1994 Honda Prelude has 1 out of the 4 brakes that are working. Only the driver side brake is working. I used a IR thermometer and after 30 min of city driving the driver side was at 200+ degrees. The 3 other wheels were at 40-48 degrees.
What could be wrong?
The hot one is probably dragging.
What was the air temperature when you took the measurements? Exactly what did you measure, the wheel or the rotor, or??? Are you sure it wasn’t the one brake just overheating?
It could be the brake pads on one wheel not releasing properly. How are the brakes performing?
I measured the rotor/disc. Air temp is about 40 degrees
The brakes are not preforming well. It feels like I have lost some braking power.
So does this mean the car pulls to one side when you brake?
Yep. The hot wheel’s brake is dragging. The other three are (likely) OK.
You notice reduced braking effectiveness because the stuck brake is heating up the fluid and boiling off absorbed water, greatly reducing efficiency of the system.
Inspect brakes, looking for asymmetrical wear. Replace any worn parts; overhaul pistons/calipers as necessary. Bleed brakes and exchange brake fluid.
Huh? You measured wheel temp or rotor temp? If you have alum wheels are you measuring the wheel face near mounting bolts? Or trying to measure rotor thru wheel spokes? Do 2-3 stops from 55mph and rotor should be 400f.
I’m going to join the chorus, you have one brake dragging, and it is probably due to stuck caliper pins. In this case, only the outer pad drags so the outer side of the rotor will be the hottest. That pad will have a lot more wear on it than the rest.
Considering the age of the vehicle, I’d say it is probably due for a complete overhaul. New rotors and wheel bearings (once you get the rotors off, you might as well do the wheel bearings too on this era Honda), new hoses and new or rebuilt calipers. You might want to consider a new or reman master cylinder too.
Jack up the car one side at a time (if you have two jack stands) and spin the wheels by hand. Note the resistance for each wheel, betcha the “hot” wheel won’t spin as easily as the other three. Easy and FREE diagnostic test. BTW, the temp reading is a good idea, but I’d bet even a short ride while using your brakes would post higher temps than 220. Post back and we’ll go from there. Rocketman
I’ll agree with the others, the other three wheels are probably ok, but the one is sticking in the brake on position for some reason, always breaking.
Does this car have disc brakes all around, or front disc, rear drums. Which wheel on the driver side is getting hot, the front, or the rear?
I will be the contrarian here. After 30 min. of city driving, none of the wheels or rotors should be at 40 degrees. I would jack up the wheels one at a time or as many as you can manage and step on the brake while someone is turning each wheel, then let off the brake and see how easily each turns.
You will quickly find out if you or the majority are right.
@oldtimer11 You may be right. That’s why I asked him what the ambient air temperature was. With only 0 to 8 degrees temperature rise something doesn’t seem right with the other 3 wheels. It all depends on how appropriately those temperatures were measured.
^And are we sure if he meant 40-48 F or C? (Guessing NOT K…)
Has the OP left the building? Rocketman
The car has 4- wheel disc all around. I think what i will need to do by these responses is just check is caliper to see if its frozen or if the sliders are frozen. Is there any chance it could be a metering valve? I heard that is very unlikely, but what do you think?
Thank you all for your help as well and imput