Hey all,

I've had my EF civic for a few months now, and have generally not had *too* many issues with it, but a big one has been the brakes. Basically, it started with the brakes getting consistently harder to press as I drove and then ended in a dead stiff pedal that was like pushing on a brick wall, with instant brake feedback. wouldn't let me go above 55 on the highway. Brought it to my mechanic, as I thought it was a booster pushrod adjustment, but all that was said was "it can't be adjusted, it's bad, replace it. " etc. etc.

However, he did make the brakes work again. They engaged lower, had less stopping force, but did not drag one bit. I could roll around in neutral like normal again. Weeks later, only a few days ago, at a red light I was fidgeting with the brakes as they do make my RPMs jump (basically, engaging the brakes does not do anything but letting them out suddenly makes the engine stumble for a second) around, and my adhd was in full effect... lol. after fully depressing the brakes maybe 2-3 times, they stiffened up and began to drag like they did before my mechanic tweaked them. I have been relieving the pressure in my day-to-day by cracking the bleeder screws whenever it gets to be too bad, which is not often.

Here is the real question: is it the booster? so far I have verified that cracking the bleeders or pulling the MC away from the booster have unlocked the brakes, and introducing air into the system does help soften them up albeit temporarily. (Yes, I know this is NOT how to go about this, but it works and I need to go places.) It is worth noting that when I did the brakes when i got the car, I could absolutely not push the pistons back in on the calipers without popping a bleeder. No way in hell. This is where I think the booster may be misadjusted, as it does look to be a non-oem refurb unit. I bought a check valve as a just in case, but it didn't fit. i was able to blow through the existing one in only the one direction, though it was slightly harder than the new one. could this be a reason? is there a better test of the vacuum system?

Please help!

 

Oh, and just to add to this: If I pop the bleeders to release pressure, and generally fidget with them, then restart the engine, the brakes instantly go stiff-er. Not super stiff, but the brakes do noticeably engage just a bit more on startup.

 

You're risking other people's lives with your ignorance. Take it to a professional.