93 Civic ex 2dr coupe auto 1.6L 150K

It's kind of a long story. Had a dragging problem (PASSENGER SIDE) because the backing pads were coming off of the old pads.

Replaced pads. Still drags.

Replaced CV shaft (unrelated). Still drags.

Replaced caliper. Still drags.

Replaced brake line. Still drags.

New rotors and pads on both sides. Still drags.


Then, a guy at a parts store told me that if the CV spindle nut isn't torqued enough, the rotor won't ride true to the caliper. So I tried to torque it more, and I stripped the threads. Whoops. So I got a new CV shaft and torqued to about 150lbs.

STILL DRAGS!

So what do I do here? There is no play in the wheel bearing, no gunk on the hub, and no other tires have any break resistance.

 

and also if I jack the wheel up and put the car in neutral, it turns freely for a bit then I can feel resistance, then freely, then resistance, etc. So it acts like a warped rotor, but it happens even with a new rotor. ???

 

Really a slight drag when turning the wheel by hand is nothing to worry about. Dragging brakes means that a noticeable amount of heat is generated when driving without using the brakes.

Check the rotor for runout (motion side to side when turning it, though NOT the same as play in the bearing). If you have runout but you know the rotor is not warped and it is fully seated on the hub, that means the hub is bent or something.

The caliper slide pins could be dirty, bent, corroded, etc. Replacing the caliper should include new pins, and lubricate them. Also you could try adjusting the stop on the brake booster and/or the brake light switch so the pedal comes up higher. If the pedal doesn't come all the way up, pressure will build up in the system and the brakes will drag.

 

there is about a 50* degree difference in temps (compared to other side) after driving about 25 miles. i can smell the slight smell of burning brakes.

the brakes were severly overheated to the point of smoking before i replaced them. could that have warped the hub?

 

Maybe the proportioning valve is clogged.

 

You stripped the cv threads? I did not know that was possible! Evidently them honda farm boys got strength too much. I'll call you next time I have trouble loosening something.

As for your brake trouble, that's an odd one, something must be clogged enough to restrict brake fluid return from the caliper. Pedal force = high pressure, caliper relaxing after use = low pressure, crappy steel line perhaps? Does brake fluid drip out of both front bleeders when loosened? Make sure a plugged bleeder doesn't confuse this test. Perhaps work upstream loosening brake fittings until you get to a point where it drips out freely?

 

+1

I was also thinking a damaged/collapsed brake line somewhere.

 

i would say replace your wheelberrings and hubs.
and if that doesnt fix it it would have to be a brake presure problem.
i guess the only advantage to doing the berrings and hubs first to find out if its a presure problem would be that in the end you got new berrings and hubs? lol

 

you could consider using the hybrid civic pads which use a spring loaded (wire) to push the pads away from the rotor (apparently to make sure there is little or no contact when not braking for max mpg).. It is perfectly normal for a little drag but if your freed wheel spins less than 3 rotations when vigorously spun berfore stoppng you may have too much drag,

 

haha.. side story.. we could not for the life of us get the crank bolt loosened to change the timing belt. took it to a shop where even they broke a socket on it before they finally got it loose, and they said it was tighter than normal..

anyways, I think I have the drag problem solved. I took the caliper apart and put even more grease on the caliper slide pins, and I know the caliper is good because I was able to compress it with my bare hands! (either that or i'm a strong farm boy lol). I'm not sure if it will spin 3 revs before stopping, but it's also turning the half shaft, which will provide some resistance when spinning the joints. I believe it's still a little hotter on the passenger side though... Still puzzled about that... But a new hub alone is about 175 from my local car quest retailer and a new wheel bearing is 75 plus 25 to get it pressed in (me doing the rest of the labor of course). So, I might ride this one out and see if the pads wear even on both sides.

Thanks for all of your advice.