[VLCNCRZR]

I have a 2004 Civic LX 82K miles +-

Recently I have noticed an intermittant issue when braking.

The car brakes fine, but occasionally when the car slows down and is almost at a stop, the pedal pulses slightly, and a moaning noise comes from the front end. The pitch of the noise follows the rate of the car movement.

If I am in stop & go traffic, it also happens sometimes.

I can only compare this to what it feels like when ABS kicks in,
but this car does not have ABS, and this problem occurs on dry pavement.

I have not had the car in the shop yet, but I will need to do it soon.

Does this sound familiar to anyone??

Thanks for your input.

[lordhelmet]

Warped rotors

[VLCNCRZR]

Wouldnt warped rotors result in a constant noise/pulsation?

[lordhelmet]

Possibly. I've been driving with warped rotors for a while and sometimes I can really feel the pulsing and sometimes its nice and smooth. Hows the brake feel from 70 mph?

[VLCNCRZR]

High-speed braking is fine, even most low speed braking is fine.

This problem is not consistent. When it does occur, it is at stop & go
speeds (3-5 mph).

The slight grinding sensation is just like the pedal feels when an ABS system is activated. It is not a hugely noticeable pulsation like worn pads.

Most of the time, this problem doesnt even manifest, but it happens enough to inquire what could be causing it (especially with winter approaching).

I appreciate your input. I will have my rotors checked.

As I am digging deeper into these forums, I am seeing many posts regarding the rotors on the civics not lasting very long.

[lordhelmet]

Yep. Go pull the wheel off and see what can be seen.

[gearbox]

its the rotors, i notice it in the scion xb taxi cabs all the time when coming to a stop at low speeds. its cause their brakes suck, for civic it means youre too hard on them. try not to ride the brakes and dont make too many hi speed brake stops.

[DarkFlame]

Originally Posted by gearbox

its the rotors, i notice it in the scion xb taxi cabs all the time when coming to a stop at low speeds. its cause their brakes suck, for civic it means youre too hard on them. try not to ride the brakes and dont make too many hi speed brake stops.

Yeah, the Civic's brakes suck, big time. The dealer turned my rotors twice & replaced them once, all under warrantee. I've never had such misery from any of the many other vehicles I've ever owned. Flimsy rotors and not-little-old-lady driver means warped junk. That's why I'm looking for some super heavy-duty rotors & pads, and maybe brake cylinders, if needed.

Here's what I'd test: Get the car up to your normal highway driving speed and VERY LIGHTLY press down on the brake. If it's BADLY warped, you'll really feel it. If it's only barely warped, you probably won't feel it - but it'll eventually get worse, much worse. If the rotor is rotating too quickly and the warp isn't so bad, the pads won't pulse against the rotor surface adequately to be felt. But, at a much slower speed, and you're not hitting the brakes as hard at 20 mph as you are at 70 mph, you'll feel it more - it's amplified under those conditions.

Truest test is to yank the rotors & have them put on a machine lathe and check the rotational plane of the surface. They can be re-ground to true, if you haven't hit runout. But, you only get to do that about twice (if you're lucky) before having to replace the rotors. Damn shame I know so much about that!

PS, my '98 Civic LX has about 90k miles - that was 15k/yr until I got the motorcycle!