Okay, so we recently changed my brake pads... and after we were finished, I was looking under the hood for the place to bleed my brakes at, and I cant find it.

Everyone on here is always such a big help; thanks in advance for any input you can give me!

 

if you only changed the pads .. why do you need to bleed them?

 

Its good for them, plus theyre a little stiff because of the fact that theyre new.

I guess it needs the fluid to make it easier to actually brake.

 

Adding new pads does not require bleeding the brakes, unless you got air into the brake lines. Bleeding is not "good for them", not doing it is not "bad for them"-- it makes absolutely no difference at all. You bleed brakes to get rid of trapped air, or, you bleed brakes every two years as you completely replace the old fluid with new, to get rid of absorbed water in the fluid that will cause corrosion on the metal components of the hydraulic system. Bleeding the system will not change the feeling of "stiff because they are new".

Oh yeah, almost forgot---- bleeding is done at the wheels, not under the hood.

 

Maybe bleeding is not the word i am looking for.

Whenever we changed the brake pads on my friends eg, the brakes were stiff until he went under the hood, poured brake fluid and told me to pump the brakes... After that, it was much easier to press them in.

All i know is that my brakes are stiff. I just changed the pads, so maybe a better question would be a more general one:

"Why are my brakes so stiff?"

[Also, i know that there is enough brake fluid in the little holder thingy, because we filled it up last night and they are still stiff.]

 

Air in the brake lines makes the pedal feel soft or "spongy"- your pedal goes much farther toward the firewall than it did before the air was allowed into the system. Not being there, I have no idea what you mean by "stiff". With so little personal auto mechanical knowledge, you would be much better off getting this kind of safety related work done by professionals, not amateurs. No criticism is meant here. The "holder thingy" is the brake fluid reservoir. If you don't know that, you are putting yourself in danger by doing your own work. I mean that to be helpful in all sincerity.

You obviously did not check your rotors for run out, and you did not mention if you used stock, Honda parts. If your brakes are not fixed properly, you are in extreme danger, and so is anyone in front of you when your brakes fail. You are not saving any money by doing a bad job out of ignorance.

 

No offense taken-- thanks for the input.

Well basically my uncle is a mechanic and he changed them for me because they were making that annoying whistling noise when i drive. Before i left he was trying to bleed them out for me *or that is the term he used* but he couldn't find the place to do it under the hood, so he filled the holder thingy, or brake reservoir (as some like to call it) and said that it would be okay, that they are just going to be really stiff until i take it back to him.

It's just that he lives in spring,tx (about an hour drive from me) and i thought that maybe i could find some answers here before driving back all the way out there.

I know its a small issue, that's why i figured, hmm maybe someone will know what i am talking about. But i guess since i dont know a lot of little [miniscule, in my eyes] terms for things that are important, its hard to understand what i actually need help with.

Oh and just so you know, I never once said i did my 'own work' (as you like to put it), so you basically just jumped to that conclusion on your own, but seeing as how i provided very little information, i can see how that happened.

 

A mechanic would know that the bleeder valves are not under the hood- they are on each brake assembly at each wheel. You said "we did this and we did that" so it was a good assumption that you don't know what you are doing, and the work was not being done by a professional. A professional would know where the bleeder valves are, and a professional would be able to change pads without putting air into the system, which would require bleeding. You apparently do not have a professional doing the work for you. But it's your life, and the lives of others on the line, NOT "a small issue".

Good luck- you really need it.

 

UPDATE!!

Took the car to a brake shop, and sure enough, the brakes needed to be bled out because there was air in the lines.


Thanks manxman and dewthedew for your help!!

 

Marsha, your last post made me very happy. Diplomacy is not my most prominent characteristic, and I was sincerely worried about your safety. Tried not to offend you and still get the truth across. Good move, lady.

 

Most cars, yes, this is true. A few have a bleeder on the master cylinder in order to get extra air out. I've got an older Chevy Caprice with a bleeder on the master cylinder along with the bleeders at all four calipers. I've never had the problem of not being able to get all the air out of the system by using the caliper bleeders, but it's good to know I can bleed the master if need be as well.

 

That's all fine, but the bleeder valve on the master cylinder won't get trapped air out of the brake lines downstream from the master cylinder. The guy who "couldn't find where to bleed the brakes under the hood" was NOT a mechanic- just called himself one.

 

Also, apples to oranges. Honda doesn't have a bleeder on the master & I agree even if it did that is not the proper way to bleed brakes. Also I agree that this person wasn't a mechanic or maybe they were but were used to working on really old stuff. Even better would be if they bled in the "standard bleed sequence" as opposed to looking at the correct Honda sequence which in my experience has never mirrored the standard sequence. It may work but I'd never take the risk...

 

At least this thread wound up with the OP safe with the work of professionals, and has brought comments from people who know how modern brake systems work.

 

Agreed. It's a big pet peeve of mine when I see (all over the Internet) misinformation or people not qualified (not that I'm all that qualified) dispensing info. Brakes are often the biggest offender/taken WAY too lightly by so many people that it is scary to think about the ramifications.

Manxman, I'll share a story that you'll appreciate. I know a guy who is literally "World's Best Mechanic" he knows what's wrong even before looking at it (trying to set the scene) & owns his own shop that specializes in things other shops won't do or can't fix. He had an ASE Certified mechanic working for him that had a leaking brake line in his personal truck (Front Left) & decided to "pinch it off" until he could deal with when he got home (don't think the boss saw him do it).

A sudden stop on the way home going down a hill caused the truck to pull right since there were no front left brakes & struck an off duty police detective's car! Luckily, no one was hurt but since he was also stupid enough to mention that he was an ASE Certified mechanic, the truck was impounded for investigation into the cause of the crash.

15 days in jail & a loss of employment was not worth not taking brakes seriously, especially when you know the consequences. This account was meant to highlight the importance of proper brake service by someone who KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING & doesn't take risks. This story was 100% true, btw as crazy as it sounds.

 

Good story Buffalo! It is nice to see that idiots sometimes get exactly what's coming to them, without getting anyone else hurt in the bargain. But ignorance in brake or suspension work usually has disastrous results.

 

I'm hoping he no longer wrenches, my friend obviously fired him on the spot. This could have easily been disastrous as it was an area with a lot of people crossing the street at that time but fortunately it probably prevented a disaster that this idiot would have created down the line for some unsuspecting customer.

I'm not sure but an offense like this in the People's Republic of N.Y. probably disqualifies you from being employed in the trade again (hopefully).