2007 CR-V Intermittent caliper sticking (stuck)

[Blurider24]

Hey folks

I have an intermittent RF caliper issue. I initially had both front calipers sticking intermittently, so I overhauled and replaced the pistons and boots, cleaned and relubed the slide pins and flushed fluid with Honda DOT3.

They were fine for a bit (call it 5-10k miles or 3-6 mos), but now the R one is exhibiting very high dust output and I can hear some drag. I think I'm going to replace them and I'm leaning towards remanufactured calipers from RockAuto.

Any advice on brand? I think I heard Raybestos were decent (OEM is ideal, but pricey as I'm btw jobs) but they sell 3 kinds...

1. Reman: R-line (economy)
2. New: Element 3 (Daily Driver)
3. Reman: unknown model (Coated)

I'm going to recheck the caliper slide pins shortly, but will likely replace the caliper.

Thoughts??

 

[spasm3]

What year crv? If its old, check the brake lines, they can fail internally or even collapse and mimic a sticking caliper.

 

[Chris142]

They stick because they get dirt and other contaminants in the caliper. You cleaned the calipers but didnt address the reason. The rest of the system is dirty.

Stick your finger down into the master cyl and see how much mud is in the bottom of the resrevoir.

 

[Blurider24]

2007 (edited post title)

 

[Blurider24]

Originally Posted by Chris142
They stick because they get dirt and other contaminants in the caliper. You cleaned the calipers but didnt address the reason. The rest of the system is dirty.

Stick your finger down into the master cyl and see how much mud is in the bottom of the resrevoir.

I wish that were true: MC reservoir is clean...no apparent gunk/mud/varnish. Only minimal fluid discoloration.

 

[Trav]

Rock Auto has Raybestos new for $90ea with no core. Their new calipers are good.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/honda,2007,cr-v,2.4l+l4,1434521,brake+&+wheel+hub,caliper,1704

 

[Blurider24]

Originally Posted by spasm3
What year crv? If its old, check the brake lines, they can fail internally or even collapse and mimic a sticking caliper.

Ok, I can snag a brake line too...easy enough to do.

 

[Hall]

He said he flushed it with new fluid but maybe it was only enough to bleed air and add minimal (new) fluid.

It does seem very odd for two calipers to go bad at almost the same time.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Get the Raybestos Element3 (formerly Opti-Cal) calipers. They are the only ALL-NEW non-reman calipers out there, and with no core charge. Rock Auto has them at a good price

 

[EdwardC]

Almost 3 years ago, I replace my Elements front left caliper with the A-1 Cardone Ultra Premium line, still working fine and look decent with the coating. The Raybestos Element3 sound like a great option though, I don't think they have them for my Element.

 

[rubberchicken]

A rubber brake line with disintegrating material on the inside can cause the same problem. Replace all of the rubber lines to rule them out. What happens is that the inner layer peels off, cracks or otherwise buggers up, and it tends to act as a one way valve. The brakes tend to drag after you release the brake pedal. They can seem to bleed fine. Its not specific to CR-V- rather it can happen to almost any make with rubber (flexible) brake lines.

 

[Blurider24]

Originally Posted by hallstevenson
He said he flushed it with new fluid but maybe it was only enough to bleed air and add minimal (new) fluid.

It does seem very odd for two calipers to go bad at almost the same time.


The car was new to me at 132k miles. The R was sticking noticeably, the L dragged a bit. I flushed the fluid with non-honda DOT 4, hoping to improve the situation. Unfortunately, the R caliper then started sticking more firmly, so I overhauled both and reflushed with Honda DOT 3.

The Left now dusts a normal amount, but the R one dusts very aggressively and feels hotter after some of my drives...not every drive, but intermittently.

The pedal remains firm, and the brakes are responsive...

 

[Blurider24]

Originally Posted by rubberchicken
A rubber brake line with disintegrating material on the inside can cause the same problem. Replace all of the rubber lines to rule them out. What happens is that the inner layer peels off, cracks or otherwise buggers up, and it tends to act as a one way valve. The brakes tend to drag after you release the brake pedal. They can seem to bleed fine. Its not specific to CR-V- rather it can happen to almost any make with rubber (flexible) brake lines.

That makes perfect mechanical sense...I'll replace both front lines and flush when I inspect the R caliper and report back. It may take some time to rule out that it's been corrected as the problem is intermittent.

 

[charbaby]

Originally Posted by spasm3
What year crv? If its old, check the brake lines, they can fail internally or even collapse and mimic a sticking caliper.


This is the first thing that I would try as "spasm3" mentioned.
Here's what I do in this situation to check the hydraulic brake line:

*Lift the caliper off of the rotor.
*Try pushing the caliper piston back in. If it doesn't want to push back in easily, you may have an internal collapse as mentioned. Often there is a tear inside the line that acts like a check valve but, most likely it's collapsed
*Loosen the bleeder valve and see if the piston will push in...most likely it will.

This will tell you quite a bit and if you're in need of a new hydraulic brake line. ALSO, check the hold down bar where the brake pad ears slide in and make sure they're clean of any rust. The pads should not be sticky.

Hope this helps,

CB

 

[krismoriah72]

Originally Posted by Blurider24
Hey folks

I have an intermittent RF caliper issue. I initially had both front calipers sticking intermittently, so I overhauled and replaced the pistons and boots, cleaned and relubed the slide pins and flushed fluid with Honda DOT3.

They were fine for a bit (call it 5-10k miles or 3-6 mos), but now the R one is exhibiting very high dust output and I can hear some drag. I think I'm going to replace them and I'm leaning towards remanufactured calipers from RockAuto.

Any advice on brand? I think I heard Raybestos were decent (OEM is ideal, but pricey as I'm btw jobs) but they sell 3 kinds...

1. Reman: R-line (economy)
2. New: Element 3 (Daily Driver)
3. Reman: unknown model (Coated)

I'm going to recheck the caliper slide pins shortly, but will likely replace the caliper.

Thoughts??


When you say you cleaned and relubed the slide pins... did you clean out the bores of the caliper? Since you said you are going to recheck the slide pins... if you did not clean out the bores perhaps give that a try.

Since you are in between jobs... and you are thinking of buying new calipers.. You would of course replace the hoses as well... so my vote is to replace the hoses and clean the bores and re-lube the slide pins... and give it one last try.

 

[Blurider24]

Originally Posted by krismoriah72
Originally Posted by Blurider24
Hey folks

I have an intermittent RF caliper issue. I initially had both front calipers sticking intermittently, so I overhauled and replaced the pistons and boots, cleaned and relubed the slide pins and flushed fluid with Honda DOT3.

They were fine for a bit (call it 5-10k miles or 3-6 mos), but now the R one is exhibiting very high dust output and I can hear some drag. I think I'm going to replace them and I'm leaning towards remanufactured calipers from RockAuto.

Any advice on brand? I think I heard Raybestos were decent (OEM is ideal, but pricey as I'm btw jobs) but they sell 3 kinds...

1. Reman: R-line (economy)
2. New: Element 3 (Daily Driver)
3. Reman: unknown model (Coated)

I'm going to recheck the caliper slide pins shortly, but will likely replace the caliper.

Thoughts??


When you say you cleaned and relubed the slide pins... did you clean out the bores of the caliper? Since you said you are going to recheck the slide pins... if you did not clean out the bores perhaps give that a try.

Since you are in between jobs... and you are thinking of buying new calipers.. You would of course replace the hoses as well... so my vote is to replace the hoses and clean the bores and re-lube the slide pins... and give it one last try.

CB & Kris--
I cleaned the bracket bores as best I could with a handful of q-tips--I wasn't able to get deep into it. I relubed the pins, worked them into the bore for a couple mins and then wiped the pins off and recleaned the bores before relubing everything. I used some synthetic lube from Advance Auto Parts (single use green or purple packet at the counter) so I want to make sure that that hasn't solidified or attacked the boots and gummed up the slides. The plan is to do the following:
1. Replace brake line(s)--while I have it off I'll check everything below.
2. clean the pins, boots and bores and hit it with fresh silicon grease
3. clean and lube the brake pad/bracket interface.
4. test the pistons movement by hand (brake line on & off)
5. empty the caliper of old fluid and refill/flush from the master cylinder

If the pistons give me trouble, I'm replacing the caliper. If the bracket/pins are toast, I'm replacing the bracket/pins too.

I have a garage bay on reserve for tomorrow, so I should have more to report then.

--Cheers, folks!

 

[charbaby]

Very good and thanks for the detailed update. Looking forward to the final results.

 

[Blurider24]

Originally Posted by Char Baby
Very good and thanks for the detailed update. Looking forward to the final results.

It was an easy Dx day.

Pulled the wheels--

Calipers: Slides moving freely, pistons able to retract individually and together (with hoses connected and bleeders sealed).

Pads: 2 were fused to the brackets--Inner R, Outer L. Put fresh silicon lube on until I get a new set of pads. Those 2 pads were down to ~3-5mm of friction material.

Conclusion: It was a cheapish day!

Any recs for a high friction/performance pad? I typically carry 200-300 pounds of climbing, camping and cycling gear and cover long distances on the highway with little stop and go--would like to be able to scrub speed faster. Don't much care about longevity, but I do about noise, dust and rotor friendliness. I know there's a point of diminishing returns, with my other criteria, as the coefficient of friction is increased, but I'm open to suggestions

I'll post this in a separate section if I don't get responses, but 2 birds with one stone--I also wanted to update everyone

--Cheers, All!

 

[charbaby]

I always clean out the rust in the brackets with a file and then install new hardware/clips. When the metal starts to rust, it causes the pads to stick & wear.

What pad type(ceramic/semi-mets) & coefficient of friction(CoF...e.g. FF, GG or any variation) are you using now?
I personally don't have any particular recommendations for high perf pads but, others will. Sometimes just a simple change from Ceramic to Semi-Metallic could help enough without getting into extra cost.

 

[LeakySeals]

I bought this to monitor my ongoing sticky rear caliper issues. https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-102...p/B013X0NQT0?ref_=bl_dp_s_web_5569938011