My brakes got stuck then fixed themselves?

[Felix Wankel]

Today I was coming home from work, and I decided to stop at a friends shop to pillage some wiper arms off a Notch. The squealer tab on my right front pad started making its presence known (non-stop). I didn't want to hear it for the 4 miles to my house, so I was going to bend it back until I got home and got new pads. I bent down to inspect it, and the wheel was HOT! Seems both front brakes were stuck badly. Got in the car and the brake pedal was hard as a rock.

I limped home at about 10 mph, and waited a couple hours for the brakes to cool off. When I went out there to jack the car up, the brakes had freed up and now they work fine again.

What's the deal with that? I am going to inspect the calipers tomorrow, along with flushing the brake lines out (the fluid is putrid looking).

Is there anything else I should be looking at? I've never had this happen to me before.

[sar4497]

I've heard it's because of the plastic brake pistons. Replace them with stainless steel units.

[SVOeric]

yep -- it is common with the SVO setup. phenolic (spelling ??) material is used for the pistons.

Several people are using the stainless pistons offered by SVPU, which does keep this from hapening.

[Felix Wankel]

What are the chances that its going to do it again before I get them fixed?

[cobra0478]

You can plain on it happening again.Sooner than later.
Fix em now,the life you save may be your own.

[SVOeric]

this usually only happens when the brakes get heated up- -- but like he said -- better sooner than later (on the fixing)

[Felix Wankel]

I just wanted to be able to move it around, I wasn't going on any trips or anything. I will call SVPU Monday about the kit. Thanks.

[svobud]

mine use to seize up on hot (outside temps) days on the 86 2R I use to own .. the S/S pistons are the way to go.

[sar4497]

Well...it happened to me today. Complete with burnt fluid smell and white smoke coming from the front left wheel.

[Ken Potter]

I've had it happen on both my 2R and the Frankencar as it has the complete SVO front end. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment as I just bought the rebuild kits and did them myself. I also painted them red on the Frankencar while I had it apart. Either way go with the stainless pistons.

[kiwi]

Same here......

......but now I spent twice/ once for the SS units~ and now I have the cobras up front.....should stop good now!!

[SVOeric]

My theory on why this happens has to do with the condition of the fluid ---

My guess is, Mike Flemmings car has had many fluid changes.
The first post of this thread says he was ready to change pads anyway ---which leads me to believe it may have been a while since his fluid was changed.

When this happened to me, the fluid was SEVERAL years old, I had just brought the car home, and it had sat for awhile.

[Ken Potter]

Maybe, maybe not... The 2R had not had the system flushed for sometime but the Frankencar had new fluid, master cylinder, proportioning valve, hoses, rebuilt calipers ( didn't know better at the time ) with phenolic pistons, rotors and pads with just a few months on it. I took it to Road Atlanta and didn't quite fry them but was definitely on them hard. I had no problems getting it on the trailer but when I got home I took it off the trailer and ran down to the corner store and the front right locked up on the way back home. Both on the 2R and the Frankencar only the right front locked up. Weirdness...

[SVOeric]

Actually -- that fits perfectly -- you toasted the fluid, and then it locked up after cooling down.

[Ken Potter]

So the moral to this story is "Change your fluid regularly".