Brake Issues

[Dasfinc]

This is a new wrinkle: *this is the 92 honda CX hatch I'm talking about below*

Before leaving last night to Kims dads house she told me that 'the brakes were feeling a little funny' and I ended up driving home after wards. If you gently push on the brake, it will pretty much go straight to the floor with little resistance and slowly stop the car, if you nail the brakes it stops in a hell of a hurry, but seems to tug fairly hard to one side.

So at a stand still, if you nail the brakes, the pedals travel stops at maybe 1/2 way and STAYS there, if you push gently and rest your foot on it, it will basically keep going slowly to the floor.

There is plenty of brake fluid, and no leaks.

Kim ran over a curb fairly firmly on Thursday, but this problem already existed then, and she had a 'panic stop' on monday or tuesday where she had to floor the brakes and this was before the problem arose, otherwise I can't think of anything that could even be close to causing something to fail.

Does this sound like a MC going out? Possibly a caliper having an issue? or maybe some air got into the lines and the system needs to be bled?

I'm going to eat some breakfast and clean up and then head outside to toss it up in the air and take a look, Let me know what you all think plz!

I have a spare MC in the 91 hatch, and the calipers/pads/rotors are all autozone life time warranty.

Click to read more...

 

[Nasty93]

This is a new wrinkle: *this is the 92 honda CX hatch I'm talking about below*

Before leaving last night to Kims dads house she told me that 'the brakes were feeling a little funny' and I ended up driving home after wards. If you gently push on the brake, it will pretty much go straight to the floor with little resistance and slowly stop the car, if you nail the brakes it stops in a hell of a hurry, but seems to tug fairly hard to one side.

So at a stand still, if you nail the brakes, the pedals travel stops at maybe 1/2 way and STAYS there, if you push gently and rest your foot on it, it will basically keep going slowly to the floor.

There is plenty of brake fluid, and no leaks.

Kim ran over a curb fairly firmly on Thursday, but this problem already existed then, and she had a 'panic stop' on monday or tuesday where she had to floor the brakes and this was before the problem arose, otherwise I can't think of anything that could even be close to causing something to fail.

Does this sound like a MC going out? Possibly a caliper having an issue? or maybe some air got into the lines and the system needs to be bled?

I'm going to eat some breakfast and clean up and then head outside to toss it up in the air and take a look, Let me know what you all think plz!

I have a spare MC in the 91 hatch, and the calipers/pads/rotors are all autozone life time warranty.

theres no possible way air can get in the system unless you have a leak of some sort.
typically when theres a brake pull that means theres a caliper issued, but based on the fact that the pedal travel is obviously excessive, id put my money on a master

 

[Dasfinc]

theres no possible way air can get in the system unless you have a leak of some sort.
typically when theres a brake pull that means theres a caliper issued, but based on the fact that the pedal travel is obviously excessive, id put my money on a master

Thats what I suspect also. Kim has told me sometimes it tugs the either direction under a panic stop *Calipers/rotors/pads less than a year old* so I am fairly confident they are all OK.

As far as air in the lines goes, I was under the impression that if for some reason the fluid was on the low side and you nail the brakes you can suck air into the system? *if I'm wrong correct me cause I'd like to know 100%*

Thanks for the help, I'll probably just Gank the spare I have in the other car.

 

[Dasfinc]

Here's another question, could the brake booster have failed? When you goose the brakes the revs raise, while if you floor it, they drop heavily. maybe this is normal operation?

 

[Nasty93]

Here's another question, could the brake booster have failed? When you goose the brakes the revs raise, while if you floor it, they drop heavily. maybe this is normal operation?

its possible. the booster is obviously vacuum opperated. when at WOT theres no vacuum. Try disconnecting the booster and see if the car feels any different. if not it possible thats your issue. It seems its one of the 2

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

http://www.norcalcrx.org/tyson/pics/braketest.jpg

test for brake booster. sounds like your MC though if your not losing any fluid. i think mine is goin too.

 

[Stink Star]

if you stop and think about it, a brake system is split into 2 systems. this is the failsafe if something happens to onw of the lines. alot of people assume it is a front/rear split, but this is not always the case. there is also a diagonal split system, where the front left and the right rear is one circuit, and the opposite for the other circuit. if your master cylinder has a bad seal in just one of the circuits it will cause the other circuit to work alot harder. now if the two front brakes are on seperate circuits and one is working harder than the other, you will get a pull.... that could be the explination for how even with new pads and rotors you are still getting a pull.

id bet it needs a new master

 

[WhiteDevil]

Change the master.


What side does it pull to?

 

[Dasfinc]

if you stop and think about it, a brake system is split into 2 systems. this is the failsafe if something happens to onw of the lines. alot of people assume it is a front/rear split, but this is not always the case. there is also a diagonal split system, where the front left and the right rear is one circuit, and the opposite for the other circuit. if your master cylinder has a bad seal in just one of the circuits it will cause the other circuit to work alot harder. now if the two front brakes are on seperate circuits and one is working harder than the other, you will get a pull.... that could be the explination for how even with new pads and rotors you are still getting a pull.

id bet it needs a new master

Yes, the honda is a front right, rear left split circut for failures.

The problem appears to have been 2 fold, I replaced the master cylinder and it helped alot, but it still felt squishy so I assumed it just needed to be bled, as we were bleeding the brakes we found a pin hole leak in the right rear brake line just before the drum, After replacing the line and bleeding the system it now stops better than ever.

Thanks for the help everyone!