So i recently bought this 2002 honda civic for $450, and seeing as the owner said it only needed a new windshield, rear strut, rear brakes, and new front tires, it wasn’t a bad deal. I never got time to fix anything before i went on vacation for 2 weeks. It’s been parked in the garage the entire time i was away, but when i went to start it up and pull it out it wouldnt move. It started perfectly fine, i took the E-brake off, but it wouldnt move unless i revv’d it to around 4-5k rpm, and even then it wouldnt go more than an inch. So i put it in neutral to see if i could push it. it only moved when i got it rocking pretty good, but thats when i noticed the right rear tire had skidded the whole way. When i first got it i did notice a slight grinding type sound coming from the rear every time the car moved, but i didnt pay too much attention to it seeing as the car wasnt leaving the driveway for awhile anyway. Well now its permanently stuck untill i find a solution. Any ideas on what could lock it up like that would be greatly appreciated!
Common problem. I’d be willing to bet that the car was parked with the parking brake on and the car was exposed to water shortly before being stored. The pads just rusted to the rotors. Once they are freed up they should be fine.
I would suggest that you have the brakes checked by a trusted professional. I don’t really expect a safety issue, but since brakes are kind of important, I would have it done. It is difficult for anyone here to do a good inspection.
Good Luck
Thanks! And you guessed right, its a standard so i needed to put the E-brake on. But is there any way i could free up the rotors myself so i dont have to have it towed?
PB Blaster and Kroil are probably the two best products to loosen rust. Products like WD-40 aren’t doing to do much for you.
Are the rear brakes disk or drum? Disk type are pretty easy, you can get at everything. Drum type can be very difficult because you have to remove the drum to get at anything, and of course, its the drum that is stuck.
One trick that you might try is to pull up on the parking brake handle hard and sharply. The upward jerk might break the cable or shoe free and then it will relax and let go when you release. Try it a couple of times.
yeah, he said he left the emergency brake on while he was gone and the rear brake on a Civic is most likely a drum brake not a disc. The brake is stuck on so either jack the wheel up and attempt to get the drum off and/or the shoes freed up, or just tow it out and let someone else worry about it. It needs brakes anyway.
One more thing to try, jab the brake pedal hard a few times, it might shock the brake shoes free, assuming that it not the brake cable that is frozen.
The 2002 Civic has drum brakes on the rear. Jack the car up. Remove the tire. Bang the drum with a hammer around it’s edges to break it loose. Don’t use a sledge hammer or hit it extremely hard. Make sure the emergency brake is off when you do this and make sure you have the wheels chocked to prevent the vehicle from rolling while the brakes are off. This will probably free it up. Good luck.
Ok thanks a ton! I’ll let you guys know how it goes.
I’ve got an '03 Civic in PA and have experienced the front brake pads sticking to the rotors a couple of times. Both times the car was not moved for about a week and moisture was a contributing factor. I have not had the parking brake stick but I can see it happening. The rear brakes on these Civic’s are drums, only the front brakes are disc.
I suspect the hardware inside the rear brake drums is rusty. If you free up the wheel, I’d take the car into a shop and pull off the rear brake drums and check out what is going on in there. The parking brake on my Civic is very effective and has not been a problem. Therefore I suspect something more is going on inside those rear brake drums.
You put the transmission in first or reverse and with the brake off, move the parking brake cable (near the wheel) around until the brake lets go. If it’s rusted really bad, the brake won’t release. Be careful not to get too agressive or you could kink the cable. You should not have to use the parking brake with a manual transmission. It’s the automatic ones that can’t be trusted.
Keep driving it till it breaks free. I used to go on vacation for 3-4 weeks and would forgot not to set my parking brake on a 1995 civic with rear drums. This would happen.
Dragging the wheel would break it loose each time(3-4 times)