brakes sticking after rain?

[Frank1969]

I have one car (CRV) that anytime you don't drive it for awhile and it sits outside for like two weeks the brakes always stick to the rotors as to where you put it in drive you hear them pop free and then the rust sounding spot of the rotor as you go down the road until it wears off.

The specs on the honda list the brakes as Ventilated Front Disc/Solid Rear Disc Brakes (in, front/rear)

It is always the rear that sticks. My other car gets this to but not to the point that it sounds like the brake pads are rusted to the rotor which where just changed less than a year ago.

Is this normal?

last year this happened after the CRV sit for 10 days and after that one of the rotors needed to be replaced so we replaced two on the back as it seemed to warped from sitting in the parking lot to the point using the brakes would make the whole car shake.

 

[burbguy82]

By chance, do you happen to set the parking brake when you park? Where do you live?

 

[atikovi]

Normal. Metallic compounds in the brake pads rust to the rotors after a while in damp conditions. Maybe try ceramic pads or just live with it.

 

[eljefino]

Normal. My Cutlass Ciera used to lock the rears up in the first stop after a rain. That was a well known quirk.

 

[CharBaby]

That’s normal to me.
We used to drive one vehicle on vacation for 3-4 weeks while leaving our other vehicle outside at home. When we returned, the brakes were locked up and needed to be driven for quite some time to clean off all of the rust. Sometimes I’d even have to change out the rotors if the were too far gone.

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

last year this happened after the CRV sit for 10 days and after that one of the rotors needed to be replaced

Who came to that determination?

 

[BigCahuna]

I have a '99 Chevy S-10 that I drive, and even if it's damp out overnight, the front brakes are grabby for the first couple of stops. I've taken to riding the brake pedal for a block, to dry them off and heat them up. They're fine after I do that. It's something that started in the last few months. I don't know why.,,,

 

[Rogueman2016s]

Sounds norm for a vehicle left sitting in the elements. And yes it could even happen as little as sitting overnight with the right conditions

 

[Frank1969]

By chance, do you happen to set the parking brake when you park? Where do you live?

No it's only in park on flat ground.

 

[Frank1969]

Who came to that determination?

The auto shop as they had already been resurfaced.

 

[Frank1969]

Sounds norm for a vehicle left sitting in the elements. And yes it could even happen as little as sitting overnight with the right conditions

Out all the cars i've had the honda seems to be the worst none have them have what felt like the rear brake locked and made a pop sound when you drive it for the first time.

 

[burbguy82]

The auto shop as they had already been resurfaced.

Beyond that the only thing I can think of is a slow proportioning valve for the rear. Other than that no other guesses.

 

[JimPghPA]

It might not be a bad idea to disassemble the brake pads and clean the holes that the slide pins go into (I bought long wooden stick Q-tips on Amazon for cleaning the slide pin holes) and also clean the slide pins, then lightly libercate with the proper high temperature grease. Also, clean the areas of the brake pads where they touch the caliper and the area of the caliper and very lightly lube. And install new clips. I do this every other year on my 2016 Honda c r v. I don't have any totally sticking brakes, but I have hear the rust scrubbing off as I slow down if I haven't driven it for several days and it has been very moist. Hondas are notorious for having the slide pins stop sliding if you don't keep them cleaned and lubricated on a regular basis. If the pads are touching the disk because the slide pins and sections that the shoes touch the caliper are sticking then that extra contact surface being tight against the disk is going to enhance the ability of the pad to rust to the disk. But probably more important is that if that hardwear is sticking the inner brake pad will wear out much quicker then it should.

 

[BLND1]

Not sure about the caliper design, but a quick clean and lube of the pins and pad ears might be warranted.

I had to completely get rid of the OE VW semi metallic pads to stop my brakes from squealing at low speeds.

 

[nthach]

I had Centric pads get grabby when wet, while the OE Advics pads on my Prius get a bit touchy while flash rust is “scrubbed” off on the first service brake applications in reverse. Both were NAO “ceramic” pads.

 

[14.1 Grms]

last year this happened after the CRV sit for 10 days and after that one of the rotors needed to be replaced so we replaced two on the back as it seemed to warped from sitting in the parking lot to the point using the brakes would make the whole car shake.

The rotors weren't warped, it was most likely rust deposits leading to a pulsating pedal that a few hard stops from speed would have fixed.

Semi-metallic pads and brake rotors are going to rust when it rains or is humid; the more water available and the longer between uses, the more rusting will happen. A rusty surface has significantly higher friction than a smooth one, ergo the brakes "grabbing" harder until that light surface rust layer is removed by a few braking cycles. The popping I would attribute to sticky pins not allowing the caliper to release properly, causing the pads to rust to the rotor surface.

 

[Frank1969]

The rotors weren't warped, it was most likely rust deposits leading to a pulsating pedal that a few hard stops from speed would have fixed.

After 150 miles from the airport the pulsating was still there.

 

[KrisZ]

My old Mazda 3 used to do it and different pads/rotors didn’t seem to make much of a difference.

 

[853okg]

It might not be a bad idea to disassemble the brake pads and clean the holes that the slide pins go into (I bought long wooden stick Q-tips on Amazon for cleaning the slide pin holes) and also clean the slide pins, then lightly libercate with the proper high temperature grease. Also, clean the areas of the brake pads where they touch the caliper and the area of the caliper and very lightly lube. And install new clips. I do this every other year on my 2016 Honda c r v. I don't have any totally sticking brakes, but I have hear the rust scrubbing off as I slow down if I haven't driven it for several days and it has been very moist. Hondas are notorious for having the slide pins stop sliding if you don't keep them cleaned and lubricated on a regular basis. If the pads are touching the disk because the slide pins and sections that the shoes touch the caliper are sticking then that extra contact surface being tight against the disk is going to enhance the ability of the pad to rust to the disk. But probably more important is that if that hardwear is sticking the inner brake pad will wear out much quicker then it should.

I used to use the brass brush from a gun cleaning kit on the blind hole. Now I use a flex hone and cutting oil, then clean it out and use Sil Glide (that NAPA stuff) and maybe new boots. It’s always the rear that sticks for some reason.