Rrac72

2012 Honda Civic- Right hand drive
Hello. Let me start by outlining what is happening, what i have done, The results and current situation.

• Whats happening: Had my car parked for two to three months, while i used my truck. My car drove fine before this. When i took it out of storage, i realized that when i drove (only for 2-3minutes) the brake pedal gradually got harder and the brakes eventually lock up.
• What i have done: I thought that the brakes might need servicing since the car was sitting idle for a while. I flushed the brake fluid completely, took down the master cylinder and had it clean (Not resealed). once this was done i disassembled and clean all calipers (front & back) and checked the lines for blockage. Reassembled all and grease caliper sliding pins. It should be noted that no seals were changed at this point plus they all looked ok and they weren't any leaks.
• The results: Bleed the brakes, from the master cylinder, lines to ABS, the ABS and then all four brakes, starting with the one furthest from the brake reservoir. Great pressure at all points. The car drove for much longer (5-10minutes) however this depended on how often i punched the brakes. Eventually the brakes locked up once more.
• Current situation: I believe i have narrowed it down to one or both front wheels, although i am leaning on the front left wheel but can't find anything wrong so far.

Question:
- Can anyone here give any insight to what's happening here and what i need to do before i end up spending a lot of money on what may be a simple problem to solve.

Colin42

When they lock up put your hand close to the wheel, the one that feels warmer is the one that's sticking.
I know you rebuilt the calipers but I would bet that they're sticking. I would throw a set of new/remaned ones on.

Rrac72

You are right. Thats how i figured it's the front Left that's locking up. Pulled it several time to see what could be wrong but nothing. The piston was removed, clean and polished back to new finish. Caliper clean. Line flushed but still same results

Colin42

You could try the flex line first, but I would try a new caliper

Rrac72

Ok. Thanks

BrotatoChip

The flex line was almost completely blocked in my '02 on the right side. When applying the brakes quickly the car would pull to the left for a second, then even out. Didn't notice any sticking. I would bet it's caliper as well.

Rrac72

I did check the flex lines and they were all clear. Even did the old fashion way of blowing from either ends just to make sure. Well...regarding the calipers, i'm not ruling them out but for now i am focusing in other areas. I checked both front and rear calipers; used some 1000 sand paper to remove and polish, clean and lubricate with brake fluid before reinstallation. They look good to me. Every suggestions you guys make i am rethinking and redoing just to make sure i am not overlooking anything. I'll keep at it.....

Rrac72

Ok, so i have been reading a few threads on the subject and here's what i have done since.
First, let me say i was wrong in thinking it was just one wheel locking up.......after driving to get the car to act up, i quickly jacked the car up on all fours and realized that all the wheels had locked up. Anyway, before i got to this, i disconnected the ABS and drove. In minutes, the car locked up. Opening one of the lines from the master cylinder to the ABS and all wheels are rotating. Is this suggesting my master cylinder has a problem....What do you guys think. Let me know.

Rrac72

Problem solved.
Ok. Hopefully this helps somebody here. I read all replies to this post and i appreciate those who responded. Your responses steered me in directions that enabled me to check and rule them out, eventually guiding me to a solution. So here goes....
The problem was caused indirectly by a brake switch. You know that switch under the dash that is activated by your brake pedal. Same one. It's a NC (normally close) switch that when deactivated by the pedal (i.e., the pedal is at rest) your brake light goes out. When you press the brake pedal, the switch is activated, thereby closing the circuit and your brake light comes on.
A few months ago, after a long day at work i found that my car would not start. The battery was dead. Apparently, there is a grommet attached to the pedal which directly pushes on this switch i mentioned earlier. It had disintegrated and so while my car was parked tall day, the switch was activated now that the grommet was not pushing up on it causing my brake light to be on, draining my battery.
Fast forward, when i got home, i found something to replace that grommet (not an original). The replacement was too thick (now i know) and what that did was prevent the brake from coming back completely in its resting position. What this translated to is that the brake fluid from the Master was not able to return completely because the spool inside did not clear the return ports hence with each press of the pedal the brake would eventually lock up. When checked, a 1/8th thicker grommet was all it took to create this problem. Had i driven the car afterwards then i might have spotted the significance of my actions...but i didn't. Anyway, now my car is driving like before......Great.
Hope this helps the next guy (or girl) .......Best of luck

Colin42

Glad you figured it out 👍