This past winter I noticed my rear left wheel was locking up on me. I'd put the E-brake on and when I went to take it off, the tension wouldnt release. I could lift the E-brake handle with my pinky finger since there was no resistance on it. The pads would burn and the whole assembly would get really hot and smoke. Well I let it go thinking it was just a one time thing. Unfortunately I kept having the same problem, and it started getting worse. So I went to take it to the mechanic. I got 1/4 mile from my house and stopped at a light. I got out to check on it and the disk was glowing BRIGHT RED...and my car was cold when I left. Anyways, I got it there. The machanic replace the left caliper, both discs, both pads, both brake line hoses, and the E-brake cable. Everything seemed to be fine up until about a week ago. I was driving down the highway, been driving for maybe 10 min and I noticed my RIGHT rear tire was smoking! so I get out to check it out and sure enough, same issue. This time however the E-brake doesnt seem to be the issue as the cable is still taut at all times whether the brake is locked up or not. Again, I thought I'd give it another try and see if it happens again. Sure enough, last night it started up again. So this morning I just dropped it off at the mechanic. I'm so freakin pissed off about this **** its not even funny. Is this some kind of common problem with accords? WTF is going on here? I dont street race or drive it exceptionally hard. To my knowledge theres never been and major accidents involving the rear brakes. I don't understand why this is happening. Its an 03 Accord V6 with the 6-speed manual trany. Its got maybe 85k on it. It shoudnt be f*cking up like this so early!!!

 

I had something similar in a 95 Integra. The handbrake cables operate a lever on the caliper, and that lever had corrosion. There was a lot of friction in that lever, so the return spring (right there on the caliper) didn't always have the strength to release it. Fortunately, I recognized the dragging sensation while still in the driveway.

Another possibility I've seen on all kinds of cars: The brake pads fit too tightly in the caliper bracket. I have to file down the ends on the backing plates of the pads, just enough so they fit nicely. Usually that amounts to just removing the thickness of the paint.

 

well in the first case, that likely could have been the issue (corrosion), however on the right wheel the e-brake doesnt stick. the machanic couldnt replicate the problem but thinks it was the caliper since everything else is brand new. fortunately the caliper is covered under my extended warranty. but of course those cheap bastards are only covering half the labor! ill have to call them about that one. i dont expect to get very far though considering they refused to cover ANYTHING on my first repair since "the repair was done prior to authorization" which was complete BS. sorry, venting here lol

as for the brake pads fitting too tightly, im not quite sure what you mean. i wouldnt think the tightness they have in the caliper wouldnt affect anything. the exterior pad is stationary regardless of cylender position. and the interior is only attached to the cylender so theres nothing for it to catch on. and when theyre in place and the brake is not being applied, they sit essentially ON the rotor and "glide" or whatever. then when the brake is pressed the cylender clamps down. so if it were to get stuck clamping down, the only possible cause for that should be the cylender in the caliper, brake cables, or something to do with the brake lines or master cylender. am i wrong here or missing something? i think i have a pretty thorough understanding of the standard disk braking system lol.

 

I saw this on my car.

The pad wouldn't slide easily out of the bracket when I removed the caliper due to some rust buildup. It was stuck. I filed down the metal edges a bit on the pad to clear up the corrosion and used a brush to clean out the crap in the bracket. I could then easily slide the pad back in and out of the bracket. Then the caliper would go over top of it.

If you can easily pull out the brake pad out of the bracket with the caliper removed, then you don't have that problem.

 

well regardless of whether thats the issue or not, i think ill do it anyways. i gotta replace the BRAND NEW pads anyways because of this

 

The outboard pad is not stationary; BOTH pads move, but only a tiny amount. When you apply the brakes, the piston pushes directly against the inboard pad. At the same time, the whole caliper slides inwards to apply pressure to the outboard pad. Kinda like a C-clamp. Both pad must be able to move away from the disk when you release the brake pedal.

OK, the caliper bracket doesn't have it's own number, but the little clips #22 are clipped into the caliper bracket. The top & bottom of each pad fits into #22 but it should NOT be wedged tight. You should be able to easily pull each pad away from the disk.

If they wedge tightly in there, you need to file off the paint from the pads backing plates, or maybe even file off a little metal so the pads don't stick.

 

ok, thanx for the help guys.

i guess luck was in my favor today...i went to the mechanic and he said the warranty company covered the entire repair (when he had originally said i had to pay half the labor). however, it didnt cover replacing my brand new damaged pads. so i went and bought some new pads. but when i took off the wheel and examined the pads, they looked fine. no cracks or big chips, almost full life left on em. they were slightly discolored at the very top but that could have been anything. and even if it was from the heat, thatll wear away eventually anyways...just may happen quicker. both rear calipers are now new, so theres nothing to sand/file. they slide in and out easily and i put some brake pad grease on the contact point between the pads and calipers just to ensure proper movement. ill hold onto these extra pads for a week or so in case theres an incident, otherwise theyre goin back to pepboys