, while not ideal for safe driving, should not lead to brakes failing. I therefore assume that you have severely bent or folded the line on itself), so there is a real chance of some permanent damage there as well.

As already mentioned by mikes, depending on how long and at which temperatures the wheel bearing has been operating, it might have been damaged. Modern wheel bearings often last as long as the entire vehicle, but should yours fail replacing it is a nice (advanced) DIY project. YouTube's famous EricTheCarGuy actually has a step-by-step guide for wheel bearing replacement of your Honda! A damaged bearing will usually identify itself with a loud squeal/rumbling noise that increases with speed, but it might take quite some time before it will become apparent.

For making a noobie mistake, I think we have all been there. The most important part is that you went for a testdrive and checked your own work. The practical skills that will prevent these mistakes in the future can always be learned, most important is the critical thinking and reflection on you own work. When given the choice between a self-critical inexperienced mechanic or an arrogant experienced one, I would always put my money on the first. Mistakes are made by everyone, but only a critical attitude and independent thinking can prevent further damage or harm!

Answer 3

I had the same problem and found it was a twisted line. Untwisted it and runs properly again. Definately do new pads and rotors since the other posts on here are correct. With the high heat and undue wear you definately don't want to have the whole thing fail after getting it fixed and if the tire is already off might as well just do it all at the same time, just make sure the hose didn't get ruptured or torn in the process.

Answer 4

All good advise but if the wheel bearings are not changed make sure you regrease them. Make sure all old grease is cleaned out as it will be badly burnt. Burnt grease will kill your bearings within a very short period.

Answer 5

Chances are: If your rotor heated to RED, you may have destroyed your Caliper seals and warped your rotor. This rotor is now useless and the Caliper Piston seals may need replacing. After you replaced the parts and went for a test run, Did you notice if your car was losing speed each time you stepped on the brake? and did you notice if you were needing to accelerate more for the car to move when this happened? If you said yes to the last two questions then it would be a good idea to check for a failed Power Brake Booster. This usually happens when you let the Master Cylinder dry out while pumping the brake. In the meantime: you can loosen the stuck caliper by simply opening the bleeder valve on the caliper of the tire in question. You can Bleed it through the Caliper Bleed Valve (which may be too hot to handle for a while) or you can locate the Brake Fluid Compression box which is also located under the hood. (this box should have 4 other brake lines attached to it) On the compression box locate the line that leads to the sticking wheel and crack the line compression nut. Listen for a clicking sound and wait for it to stop completely and then close the line. (When you crack the bleeder valve you should hear several clicks as the caliper piston loosens up freeing the pads from the rotor. Reminders: Check Power Brake Booster for failure, Check Caliper Piston Seals, Check for Fluid Line Blockage, Replace rotor(s).