Problem Changing Rear Brake Pads

[Juan_Banjovy]

I'm at the part where I put the 14mm bolt back in the front of the caliper. It doesn't thread into the caliper. It does if I left the caliper off the bike but if it's in place on the bike it doesn't thread in. It just spins. The holes are lined up but the bolt doesn't go in. Really weird. What am I missing? Looks extremely simple. My only option now is wait until my Honda dealer opens Tuesday & ride there 30 miles with no rear brake in heavy traffic. So they can turn a bolt.

 

[Rabbit]

Might sound silly but it sounds like you’re not pushing the bolt in all the way or it’s not quite lined up.

 

[the Ferret]

I'm at the part where I put the 14mm bolt back in the front of the caliper. It doesn't thread into the caliper. It does if I left the caliper off the bike but if it's in place on the bike it doesn't thread in. It just spins. The holes are lined up but the bolt doesn't go in. Really weird. What am I missing? Looks extremely simple. My only option now is wait until my Honda dealer opens Tuesday & ride there 30 miles with no rear brake in heavy traffic. So they can turn a bolt.

That's the kinda mechanic I am too, which is why I let a factory trained tech work on my bikes lol

Hope you figure it out before you have to resort to my style

 

[Juan_Banjovy]

I learned something. The 14mm bolt won't thread in unless you remove the brake pads. After putting in the 14mm bolt I put in the new brake pads. Now I have another problem. I replaced the brake hoses with stainless steal ones & installed Speed Bleeders to help with putting in brake fluid. Didn't work. I filled the rear reservoir & pumped the rear brake pedal. Like 50 times. Nothing happened. I expected the brake fluid to go into the brake hose but that didn't happen. What did I miss this time? (besides "If it ain't broke....") I forgot to back out the Speed Bleeder 1/2 turn. Getting older is turning me into a dumbass. Finished. Front brake tomorrow.

 

[Juan_Banjovy]

It just keeps getting more fun. Installed the Speigler steel brake line & EBC HH pads on front, poured brake fluid into the reservoir, backed out the drain thingy 1/2 turn & started pumping the front brake lever. And nothing happened. I expected the brake fluid to get pulled into the brake line & start squirting out the drain thing on the caliper through the hose I attached. Nope. I backed out the drain thing 1 1/2 turns. Nothing. So I bought a siphon to suck the fluid through the brake line but now I have to buy silicone glue so I can attach the syphon hose to a smaller hose to fit onto the drain thing & it has to be a good seal to get a good vacuum to suck the fluid through. After that fails I'll ride it to the dealer with no front brake & pay them to install brake fluid into my front brake lining. They open Tuesday. What have I learned this weekend? Stop working on my bike. Pay mechanics to do it. Also, there are no YouTube videos of anyone replacing a front brake lining on a Honda NC700X.

 

[670cc]

It just keeps getting more fun. Installed the Speigler steel brake line & EBC HH pads on front, poured brake fluid into the reservoir, backed out the drain thingy 1/2 turn & started pumping the front brake lever. And nothing happened. I expected the brake fluid to get pulled into the brake line & start squirting out the drain thing on the caliper through the hose I attached. Nope. I backed out the drain thing 1 1/2 turns. Nothing. So I bought a siphon to suck the fluid through the brake line but now I have to buy silicone glue so I can attach the syphon hose to a smaller hose to fit onto the drain thing & it has to be a good seal to get a good vacuum to suck the fluid through. After that fails I'll ride it to the dealer with no front brake & pay them to install brake fluid into my front brake lining. They open Tuesday. What have I learned this weekend? Stop working on my bike. Pay mechanics to do it. Also, there are no YouTube videos of anyone replacing a front brake lining on a Honda NC700X.

Everyone has a different approach to problems, but I see challenges like this as a good way to learn. Satisfaction comes to me when I solve problems like this.

I wouldn’t necessarily expect a dealer to be any better at solving this than you are. On the contrary, I sometimes end up fixing problems that dealers cause.

 

[lootzyan]

... poured brake fluid into the reservoir, backed out the drain thingy 1/2 turn & started pumping the front brake lever. And nothing happened. I expected the brake fluid to get pulled into the brake line ...

I'm not sure I understand how you bleed your brakes. But the manual procedure, without the help of a brake bleeder, is the same for all types of vehicle brakes.
First, the brake system must be pressurized before the bleeding valve is opened.
Here is the instruction from the service manual on bleeding the front brake.
I would add to this - insert the end of the bleed hose into a glass jar filled about 1/4 with brake fluid. You can then observe the air bubbles being pushed out of the braking system.

 

[Juan_Banjovy]

It's empty. I put on a new brake line & it's acting like it's blocked.

 

[hoyden]

It's empty. I put on a new brake line & it's acting like it's blocked.

There's too many variables at play here, watch this excellent video and start from the beginning is my advice:

 

[hoyden]

It's empty. I put on a new brake line & it's acting like it's blocked.

This guy's not as detailed but also good:

 

[Juan_Banjovy]

I fixed it! Finally. Here's what didn't work: 1. Pouring brake fluid into the reservoir, backing out the bleed nipple & pumping the brake handle. 2. Using a syringe to squirt brake fluid into a plastic tube attached to the bleed nipple with the top removed from the reservoir. 3. Squirting fluid down into the hole in the reservoir with a syringe. It didn't go in. Ok THIS is what worked: Using a syphon pump attached to the bleed nipple backed out 2 full turns. Fill reservoir with brake fluid. Now pump the syphon about 50 times as hard & fast as possible. It will suck the brake fluid into the hose. Slowly. There is no other way if it's a new brake hose. If you're just bleeding them & not replacing the brake hose then step 1 will work.

 

[lootzyan]

... There is no other way if it's a new brake hose. If you're just bleeding them & not replacing the brake hose then step 1 will work.

Actually, I did it 3 times using the "traditional method" as described in the service manual. Installing a new, empty master cylinder and a new brake hose connected to the rear brake via the ABS module. A little patience. It's been 8 years since I last did this. The brakes work flawlessly and have never required bleeding.

 

[Juan_Banjovy]

Actually, I did it 3 times using the "traditional method" as described in the service manual. Installing a new, empty master cylinder and a new brake hose connected to the rear brake via the ABS module. A little patience. It's been 8 years since I last did this. The brakes work flawlessly and have never required bleeding.

Same here. The new brake line for the rear was easy once I got the new pads in. I pumped the rear brake a few times & it filled up.

 

[lootzyan]

Same here. The new brake line for the rear was easy ...

Not exactly the same. I eliminated the rear foot braking. I used a left-hand master cylinder and a new braided brake hose, about 45" long. I tried to use a vacuum pump kit but it turned out to be useless because the proportional valve and ABS module prevented the brake fluid from flowing. The fluid must be pushed. If the hand master cylinder is without fluid, the trick was to get the fluid to both sides of the piston, to eliminate air. A known method is to simply fill the master cylinder with fluid and let some of the fluid flow out before connecting the brake hose. Messy job requires carefully covering the painted parts from the corrosive effects of the fluid. Thick aluminum foil is helpful.

 

[MZ5]

Glad you got it fixed!

I can never get fluid into and through an empty hose by just opening the bleed screw and pumping the brake handle or pedal. The bleed screw MUST be opened and closed at the appropriate times, else you're just moving fluid into and back out of the brake line as you pump the handle.

 

[skills4lou]

I've never had the basic procedure fail me, and it's really only those 4 basic steps. Skipping closing the bleeder is pretty much guaranteed to fail.
I've done this on just about every type of vehicle that uses hydraulic brakes or clutch.

 

[dduelin]

I've never had the basic procedure fail me, and it's really only those 4 basic steps. Skipping closing the bleeder is pretty much guaranteed to fail.
I've done this on just about every type of vehicle that uses hydraulic brakes or clutch.

I will slightly modify this thought on always closing the bleeder. On circuits too long to open/close the bleeder with my two hands I use a bleed bottle that keeps the output tube from the cracked open bleeder immersed in brake fluid. The bottle is placed below the caliper - vertical distance is required. When the handle or lever is pumped fluid is pushed out of the bleeder and when the lever is released fluid cannot flow very far uphill back towards the caliper. It will flow a little ways up the hose toward the bleeder but cannot pull air with it because the tube is immersed in fluid. This is not as efficient as the pump/close, pump close method (takes more pumps!) so I only use it when it's not possible to close the bleeder before the lever is released. This allows me to work on bikes and cars without a helper at the other end.

 

[dduelin]

I fixed it! Finally. Here's what didn't work: 1. Pouring brake fluid into the reservoir, backing out the bleed nipple & pumping the brake handle. 2. Using a syringe to squirt brake fluid into a plastic tube attached to the bleed nipple with the top removed from the reservoir. 3. Squirting fluid down into the hole in the reservoir with a syringe. It didn't go in. Ok THIS is what worked: Using a syphon pump attached to the bleed nipple backed out 2 full turns. Fill reservoir with brake fluid. Now pump the syphon about 50 times as hard & fast as possible. It will suck the brake fluid into the hose. Slowly. There is no other way if it's a new brake hose. If you're just bleeding them & not replacing the brake hose then step 1 will work.

I'm glad you persevered and found satisfaction in your efforts.

 

[skills4lou]

I will slightly modify this thought on always closing the bleeder. ...

My options for that were delivered back in the mid 2000's, but only the younger two really took the training. My youngest is a junior in high school this year, so I might have to go back to the bottle method at some point.

 

[Dan German]

From what I hear, you should be glad you don’t have the C-ABS. (You don’t do you?). Even though I do most of my own maintenance, the fact that a complete brake fluid flush was done to my 2021 NC700S before I got it was a big relief.