88 Honda Civic brake failure aft tech "fixed" brk

TERMEL

MEMBER
1988 HONDA CIVIC

I own a 1988 Honda Civic DX HB 5spd manual trans w/ 307000 (yes, three-hundred & seven THOUSAND) miles. She's a sweet little "virgin" and no big problems till now. My boss noticed my brake lights wouldn't go off one morning and had one of our mechanics to "fix" it. He replaced the brk lite switch, but lites stayed on, even after he "tinkered" with it. He said I had a short. Got it home & my husband discovered the plastic nipple in the brake pedal, which actuates the switch had broken off. My hubby rigged a substitute and fixed that. Ever since the tech tinkered the front brakes won't release! We've replaced the pads, rotors, & calipers! Another mech mentioned a "brake pedal adjustment, " but... Could it be the master cylinder? We're very frustrated! Help!

2 Replies

BRUCE HUNT

MECHANIC
3,753 POSTS

Not to knock your husband's work but check that the pedal in returning all the way to the up position and not hampered by the switch.

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Sunday, June 17th, 2007 AT 2:25 PM

TERMEL

MEMBER
2 POSTS

Nope, my husband had an epiphany one day this past week; there is no separate brake pedal "adjustment" on the 88 Honda Civic DX Hatchback, but he wondered if, being unable to get the brake lights to go out after he (the idiot tech) replaced the switch, and not understanding what else the brake "light switch" does, he attempted to adjust the switch to try to make it make contact with the pedal?
So my smart 6'3" hubby crammed himself back up under the dash which is made for midget mechanics and adjusted the the nut on the switch until the pedal just activates the switch. That is the brake pedal adjustment on the Honda Civic DX!
I have seen many other Honda owners with similar complaints (the original being the vibration in the steering wheel after 5 or 6 miles of driving). I want to spread the word!
Hallelujah!
But thanks for trying!
Terry & Melissa :mrgreen: