What is wrong with my brakes??? Very frustrated!

[housegsx]

My rear brakes are locked up... again. Here's a quick run down of my brake setup. All SS braided lines. Baer track kit up front, Powerslot bbk in the rear that uses factory calipers.

A few years ago one of my rear calipers seized up. The rotors and everything gets extremely hot etc. Shortly afterward the other rear caliper seized up. WTF! So I removed and rebuilt the calipers with new seals put them back on and same thing, they were seizing up. I think I even tried switching the braided lines in case something could be wrong with them. No go. Finally I bought 2 rear calipers and the problem went away.

Fast forward to a week ago. Me and my gf went to go canoeing and I wanted to take the Eclipse because it's 100 miles each way of fun back roads on rt 66. I get about 3 miles from my house, I'm pulling up to the gas station and I smell brakes. I pull in smell my wheels and they don't smell too bad. So I carry on the rest of the trip, 200 miles of hard driving without any further issue.
...Skip forward to Friday night, I'm driving to Boston Market and as I slow down to an intersection I smell brakes again. I continue driving to Boston Market and when I get out I hold my hand over the driver's side rear wheel, smoking hot! Damnit! I drive home and take the caliper off the next morning. I greased up the pins real good and also made sure it wasn't the parking brake that could be hanging up. I put it all back together and take a drive for about 5 miles. I pull into the mall parking lot and smoke is pouring from the caliper now. I thought it might catch fire.

I haven't driven it since. I figure it must be those junk calipers again. But damn, that'll be the 3rd set on that wheel. I think it has to be the piston fitment in those calipers might just suck and they're getting hung up in the bore.

What else could it be? It's not the parking brake. It couldn't be something else acting up like the proportioning valve, brake lines, or something else? I'm really fed up and think I'm just going to do the rear evo caliper upgrade. But I want to make sure it's the calipers before I go spending money on Evo calipers, pads, and rotors, and ruin all those because those calipers decide to lock up for some reason.

PS. I'm glad I didn't plan on going to the Shootout this year because this would have F'ed with my whole weekend.

Thanks,
-Erik

 

[Jeff99GS]

It could definitely be the Proportioning valve or the SS rubber lines. The Stainless steel lines obviously have rubber in them. These rubber inner hoses can collapse so that the fluid cannot travel back and forth well. Also check for kinks in the steel lines running under the body of the car. I have seen people crush them with LIFTS and JACKS before.

Do you have ABS?

 

[97eclipseNT]

Did you try to push the piston in when you took it apart the other day? Even though you've put a caliper on before it still sounds like either the piston is siezed up, catching intermittently, or the inside of the hose is damaged. I can't say i've ever seen the P-Valve go bad but i'm not saying its not possible. On a side note I think i inspected your car at meineke and talked to you for a few minutes about it but anyways nice gsx and sorry i couldnt help more.

 

[housegsx]

It could definitely be the Proportioning valve or the SS rubber lines. The Stainless steel lines obviously have rubber in them. These rubber inner hoses can collapse so that the fluid cannot travel back and forth well. Also check for kinks in the steel lines running under the body of the car. I have seen people crush them with LIFTS and JACKS before.

Do you have ABS?

The abs doesn't work. I broke a wheel speed sensor years ago and never cared to fix it. I guess it may be the braided lines, but the last time this happened I tried a different set of lines from the same brand. I'll make sure to check the hard lines again, i did have it on a lift to install a new exhaust a couple weeks ago.

Did you try to push the piston in when you took it apart the other day? Even though you've put a caliper on before it still sounds like either the piston is siezed up, catching intermittently, or the inside of the hose is damaged. I can't say i've ever seen the P-Valve go bad but i'm not saying its not possible. On a side note I think i inspected your car at meineke and talked to you for a few minutes about it but anyways nice gsx and sorry i couldnt help more.

Yes, I removed the pins and cleaned and greased them. Then I lightly pressed the brake pedal until the piston came out about a 1/4 inch. Then I pressed it back in with a C-clamp.

And yeah, I guess that was you that inspected my car. Changed a few things since then, but haven't gotten to drive it much this summer. And then this happens. As part of the "fix" I want to upgrade the rear calipers to Evo rear calipers. If you know anyone local who might have some let me know.

Oh, I drove by the shop a couple weeks ago, there was a green 2ga gsx sitting there... Is that yours?

Also, could the abs module be acting funny since I have wheel speed sensors disconnected? I guess I should also unplug the main abs modulator under the hood. Maybe it's doing something.

Edit: Although I don't even know if it would have power since I threw away the abs ecu in the passenger footwell.

 

[Doubleot]

Damn dude my front passanger side wheel tends to get a little hot but never steaming or insanely hot. I'm hurting for you. Quick ? Though..what size of rims would you need to do an evo caliper upgrade? This sounds like something I wouldn't mind doing.

 

[housegsx]

Quick ? Though..what size of rims would you need to do an evo caliper upgrade? This sounds like something I wouldn't mind doing.

For the rear, 16s might work if the backspacing is low enough. I'm not sure though. I have a bbk in the rear already but it uses the factory calipers which are not nearly as big as Evo calipers.

I have 17x8 +40 wheels.

 

[Jeff99GS]

I can't say i've ever seen the P-Valve go bad but i'm not saying its not possible. .

The only time a P valve really goes bad is when it gets clogged with rust dirt or debris.

The proportioning valve reduces the pressure to the rear brakes. Regardless of what type of brakes a car has, the rear brakes require less force than the front brakes.

The amount of brake force that can be applied to a wheel without locking it depends on the amount of weight on the wheel. More weight means more brake force can be applied.

If equal braking force were applied at all four wheels during a stop, the rear wheels would lock up before the front wheels. The proportioning valve only lets a certain portion of the pressure through to the rear wheels so that the front wheels apply more braking force. If the proportioning valve were set to 70 percent and the brake pressure were 1,000 pounds per square inch (psi) for the front brakes, the rear brakes would get 700 psi.


I'm not saying that is your problem but they can indeed malfunction.

Is your brake fluid clean? (clear) if Not then flush the whole system. If your fluid is dark then it is full of moisture and can rust internal brake parts. Get some speed bleeders and flush the fluid out of the system while filling it with clean DOT 4 brake fluid.

Have you ever used power steering fluid in your brake reservoir?

 

[97eclipseNT]

Oh, I drove by the shop a couple weeks ago, there was a green 2ga gsx sitting there... Is that yours?

Yeah thats my gsx. just got it at the beginning of may. i have a blackcherry 1g that has been apart for about 3 years also

 

[housegsx]

The only time a P valve really goes bad is when it gets clogged with rust dirt or debris.

I'm not saying that is your problem but they can indeed malfunction.

Is your brake fluid clean? (clear) if Not then flush the whole system. If your fluid is dark then it is full of moisture and can rust internal brake parts. Get some speed bleeders and flush the fluid out of the system while filling it with clean DOT 4 brake fluid.

Have you ever used power steering fluid in your brake reservoir?

I've only used brake fluid. It's not dirty. I generally flush it at least every Spring. I was going to flush it again with some fresh ATE super blue I have, but I don't want to waste the fluid or time if the calipers or lines have to come apart, and it looks like they will.

Yeah thats my gsx. just got it at the beginning of may. i have a blackcherry 1g that has been apart for about 3 years also

Cool! My dd is a completely stock black 2ga Talon awd. If you see me wave.

Still don't know what the problem ever was, but I've switched to Evo rear brakes. You can see my recent blogs on them. Hopefully this cures my ailing brakes.

 

[ACM]

If you still have the rear calipers around, check the the sliding pins for binding - they could be bent or the lubrication could have dried out - or the lube could be the wrong type (eg AntiSeize).

Sticking pins will give the symptoms you describe.

 

[housegsx]

I've regreased them a few times in case that was the issue. Still froze up.

 

[T2Small]

I agree with the above. Pretty much my standard response to brake issues with our cars without even knowing the details is to blame the sliders (guide and lock pins).

How is their surface? Are they smooth and yellowish, or are they corroded (dark brown or reddish) and pitted? If so, replace them (ideal), or sand them down to a smooth finish. How straight are they? They do tend to bend after you have seized your calipers like you mention and will not work correctly after that.

Right after I mount the calipers up with the pistons compressed, I make sure I can move the caliper by hand on the slider pins easily. (The caliper will move in and out perhaps a 1/4" with the pistons compressed.) Often you will find one side that binds a little despite checking everything over.

I agree it could be other problems, but like Charles above, I think the symptoms match slider pin issues.