Brakes dragging... Please Help!

I have a 94 integra LS. I need some help diagnosing my brakes. The brake would drag, and the problem is getting worse. It normally happens after I have driven the car for a while.

The pedal would feel super hard and the engagement point would be very high. There is no play in the brakes what so ever. During normal operations, the engagement point is about 1 to 1.5 inches from the height. However, when the dragging happens it’s right there at the top. But, the problem would go away if I stopped the car and push the brake peddle down really hard and then let go. The problem would go away but come back later.

Now I do have stainless steel lines, but that shouldn’t be effecting brake pedal height. I thought it was my booster, or setting the engagement point to high, I even adjusted the cevis (whatever that’s called) and lowered the engagement point. Problem still there.

My question is, what is it?

Could it be brake master cylinder? I had a re-manufactured one put in about five years ago. Could it have gone bad; the return valve shot?

Could it be wheel bearings? The drag doesn’t happen all the time. Could the wobble cause brake drage?

Could it be axles? I know both axles are bad; boot ripped and vibrations during acceleration... etc. I replaced the driver’s side axles last week. Could just the passenger side axles cause this?

Thanks in advance for the help.

 

Check the caliper sliders. Remove, inspect for damage, lube, reinstall, see if the issue is gone.

 

+1
I did that last week because my brakes were sticking, polished, lubed and bought new slider bushings, mintness.

 

That's what I thought at first, but I did that already. I took all the calipers apart and cleaned out all of the old grease and put fresh grease in. I'm still having the problem. Any other ideas?

 

do you use your e brake alot?
maybe its sticking, spray the spring mechanisism.

Im pretty sure if it was the bearings they would be constantly seized. Not just when braking..

 

one of your calipers is sticking.. pretty common on older hondas. spin each wheel and see which one it is and replace

 

but what would make it stick is the sliders.

 

if it is your calipers...

i had a caliper sticking that would cause my car to pull right when i braked. i changed out the front wheel bearings, which meant i had to clamp the brakes wide open when i put everything back together. problem solved. sure, it might come back, but right now i'm golden.

 

Ok, I'm still experiencing the same problem.

I've changed the brake master cyclinder, I've done the e-brake test, I've removed all the calipers and regreased the slide pins. They are still dragging heavily. In fact, its more like locked up. I can bearly drive it.

Last time it happened, I put it on jacks and all four wheel are stuck. Not just one, but all four. It was almost impossible to move by hand. I had to put all my weight into turning one wheel just a quarter of a turn. Of course the fronts were more locked up than the rears.

Someone, anyone ... help... I'm out of ideas.

Thanks.

 

E-brake could be set too tight, resulting in constant presure on the brake pads. Even if its not on, it will still be too tight for it to actually let go of the caliper.

Food for thought.

 

the parking brake only affects the rear wheels.

 

Hey guys, thanks for all the input. I appreciate it.

I may have narrowed down the problem. I’m suspecting the brake booster.

What makes the brake pedal come back up?

Here’s the problem. The pedal does not want to come back up. I have to use my foot to lift it up. Of course when its down, the brakes are almost locked up; and it’s not just from the weight of the pedal either.

However, if the engine is turned off, I don’t have the problem. It’s only when the engine is on that the pedal does not want to rebound. My guess is some malfunction with the internals of the booster putting pressure on the master cylinder when there's a vacuum.

Can someone confirm that it’s the booster problem?

Thank you.

 

the same thing was happening to me in my integra and we just messed with the ebrake a little it was tightened too much and always sticking

 

He never said which wheel it was affecting...

 

 

bump for having a very cimilar problem and wanting to know the results...