SMC Failure

[stoc445]

Caught it early with no lock ups, but my rear pads are gone and my rotor now has a noticeable ridge in it. As others have reported, the rebuild kit is on back order with no ETA. I've not dug into an SMC so I'm not sure how it all works yet. Can I take the thing apart to clean/lube or something in order to get it working in order to buy a little time? I hate to park my bike because this kit is on B.O. with no ETA.

 

[st1300r]

irrc you can gently peel pack the rubber sealing boot and clean the gunk under it.
That may help. I you lube it use dielectric/brake silicone grease so it doesn't attack the rubber bits.

 

[Mellow]

How many miles? Are you sure it's an SMC?

 

[stoc445]

How many miles? Are you sure it's an SMC?

06 with 37k. I'm not 100% sure but my symptoms and characteristics match up with the searches I've found. What else could cause this?

 

[Mellow]

How many miles on those pads? The rear pads will typically wear faster on a bike without any issues just because of the design of the SMC. Just because your pads wore past the wear indicators and into the rotor doesn't mean it's an SMC issue. Could just be you didn't replace them. If your pads are that far gone you are also extending the pistons past where they were designed to go - had a guy come over for a tire change and said his rear brakes were sticking and it was metal-on-metal on the rear brakes and replacing those fixed his problems.

 

[st1300r]

It could be the pistons are gunked up and not fully retracting.
Clean em up before you install the new pads with brake fluid and a tooth brush etc.

Then check the temperature of the disk after a ride.
Typically the fronts will be warm and the rear hotter but not hot leave a blister on your finger hot.
If its not hot then you mave have fixed the problem and they are no longer dragging.

 

[stoc445]

My last brake pad replacement was with OEM and there is maybe 3-5k miles on them. The rear brake is definitely dragging. I was on a ride this past weekend and really noticed it. Also at the stops there was the smell of super hot metal and my brake pedal had way more travel than normal. Let it cool down and was able go again.

 

[Mellow]

That is low.. since you have to wait on a kit anyway, I would clean the pistons well and do a brake fluid replacement anyway and then see if that makes a difference. I don't know of anyone that has taken one apart and cleaned it... may be worth a try once you have the kit in hand.

 

[ChucksKLRST]

Here is what is in side of the SMC From left to right: The yoke attached to the pushrod. This is factory set. Book say not to mess with the adjustment. C Clamp ring. Push rod seal. Next is the SMC brake plunger with seals and last, the spring. My SMC was stuck because the seals on the SMC brake plunger were gunked up and was stinking in the SMC bore. To clean it correctly you will have to remove the complete internals. The problem is holding the boot up and releasing the C clamp ring, without tearing up the boot. Installation is easy except getting the boot to re seal. Hope this helps understand the SMC

I Dont have the boot as I destroyed it when I removed these parts.

 

[Mellow]

That's cool, thanks Chuck!

 

[ChucksKLRST]

Forgot to mention, If you pull it apart and clean or rebuild it, You will need to do a complete brake bleed. BY THE BOOK. Do not skip a step, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars.

 

[stoc445]

Forgot to mention, If you pull it apart and clean or rebuild it, You will need to do a complete brake bleed. BY THE BOOK. Do not skip a step, do not pass go, do not collect two hundred dollars.

I actually learned my lesson for doing this correctly, which was during my maintenance cycle this past winter. Once done by the book, the lever pull was never as firm as it is now. I'm a believer!

And thanks for the help, really appreciate it. I'll post up what I actually find.

 

[sennister]

Last summer I had my SMC fail. After waiting a couple weeks with the rebuild kit on backorder I finally broke down and ordered the entire assembly which comes with the piston kit installed from the factory. They could ship that out right away. The kit is $40-50 and the assembly $110-120 or was last year. The difference is less than a tank of gas for my truck.

For me I couldn't clean anything to get it working. When I disassembled it the piston was stuck all the way in. I sat there with the regulator opened up all the way on my 120PSI compressor for about 15 minutes before I was able to work the old piston out. Water had gotten around it and the seals swelled up to the point where there was no way the little spring in there could push back out the piston. I could have tried to trim off a little bit of the seal but that would have been the only fix for me.

So I had to replace it. Unfortunately I had to go with the assembly or sit and wait.

 

[stoc445]

I checked and the assembly and kit are both on back order.

 

[sennister]

I'm afraid for that small of a difference I'd just order the new assembly. Not worth waiting for IMHO. YMMV.

Yep, that was my thought. The assembly added to the cost but made the replacement a little easier. Just move the caliper over, hook up the lines and bleed the brakes.

Double check the part number but it should be this.

02 BRACKET SUB-ASSY.
06454-MCS-G02 (replaces 06454-MCS-G01) 001 $157.00 $118.30

$157 is list at the dealer. $118.30 is the price at Service Honda. When you look it up it is item #2 on the fiche page for the Left Front Caliper. AFAIK the part is the same on 03-07 ABS & non-ABS. It might be different when they made the change in calipers (08+ I think).

 

[sennister]

I checked and the assembly and kit are both on back order.

That sucks. I guess others figured out what I did.

 

[ChucksKLRST]

I checked and the assembly and kit are both on back order.

Check Post 8 in this thread. He (Safedoctor) says he has the parts.

 

[stoc445]

Check Post 8 in this thread. He (Safedoctor) says he has the parts.

Yup, seen it and work'n it!

Thanks!

 

[dduelin]

For pete's sake I hope the folks that neglect Honda's recommendation and procedure for hydraulic fluid replacement read threads like this. Ignore it at your own peril - the design is such it will retain moisture in the SMC bore and if left in there for a long time it likely will corrode the bore and things start sticking.

 

[safedoctor]

On Rudy's bike we took it to my dealer and found out the parts were on B/O till the end of May. I asked Goldie in Canada to see if she could get one. It took a week to get and we over nighted it which FedEx didn't so no freight charges. The day after Rudy got his bike out the Honda part came in. So they might say a month it was a lot quicker.
Replacing the whole part is better and a lot easier.