shaking, hot rotor - sticky e brake?

[tc crv]

hello,

i've used this forum as a reference in the past but never posted, so thanks for all the good info!

i have a 2002 cr-v with 223,000 miles, it's been well maintained and has had very few problems. late last week i noticed a slight shake/vibration after a short highway trip (about 5 miles), i was on my way to work. when i got to work i smelled what would best be described as burning brakes. i put my hand next to all tires and the rear passenger rotor/hub area was two or three times hotter than the rest of the tires. the brakes are relatively new (they have maybe 6-8k miles on them), the rotors aren't in tip top shape but they are not bad, there is not vibration when braking, but there is occasionally a squeak/squeal when braking and the parking brake works fine. oh, and there is plenty of brake fluid, i flushed and refilled when i last did the brakes (6-8k miles ago).

does anyone have any ideas as to what could be causing this? how does the parking brake function, is it a seperate drum or does it engage the standard braking system (i.e. discs)? could it be the parking brake sticking on one side, or is it more likely that the one disc is sticking?

thanks!

[jeprox]

when you feel vibration when you apply the brakes, usually it's to do with the rotors. if your brakes are overheating - it could be due to parking brake sticking or maybe your brakes arent properly adjusted. sometimes it could be because of the calipers sticking.

to check which wheel is causing the problem, you have to smell for any burning brake odor and actually touch your rim. touching the tires will not do anything for you. when your brakes overheat, the rims will usually be extremely HOT. be careful when you touch the rims - donot burn yourself. just tap it to feel which one is hot.

[tc crv]

to clarify, i didn't touch the tires, i put my hand near the rotor through the rim (my rims have openings large enough for a hand). my back right rotor is HOT, at least twice as hot as the others. this is why i asked if the parking brake is a separate brake or if it engages the disc. if it is separate then i have to diagnose both, i.e. the heat may be from the parking brake drum or from the rotor, if it's the same then i know the the brake is sticking on the rotor.

also, the vibration is very slight, becomes apparent only after it has heated up and does not occur when braking.

a friend mentioned it may be the caliper. which is where i will start unless anyone else has a tip!

thanks!

[jeprox]

Originally Posted by tc crv

to clarify, i didn't touch the tires, i put my hand near the rotor through the rim (my rims have openings large enough for a hand). my back right rotor is HOT, at least twice as hot as the others. this is why i asked if the parking brake is a separate brake or if it engages the disc. if it is separate then i have to diagnose both, i.e. the heat may be from the parking brake drum or from the rotor, if it's the same then i know the the brake is sticking on the rotor.

also, the vibration is very slight, becomes apparent only after it has heated up and does not occur when braking.

a friend mentioned it may be the caliper. which is where i will start unless anyone else has a tip!

thanks!

parking brake is not separate. uses a cable to engage the rear brakes. it could be the cables are rusted and not releasing all the way or could be the calipers. i guess you wont really know until you take it apart. while you have it apart, you might as well lube the parking brake cable.

easy way to find out which wheel is giving you the problem - jack up the car and turn each each tire with your hand. it should more or less rotate freely without any hesitation. whichever wheel that feels kinda tight to you, start with that wheel and take it apart.

[tc crv]

thanks for the info.

i know it is the rear passenger side, so i know where to start. and knowing that the parking brake engages the rear discs will make it much easier to diagnose.

thanks again.

[Carbuff2]

Hold it...it's well known that the sliding pins on the Gen2's rear calipers can stick.

Additionally, corrosion under the stainless steel pad guides can bind the pads so that they don't release.

Use this TSB as a guide

http://www.in.honda.com/Rjanisis/pubs/SB/A04-006.PDF

make sure that the pads FALL OUT if the guides. Otherwise they are too tight.

I've had to file my calipers once...

[tc crv]

i replaced the caliper, the piston on the old one was seized. was able to move it just enough to remove the caliper. with the new one installed there are no noises and the rotor is not getting any warmer than the rotors on the other wheels.

thanks for the tips.

[Carbuff2]

Originally Posted by tc crv

i replaced the caliper, the piston on the old one was seized.

Was the rubber dust cover between the caliper body and piston damaged?

Sometimes I smear synthetic brake grease (that does not attack rubber like petroleum grease) on these to resist moisture. One car I had, there was a small tear in the rubber, and it never seized over 100K miles.