Brakes Sticking

Now I'm confused, The brakes on my '87 CRX are sticking. Master cylinder was just replaced. replaced rear drums and shoes (haven't done front, but is next), I have bleed the system until new fluid comes out of the bleed screws (hose from bleed screw to jar with about an inch of fluid).
So here is the problem, after bleeding the pedal feels fine, you can sit and idle and nothing happens to the pedal, I drove about 1/4 mile for testing purposes and the brakes were getting tighter and tighter until the car almost would not move (just made it back to the driveway). I release the presure on the system by bleeding the right rear brake, then all is well again until you drive it. I have replaced that cylinder and the same results. I was thinking maybe the hose, but why does that make the pedal hard as a rock? And why is the only way to release the presure that one bleed screw? I have let the car sit for 2 days and the preasure does not go down, not until you open the bleed screw. And why only if you release that one? It puts preasure on the whole system, not just that one brake, the front starts to lock up also.

The only thing I can come up with is the new master is bad, or proportioning valve? The 87's only have 4 hoses, the ones going to the wheels. Someone else has mentioned booster, hate to just replace stuff to find out, but I'm not having any other luck with it.

I'm just confused because the only way to releive the presure is that on bleed screw, no other bleed screw will do it.

I doubt that the problem is with the master or the booster and it's probably not the proportioning valve. By the symptoms you've described and the work you've done, it sounds like a bad hose.

Sometimes what happens is that the hose gets crushed or stretched (damn those car lifts, don't the guys a Quick-E-Lube know that when they suspend the car the only thing holding up the rear trailing beam is the brake lines!) and when this happens the plastic lining inside the rubber hose cracks and sometimes the little chunks of plastic can act like a one way valve. This means when you press the brake, that wheel cylinder can't release pressure causing it to lock up. This has happened to me a couple of times with much older cars.

I'm assuming that when you drive the car, the right rear brake drum also becomes extremely hot. Correct?

If for some reason this doesn't solve the problem then check out the self adjusting star on the right rear, it's possible that it's not installed correctly. This would be difficult to install incorrectly but can be done. If this is the case, the self adjuster will be tightening itself everytime you stop while moving forward, instead of when you're in reverse. Or maybe someone replaced it with a self adjuster intended for the left rear(?).

One last thought...
Check to make sure the E-brake is adjusted properly. If it's too tight the rear brakes will be under pressure all the time causing the brake fluid in the rear to boil. This doesn't quite fit with your symptoms, but it's something to look into. Maybe the right side E-brake cable is binding?

I just noticed that you said the fronts lock up too, so nevermind my first response. Now I need a little more info.

What was happening with the brakes that made you replace the master cylinder?
Did replacing the MC solve the original problem?
How old was the fluid in the MC before you flushed it?
Hold your foot on the brake and start the car. Does the pedal move down slightly once the car is started?

I just noticed that you said the fronts lock up too, so nevermind my first response. Now I need a little more info.

What was happening with the brakes that made you replace the master cylinder?

>No clue I just got the car and the work was done before I owned it.

Did replacing the MC solve the original problem?

>No Idea, but I don't think it did, because they replaced the booster afterwards.

How old was the fluid in the MC before you flushed it?

The master was clear, but the fluid from the back brakes was nasty brown.

Hold your foot on the brake and start the car. Does the pedal move down slightly once the car is started?

Booster seems to be working fine, I am begining to think the system is sucking air from somewhere... or a colapsed hose... Or like I said the new master is just a bad new master.



Haven't had much time to play with the car, just when I can.

ok well this may or may not be good logic but it's worth a read. The master cylinder that you have has 2 outputs one goes to the left rear and right front and the other one goes to the other two. Now if the hose on the left front is colapsed, then all of the pressure would be going to the right rear, which could cause it to lock up, then the proportioning valve which sees that there is a much higher pressure on one set diverts braking pressure to the other set, so you have all of the pressure going to the right rear, which cant escape then you have added pressure on the other set, right front left rear. I'm not sure if i've quite gotten anything but that would be my best guess without actually being there to trouble shoot it. So, I'm thinking that the left front hose may fix all of your problems, at any rate it would be an easy and cheap thing to try.

ok well this may or may not be good logic but it's worth a read. The master cylinder that you have has 2 outputs one goes to the left rear and right front and the other one goes to the other two. Now if the hose on the left front is colapsed, then all of the pressure would be going to the right rear, which could cause it to lock up, then the proportioning valve which sees that there is a much higher pressure on one set diverts braking pressure to the other set, so you have all of the pressure going to the right rear, which cant escape then you have added pressure on the other set, right front left rear. I'm not sure if i've quite gotten anything but that would be my best guess without actually being there to trouble shoot it. So, I'm thinking that the left front hose may fix all of your problems, at any rate it would be an easy and cheap thing to try.

That's kinda what I was thinking was going, or something close to that, but when you talk to most people, most don't know/realize that they went to a diaganal (spelling?) system and look at you like you crazy... What has turned out to be the problem is a major combination of several things... The left front caliper has been overheated to the point it looks as if it caught on fire... disconnecting the power booster and plugging the vacum hose off has also help significantly (no more brake dragging noises) and has an added benefit of solving my idle problem. So the moral of the story is the new booster (that didn't really look new anyway) is not new (will be next week though) and the new caliper is not new either $26 each I think I'll get two.

A bad habit that I have gotten into, and not sure when it started, is not to dought "new" parts that people say are on cars... I always use too. When you are talking to people about their cars and they say "it just had a timing belt installed" realize that it was most likely 40,000 miles ago and not last month. People have lost any sense of "time" when it comes to cars, and maintanance on them.