I have an 05 Honda CRV, about 185,000 miles on it. The rear (especially passenger side) brake caliper tends to seize up at least once a year - I’m on my 3rd set of calipers since I bought the car in 2019 and now looking at my fourth since I noticed it was seized yesterday.
As I’m already throwing parts at it with just replacing calipers, is there anything I could ask to have done when I take it in to replace these to help reduce this happening? Would replacing the brake line to that caliper and flushing the fluid be worthwhile? Replacing the ABS module (though I’m getting no dash lights)? I use the handbrake when I park and my spot is slightly uphill, could it be something related to that?
Thanks in advance!
The problem could be the rubber brake hose, they can break down internally and keep hydraulic pressure on the caliper causing it to lock up. I had that happen on an AMC Hornet I used to own.
brake caliper tends to seize up at least once a year
When you or your shop only changed the sticking caliper, and the real -but undiagnosed- cause was a delaminating brake hose just on that wheel, it does not disclose to me a sticking of the new one would not happen immediately after the repair -as the brake hose was not changed the 'valve function' of that hose would persist-.
And repaired was that problem 3 times in 3,5 years.
To test for that hose-problem: jack up the car, take off the wheel, firmly apply the brake, it should be sticking now, open the bleed-screw a bit, brake fluid should come out, releasing the caliper.
When 'yes' change the hose for an o.e.m. quality item.
Questions:
did you do the repairs yourself or did a workshop do them?
what quality/source did the repair-calipers have?
what are the scanned codes in a (this) problem-situation?
It was a shop that replaced them, though 2 different ones that I could think of. Live in an apartment so wheels off repairs aren’t going to be an option for me.
Replaced calipers with Power stop ones which have worked fine with the front ones and the rear driver side - which is what made me think it was likely the brake line more than the caliper itself.
Computer is throwing no codes, but I don’t have a dealer level scan tool. Read elsewhere that someone else had to replace their abs module for it to stop sticking but I’d probably save that option for last if possible
Would replacing the brake line to that caliper and flushing the fluid be worthwhile?
yes. all the rubber hoses
Computer is throwing no codes, but I don’t have a dealer level scan tool.
There are no codes for a deteriorated brake hose. There might be codes if the problem turns out to be malfunctioning ABS, but 18-year-old brake hoses would be the primary suspect here.