Guys,

Just trying to sort a few issues with my car. Has anyone had a strange thing where on the motorway if you hit the brakes, the car dips and lurches to one side (the left in my case), before coming back straight and level again. It is scary .

Tracking is spot on, the brakes have perfect balance according to the MOT test last month, and there is no apparent suspension damage (I asked the MOT tester about it and he re-checked all joints etc). Tyres are good condition and are inflated correctly.

Its as if one front caliper is sticking, then releasing, but EVERY time I brake moderately hard.

Any ideas?

Regards,

Garth.

 

Garth : Um, Wayne? What do you do if every time you see this one incredible woman, you think you're gonna hurl?

Wayne: I say hurl. If you blow chunks and she comes back, she's yours. But if you spew and she bolts, then it was never meant to be.



I would look into maybe a blockage in the right front brake line or a stuck caliper over there.

 

Exceeeeeeelent!

I'll check the brakes.

Garth.

 

POSSIBLY a sticking caliper...

but there again id check brake lines ASAP...your going to wreck the lude if you dont get it fixed..from what the OP has said.. the car is not road worthy right now.

 

Guys,

I rebuilt both front calipers with new seals. The bores and pistons were in perfect condition. I have also replaced the bleed nipples and union nuts. The discs are in good condition all around the car - not even any scoring. That was 2 evenings work, and about £300 in parts.

Just took it for a drive and guess what? Absolutely no difference. Still pulls left under braking for a *fraction* of a second, then straightens up. Increasing brake pressure does not induce any further pulll - even from 100+ mph to zero using progressively heavier pedal pressure does not give any problem - it is always that first 1/10 second or so. Brake temperatures side to side seem similar too, so its not like one is dragging.

Any ideas? Im getting desperate.

Dampers also seem good all around. I replaced both rear roll bar drop links which were worn, and also swapped tyres (rear to the front).

Does anyone think it wight be the 4ws? I might get a pal to hang out of the window while I brake and see if the rear wheels are moving.

Cheers,

Garth.

 

Wheel bearings are good? Radius rod bushings are good? Other suspension bushings are good? Steering tie rods are good?

 

You might try another master cylinder or prop valve (if you're non-ABS)....

 

Are the wheels hot on the side that it is sticking? I had this same problem and it was not the calipers, I would check the master cylinder.

..

 

MOT test showed no play in any steering or suspension component with the exception of the rear drop links (one was slightly worn). I have since replaced both. MOT test also checks wheel bearings - all o.k.

My car has ABS.

Garth.

 

I don't think this has anything to do with the brakes anymore.

It pulls the steering wheel that direction too, correct?

Do you have aftermarket wheels on it by chance? How about lug nuts?

 

It pulls the steering *very* slightly, you can only feel it above about 50 mph in a straight line on a smooth surface. The steering quickly re-centres and from then on braking is straight. ABS cuts in as normal when conditions dictate. Thing is, when you are doing 60+ mph , even a tiny deviation under braking can require a fairly large correction with this problem. I seem to recall 60mph = 88 feet per second.

Car is totally standard, wheels, nuts the lot. I have never 'curbed' the car and the wheels themselves are in very good condition considering they have done 115k miles and been through 14 British winters!

I don't recall any sudden change that could be the cause, such as changing tyres or brake pads etc. It just seems to have gradually appeared. I am doing more motorway driving now, so maybe that is why I started to notice it more. I cannot understand why a braking problem wouldn't have shown up in the brake test on the MOT. Balance was perfect front and rear and power was way more than required to pass the test. Even the handbrake was well balanced. There are no unusual clonks from the suspension, and handling is fine. Tyre tread wear is also normal.

This is really strange - I'm almost convinced the rear steering is activating briefly. I will check it out tomorrow.

Regards,

Garth.

 

mine used to do the same thing. i know you said everything seems to be in good working order but.... in my case one of my shocks had seized up and when id hit the brakes weight transfer would throw my car into the next lane.

 

Thanks for that - how did you find out about the shocks? I tested mine by pushing up and down on the front wings and seeing how each one felt. I couldn't detect any difference.

Cheers,

Garth.

 

well the shop i have my oil changed at actually told me 2 or 3 of the shocks were leaking... they couldnt tell one of them had seized tho. after living with it for a while my car developed a lean to the front left because most of the weight kept getting thrown on one corner. replaced the springs and shocks and all was well. but all im saying is it MAY not be a brake problem. thats what i started off thinking it was.

 

Tried an experiment this lunchtime - With 4WS light *ON* and rws inoperative, I have to steer left in order to go straight ahead!

Any ideas? It's as if the rear rack isnt centred. Is there a system reset to recalibrate the rear rack?

Cheers,

Garth.

 

Garth, I suggest getting a helms manual for the car and going through the 4ws section.

It seems you have narrowed it down to that

pm me if you need help finding the manual.

 

I have the two volume Workshop Manual - presumably the procedure is in there, but from memory you need some pretty specialist electronic tackle to do the job.

Cheers,

Garth.

 

i have a 93 lude with 4ws. to answer your question, no the rear rack connot be recalibrated by pulling a fuse or disconnecting the battery. if the rear rack will not return to straight ahead with 4ws light on, the rear wheels are more than likely out of whack. in order to properly adjust the 4ws system, you need 1) an alignment hoist and 2) the rear centre lock pin tool only available at honda... i have one... it cost about 125 bucks CDN.. only used it once just to be certain wheel was straight after i slammed it.. this is best left to the dealer if 4ws is not you're area of expertee. this system is very hard to calibrate unless you are knowledgable with it. the licensed honda techs <U>i've</U> dealt with know little to nothing in this system and say "just live with it"....b.s. is what I say...if alignment is your issue...my friend...read up in a prelude manual....it's in my mind the only way fixing this problem is affordable

 

Is there any chance you could accurately measure the rear rack setting tool so I could make one on my lathe??

I agree - your *average* Honda 'mechanic' probably knows less than I do about a Prelude, and will simply follow the procedure in the manual *IF* that is, he/she has established what exactly the problem is. I could end up spending literally hundereds of pounds while they fart about looking for the culprit. This is my problem too, but at least I can try to diagnose it for nothing...is it:

a) Brakes? unlikely, since under continued heavy braking, the car straightens and the brakes are very balanced even when the ABS kicks in on a dry road.

b) Tyres? unlikely - both fronts have good treads, and even wear.

c) Dampers? Possibly, but difficult to check.

d) Suspension geometry? Possibly, but how did that occur? I've never knocked a wheel.

e) Steering? Possibly.

f) Something else? Possibly.

A friend looked at the rear wheels while braking from about 60mph. There was a swerve, but the rear wheels did not appear to turn.

The 4WS was operating normally at this time.

Is there any way that the rear steer could operate *electronically* as a result of a braking input? Presumably not?


Cheers,

Garth.

 

Just to throw this out there--did you also do hoses when you rebuilt the calipers? I have seen them cause some odd problems when the inner lining collapses.

 

how about the master cyl? you know the master is a dual piston. all cars made after like 1965 are required to have this, for safety reasons. maybe the seals on one are going, and it takes a second for pressure to build. or maybe its fine....just throwing it out there.

 

Is it a dual piston split front-rear or split left-right?

I didn't replace the hoses (£50 each!).

Cheers,

Garth.

 

It is split front rear on non-abs preludes, I'm not sure on the abs ones though.

Hoses are a viable possibility, at first the cloggage slows the left brake down, but then pressure pushes thru. That would account for it....

 

why replace the hoses anyways? if you have flow (when you bled the calipers) you're good to go, no need to change unless they are cracked.

 

i've heard a lot of FWD cars are diagonally split