2002civic1.7

"i have done all i know how to do" this only happens after they warm up or using brakes alot, i pull over and sit for about 15 minutes, its fine (not sticking, wheels move freely) it goes to a really soft pedal tho.. every time i press the pedal the tighter they grab and the tighter the brake pedal gets.. usually after about 10 - 20 full stops in the city will leave me sitting on the side of the road for 15 min. driving on the highway "kinda" fixes it, the wheel will shake for a min but go away in less then a km.

any suggestions??? would be really appreciated!!!

this problem has been happening ever since i replaced the driver side caliper (about 2 months), shortly after that i bought the passenger side caliper (1 month) thinking that was the problem. but no. recently i noticed the calipers were backwards, i asked for the left side caliper... and got the right side caliper... so the bleeder valve was on the bottom... switched them around and it worked fine for a night and the next morning, i got a lil cocky tho and sure enough i was on the side of the highway for 15 more min... so far i've wasted about an hour of my life sitting on the side of the road, PLEASE HELP!!!!!!

think/know its the master cylinder??? or something else???
would dirty fluid make them stick??? its definatly boiling, i burnt my fingers on my rim one day. know that sound when you spit on a hot stove?? thats what my rims do.

Brake lines seem fine (bit rusty where they go down into the engine bay off of the abs block) but no fluid leaks. i have brand new pads, and calipers. i wanted to get new rotors but as my brakes keep sticking i don't wanna warp them on the first day driving.

thanks guys!! my user name is my what i drive. its the coupe not the hatchback!!!

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

sounds like a sticky caliper to me.

civicpapi

This might be a crazy guess, have you bleed the system? Maybe air in there?

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

^ This is ALWAYS worth a shot. Start at the farthest wheel from the cylinder and work your way forward

2002civic1.7

thanks for the replys!!! i bled the system when i installed both calipers and when i switched them, i havent bled the entire system tho, what are the odds it be dirty fluid that made the new calipers piston stick when it is on it way back in?? since the old calipers were 8 years old, i bought it 3 years ago i didn't ask when he changed the brake fluid or if he ever did... i will bleed the entire system tomorrow, and see if it does anything...

are new calipers known for sticking at all??? it seems to stick more on the driver side, heat wise...but does stick on both sides at the same time!! never one or the other so i find it odd being, both calipers at the same time. the only thing that affects both calipers would be the master cylinder, right?? i did a vacuum check on my car the same day i put the caliper on, it was fine. The brake booster works cuz when i start it up in the morning (6:00 am) in a garage i pump them till theres pressure and hold the pedal in, start the car and it will fall right where it should be.

when i switched the calipers i bled them, they felt perfect, the pedal fell like 2" give er take.... when they stuck on the following day, i sat on the shoulder and when i took off again the pedal was like a sponge, felt like air in the brakes. Also when i switched them i had a friend press the pedal (holding the caliper in my hands) and i physically watched the piston slide out and back into the caliper..

Another thing that kinda makes me lean toward a master clylinder is when i switched my brake pads, my old ones had like 1/8" left... when i went to push the piston back (i use the tool from canadian tire that has a plate and screws in with a foot on the end) i turned it tight as i could get it, waited about 3 seconds and it was like i never touched it, i could turn it again same amount as the first time (other side never moved). That cant be normal or is it??? im used to switching pads i have a g/f and her friends(sunfires and cavaliers) pretty much the same silly setup as mine, going through control arm bushings every 2 years and still have clunks and bangs to listen to, and almost everytime "except" for the set of calipers on my car, i had to loosen the bleeder a bit to even move it using a set of c-vise grips, even on my old calipers...

anyways i will bleed the whole system, try to clean as much as i can, ill post back, either to thank u or ask you!! lol thanks again!!

2002civic1.7

Sorry thats so long!!

D17cancun

thats cuz the brake oil is hot and using a dot 3 of course

but using a mugen one ore dot 4 wont happen again

or go drilled rotors/ceramic pads

2002civic1.7

you mean they stick because of the heat due to crappy brake fluid????
so even bleeding the entire system with dot 3 shale work alot better then what they are???? can get any worse thas for sure!!!!

I got drilled and slotted rotors with munroe pads(ceramic). those are the can tire special $54.99 marked down from $70.... the nascar brakes i had before that are dust!!! literally!! from pad to dust in about 3 months, with one hell of a wear pattern(from the old calipers).... the flat rotors i had, i went threw those in 3 months as well, warp to hell, i even noticed a diff in the wheel shaking after stopping as hard as possible as a test, lol... i have had these rotors 1.5 years (drilled n slotted)...

There is a special brake fluid honda sells, is this stuff just something extra for them to make money off of???? (i havnt stepped foot in a honda dealer except for them to do the timing belt,)
is it ok to mix dot 3 and 4??? i have dot 3 in it now, betting that its old tho!!!! i just bought a new bottle of dot 3 so ill use that and if its works any better ill for sure go get the best brake fluid i can buy!!!

civicpapi

If you can go get the Honda brake fluid, I know with its trans and power steering fluid it is vital as for brake I am not sure but play it safe. *** for bleeding, I would think it is a given to bleed the entire system. Make sure you follow the proper procedure, you miight have to start with a certain corner and work your way back. another thought you mentioned you have aftermarket rotors and pads, are you 100% positive the rotors are for you car?

I am curious what prompted you in the first place to replace the original caliper?

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

I went to the Honda dealership and asked for brake fluid but they were all out. Then the guy proceeded to tell me that they use the same fluid everyone else does so just go buy it from anywhere. As long as it's dot 3 or better. Be aware though, I think Dot 5 is no good for our cars (I'm not 100% sure if that's the right number, search it)

As far as slotted rotors go they are junk. They destroy the pads ceramic or not because they are for race applications only. They actually shave some of the pad off with every pass of the slot in order to stop the car quicker. Which in turn results in high brake dust and highly increased pad wear. Drilled rotors are also junk because they dissipate heat slower than blanks or full rotors. (I'm going to get flamed for this by some of you, but do your research before you flame me).

Ceramic pads are the best pads out there with low dust and best bite. OEM rotors are the best rotors going.

My suggestion is bleed your system and see what happens, while your bleeding replace the fluid until the new fluid starts coming out. You will probably need a big jug of it.

Good luck.

2002civic1.7

the slider bolt was seized in the hole and you cant just buy a bracket (from a parts store) and for 90$ each it was worth it to me, the rubber was pretty much gone all the way around and the piston had chunks of rust falling out of it (from me using a c-clamp, dumb) i had to completely remove the caliper and put it in a vise to push the piston in to replace pads. i replaced both sides because it it was not recommended just replacing one and i felt that was the right choice replacing the passenger side (month later) when i really noticed it starting to stick... couldn't find a repair kit either, there's a piston online but i needed that and the rubber, they only sell the bolt separate

the rotors are for my car they came with their own set of pads, i even matched it with the oem rotor i took off, same diameter, same thickness even the screw fit perfectly

and this power steering fluid, honda makes it??? i never heard of it, this "honda fluid" does it have something to do with its corrosion level??? they should probably stick that in the manual!!!! that seems crazy that they "make" fluids specifically for hondas, why not just make something that works with everything, they must like being special!!! maybe it'll last longer tho, i dunno.. i don't plan on keeping this thing much longer, ill put a turbo on it and sell it and just buy a type r or gsr, something harder on brakes, lol... not dissin the d but, honda forgot the other 100 hp i think... but it gets me where i need to go tho and keeps me from getting speeding tickets, sometimes...
well i started writing all that earlier while waiting for a friend to help me bleed them.... i don't really trust them yet because that's what i said last time and they started sticking... but so far i was driving around in town for about an hour hitting all the stop signs i could and for the first time i never smelled brakes burning and felt that the acceleration was all there, or no burnt fingers.. the other day every cigarette i smoked had a brake burning taste, it was gross... so I'm happy for tonight!!!
the first few shots of brake fluid on the front were dark brown, i replaced it with prestone i think???? not sure i know it starts with P, its a yellow bottle and dot 4... and yes i know what i put in it!!!! i did read the bottle before i bought it, the names just not coming to me right now, thanks guys!!!

2002civic1.7

well just like i thought i left home this morning and they are still sticking!!!

this time it happened while i was driving, left home stopped at the end of my road, stopped at the next stop sign, drove about 20km to tim hortons went threw the drive threw with no problems, however 3km down the road after leaving tims the wheel started shaking and it was obvious with letting off the gas and slowly stopping... i pulled into a carpool lot, shut it off and checked the cap, nothing, no trapped air so it has to be venting properly, the fluid was a little darker then when i put it in last night. sat for 20 min. started it up again, pedal was like a rock but they were free enough to drive back home, pulled out of the carpool got up to about 90km and they freed up totally just after i passed tims again. the pedal went back its usual position, it still feels weird tho. and i have no abs or cel lights on on the dash.

2002civic1.7

ok i dont know much about brakes but i know a little, i also like to learn new things.... and i know its hard to tell without looking at my car but this is stressing me out!!!

does this sound anything close to a master cylinder going bad????
the pedal does not go to the floor due to the leakage of fluid past the o-rings........ but both sides stick..... only in the front... when they stick the pedal is rock hard, 15-20 mins of cooling down/sitting will free them up.... not completely, speeds over 90km/h seem to free up whatever the cooling down/sitting didn`t do... while ago i had misfires on all cylinders, turned out to be something stuck in the hose where the quick connects are, how it got past the filter, i dunno.. but maybe something in the master cylinder is blocking the return, the more i press the pedal the tighter they grab... but today they started sticking while driving down the road after going threw the drive threw at tims

cant be a valve cuz i only have the valve on the rear brakes, right??? (02 civic 1.7) 7th gen

can hoses deteriorate inside but still keep their outer shape and stiffness????
i felt both rubber hoses, and they are hard (no soft spots)

Is the vacuum pressure on the intake manifold the same as brake booster vacuum pressure?????

if it was a hard line would it be leaking?????

its not the caliper piston!!!!! its not the pads!!!! its not abs(car never locks up)!!!! its not the brake booster, i did the check with pumping them up and starting the car and they do sink a bit, even when they are sticking they sink, not much but its noticeable.. i never touched anything to do with adjusting the brake pedal... last thing i adjusted was the e-brake and right now it clicks 7-8 times before fully up.

what`s left that i can check????

master cylinder??? is all that comes to mind
could be abs but on snow my car will not lock up any wheels, i get the crunching sound

i noticed when i changed calipers, the banjo bolt has a little hole only on one side!!!! does this hole have to line up with the banjo hole or is it small enough that the fluid flows all the way around the banjo bolt neck??? thus, it does not matter that the holes line up