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I finally figured out why my brake calipers kept sticking on one side | Driveway Car Tinkering - Chatter Central

I finally figured out why my brake calipers kept sticking on one side

Been messing with a 2002 Civic in my driveway here in Pittsburgh for the last few weekends. I kept having the passenger side brake caliper stick and drag, replaced the whole caliper and it still did it. Turns out the rubber brake hose was collapsing internally on that side and not letting pressure release. Spent $18 on a new hose and it fixed it completely. Anyone else had a soft hose fool them like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

rodriguez.felix3mo ago

3 years on my F-150 and I had the exact same symptoms, new caliper, new pads, even swapped the master cylinder. Turned out it was just a bad hose, sounds like you got lucky with a cheap fix but I've seen those rubber hoses fail in a different way too. They can bulge out but still let fluid through one way, mine did that and it actually made the brake lock up worse on hot days cause the hose acted like a one-way valve. You sure you didn't just get a dud part from the start? Sometimes those rebuilt calipers come with bad piston seals or the slide pins get rusty, and the hose swap just masked a real issue down the line. I'd check the caliper slides again in a month if I were you.

reese1243mo ago

That brake hose acting like a one-way valve is a real pain... I've seen it a few times on older trucks where the rubber just gives up over time. For the caliper slides, I always pull them out and wire brush them with a little brake grease if there's any rust. Just keep an eye on the brake feel over the next few weeks and you'll know if it was really just the hose.

robinson.hannah3mo ago

My buddy runs a shop out in Philly and he told me once that internal hose collapse is way more common than people think, especially on cars that sit for a while. He said the rubber degrades from the inside out so you can't even see the damage when you're looking at it. That one way valve thing is real too cause the pressure from pushing the pedal forces fluid through but there's nothing to push it back on release. I read somewhere that heat cycles break down the hose lining over time and make it basically a check valve. Glad you caught it for only 18 bucks though cause those hoses are usually cheap and easy to swap. Just keep an eye on the brake feel like reese124 said cause if it still pulls after a few weeks you might have a sticky slide pin hiding in there.