[Ziyang]

Today I had my vehicle serviced in garage. It’s popping out B17 at 60k miles, 2 years and 2 months, so I replaced oil and flushed the brake line.

To do brake fluid flush, our hybrid model is a bit different from gasoline models. Per the manual,

1. Turn ON the vehicle, then flush the 4 corners following the sequence of driver front -> passenger front -> passenger rear -> driver rear.
2. Turn OFF the vehicle, repeat.
3. Turn ON the vehicle after done. Press the brake pedal for ~3 sec to remove the brake error message.
   

What intrigued me was the brake pedal feel and strange noise during the flushing.
Even though the car is turned off, you never find the brake pedal ‘hardened’ like in a gasoline car. It always feels like a sponge.
There was no ‘further press down’ when the bleeding valve was loosened to drain out fluid.
You’ll hear many strange noises during the flushing, which are rather loud in a closed garage. (do keep door open when engine turns on in step 1).
And lastly, don’t be frightened by the brake error messages. In step 1 the vehicle is ON, so the system must have detected something abnormal e.g. insufficient fluid pressure.

 

[Honda2014]

60k in 2 years? You bought the right car! 😄

 

[Hunter Mike]

Yep, computer controlled brakes…what could go wrong?

I would guess as you opened each bleeder the accumulator pump was trying to fill the pressure that you just relieved.

I’m thinking with power off the “brake pedal feel simulator” doesn’t simulate anything.

 

[Sammbpbsb]

Today I had my vehicle serviced in garage. It’s popping out B17 at 60k miles, 2 years and 2 months, so I replaced oil and flushed the brake line.

To do brake fluid flush, our hybrid model is a bit different from gasoline models. Per the manual,

1. Turn ON the vehicle, then flush the 4 corners following the sequence of driver front -> passenger front -> passenger rear -> driver rear.
2. Turn OFF the vehicle, repeat.
3. Turn ON the vehicle after done. Press the brake pedal for ~3 sec to remove the brake error message.

What intrigued me was the brake pedal feel and strange noise during the flushing.
Even though the car is turned off, you never find the brake pedal ‘hardened’ like in a gasoline car. It always feels like a sponge.
There was no ‘further press down’ when the bleeding valve was loosened to drain out fluid.
You’ll hear many strange noises during the flushing, which are rather loud in a closed garage. (do keep door open when engine turns on in step 1).
And lastly, don’t be frightened by the brake error messages. In step 1 the vehicle is ON, so the system must have detected something abnormal e.g. insufficient fluid pressure.
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View attachment 542558

Thank you for this post. Your replace brake fluid came up at 60k/2 years 2 months huh? Mine came up at my 100K/2 years and 2 month mark!

 

[Ziyang]

Thank you for this post. Your replace brake fluid came up at 60k/2 years 2 months huh? Mine came up at my 100K/2 years and 2 month mark!

Supposedly it pops out every 3 years regardless of mileage.

Yep, computer controlled brakes…what could go wrong?

I would guess as you opened each bleeder the accumulator pump was trying to fill the pressure that you just relieved.

I’m thinking with power off the “brake pedal feel simulator” doesn’t simulate anything.

Makes sense.
With power off, there’s still strange air sucking noises. It’s absolutely different from other gasoline Honda cars I’ve serviced.

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

60k in 2 years? You bought the right car! 😄

Mine is 1 year 9 months and has 63,000 miles on odometer.

This car is a very good economical car.

All I know is that this Accord better get me more than the 268,000 miles on odometer that my Maxima gave me.

 

[Honda2014]

Mine is 1 year 9 months and has 63,000 miles on odometer.

This car is a very good economical car.

All I know is that this Accord better get me more than the 268,000 miles on odometer that my Maxima gave me.

wow! You got the right car too! 👍I know that HAH is a very good car. After I took a test drive a few years ago, I was like, “man, this thing is an Acura!” I was very impressed indeed. Who knows, if the gas prices go up again and stay there, I might be in line for an HAH too soon lol

BTW, a cousin of mine actually bought a same gen Max as yours (97 or 98) when he was doing his residency. Last I visited him 9 years ago, he still had it and it had well over 100k. Those things were beasts of the past, and seem to be very reliable too.

 

[Accordroch]

Today I had my vehicle serviced in garage. It’s popping out B17 at 60k miles, 2 years and 2 months, so I replaced oil and flushed the brake line.

To do brake fluid flush, our hybrid model is a bit different from gasoline models. Per the manual,

1. Turn ON the vehicle, then flush the 4 corners following the sequence of driver front -> passenger front -> passenger rear -> driver rear.
2. Turn OFF the vehicle, repeat.
3. Turn ON the vehicle after done. Press the brake pedal for ~3 sec to remove the brake error message.

When you say "then flush the 4 corners", do you mean just losen the bleeder and let the fluid drain out? No pedal pumping needed?

 

[Ziyang]

When you say "then flush the 4 corners", do you mean just losen the bleeder and let the fluid drain out? No pedal pumping needed?

Sorry for the confusion. The procedure is the same as regular brake flush, and you need to step the brake pedal to push fluid out of bleeding valves.

 

[mtts60]

Pumping the pedal isn't absolutely necessary, but it makes the job go much faster. If time isn't much of a concern, opening the bleeders and letting fluid drip does work. It's called gravity bleeding.

 

[Hunter Mike]

Pumping the pedal isn't absolutely necessary, but it makes the job go much faster. If time isn't much of a concern, opening the bleeders and letting fluid drip does work. It's called gravity bleeding.

Much more complex on the HAH, I would strongly recommend following the instructions from Honda. If you replace any brake hydraulic component there are a total of 4 different bleed sequences to be completed in order, with an assistant applying and releasing the brake pedal.

 

[Hunter Mike]

At 70k and two years of ownership I got the MM code to flush brake fluid. I didn’t have a helper available so I just vacuum bled the system twice. Once with the car on, once off. Took about 24oz of fluid.

Since it’s cold here half of the year I used some DOT4LV I had on hand. It’s a low viscosity version that my previous VW used. Supposedly helps speed up ABS operation in really cold temps.

i was at a dealer and noticed that they vacuum bleed too. I opened the bleeder screw to gravity bleed but it was painfully slow. I wanted to pressure bleed but the master cylinder doesn’t have a good way to attach my universal cap.

 

[RacingBoy122]

Any recommendation on the Brake Fluid brand to use? I can see a lot of 3rd party Brake Fluid on Autozone, but since Honda only recommends their own oil, what are your thoughts on what I should use? Also DOT3 vs DOT4?

 

[Hunter Mike]

DOT3 & DOT4 are miscible. 4 has a higher wet boiling point so if you’re going to neglect the system use that. I believe Honda OE fluid is DOT3 and has been for years.

 

[Idbiker]

So…… gotta say, I got my maintenance reminder the other day on my 2021 HAH. It’s got 32K and is coming up with A127. I’m baffled why it is suggesting I need a brake fluid change at 32K and exactly the 2 year mark. Is this the car programming from Honda or is the dealer able to push this up somehow? Not going to replace at this frequency. Ordered new cabin and air filter, wiper blades from Rock Auto (love this place) and will have dealer service the oil and rotate tires for $49. Worth it to me every 8-9K miles. Either way, not that this applies but I hardly use my brakes on this car so guessing the pads and rotors are practically brand new.

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

So…… gotta say, I got my maintenance reminder the other day on my 2021 HAH. It’s got 32K and is coming up with A127. I’m baffled why it is suggesting I need a brake fluid change at 32K and exactly the 2 year mark. Is this the car programming from Honda or is the dealer able to push this up somehow? Not going to replace at this frequency. Ordered new cabin and air filter, wiper blades from Rock Auto (love this place) and will have dealer service the oil and rotate tires for $49. Worth it to me every 8-9K miles. Either way, not that this applies but I hardly use my brakes on this car so guessing the pads and rotors are practically brand new.

If I were you, I would not change the brake fluid.

I just sold my 2020 HAH last week for a 2024 Accord Hybrid EX-L.

I traded in my 2020 with 107,000 miles on it after 3 years of ownership. I hardly used the brakes on that car and never ever changed any fluid. Car still worked fine. I was planning to change brakes any time soon but ended up getting a good deal on a 2024 and then I decided to upgrade.

 

[Hunter Mike]

Brake fluid is hydroscopic…it absorbs moisture. Brake use doesn’t matter, time does.

Two years is a normal interval for any vehicle. Water in the brake system leads to corrosion so if you are keeping your vehicle for a while change it. If you flip a car every 2-5 years it’s something you can skip.

 

[Hunter Mike]

I just sold my 2020 HAH last week for a 2024 Accord Hybrid EX-L.

…I decided to upgrade.

Not sure if it’s an upgrade. Worse fuel economy and a DI engine are negatives in my book.

 

[PetitFrereAccord]

Not sure if it’s an upgrade. Worse fuel economy and a DI engine are negatives in my book.

It is truly an upgrade. Trust me, my only reason for owning a hybrid is better fuel economy. My 10thgen was my first hybrid and then I found about hypermiming and then I decided to be a hypermiler.

In real life driving, the 11thgen gets better mileage than the 10thgen in city and highway.

I just took my 11thgen out of the country. 6 hours from Houston to cross the border into Mexico. Speed limit was 75 mph. I was doing 75-80 and then I realized that driving 70 to 75, the car will get into EV mode often. So, I stayed often doing 75 mph and I was amazed the car would cycle into EV mode often. The 10thgen cannot get into EV mode when you are doing 75 mph. I had my 10thgen for 3 years and know that very well.

I got 47 mpg after 6 hours of driving mostly 70-75 mph. That is very good gas mileage. My 10thgen cannot do that.

As for the DI engine, this is a Honda. I am sure this car is guaranteed to last atleast 200,000 miles with anybody who does regular maintenance. I was already at 107,000 miles after 3 years with my 10thgen. I know for a fact that car would have gone to 200k easy. Well, I expect the same from this 11thgen.

But I miss my 10thgen somewhat because it was a base model and so I felt it had very little things that would fail and that car would last me forever. The 11thgen I have now has way too much stuff for me. Some are more like distractions.

 

[Idbiker]

Brake fluid is hydroscopic…it absorbs moisture. Brake use doesn’t matter, time does.

Two years is a normal interval for any vehicle. Water in the brake system leads to corrosion so if you are keeping your vehicle for a while change it. If you flip a car every 2-5 years it’s something you can skip.

Agreed and wasn’t implying brake usage would affect fluid life. Just added my comments in that post as others had about their brake life.
although, I could see with lots of usage and brake wear that would require adding fluid to master cylinder reservoir that during those instances of filling or checking this would allow for moisture contamination to a small degree.