Emergency Help Needed !

[Jimlad]

ok.. basically I was supposed to be on my way to work 20mins ago. Got out and started to drive away. The car felt very, very pap.

I can get very, very little acceleration in 4th at 30mph.

I think this is due to the handbrake somehow. It's absolutley freezing outside. I think somehow the brakes are still on somewhat. There is now no tension in the h.brake at all when I pull it up and down, it doesn't make any difference.

I sorta had this a few days ago, but I heard the brake pop off... then it was fine. The h.brake has been fine since then also.

Any suggestions ?? The garage I would take it to is closed today and I don't like the thought of trying to drive about 25miles or so along the motorway at 30mph with the brakes still on.

Help !!!! I've phoned work to let them know, but I didn't ge my boss...... I would get the train/bus to work, but I only recently moved here and don't have a clue where to get them form... lol.

DOH !!

any ideas ??

[Jimlad]

the parking light wasn't still on or anything.. but I think this only comes on when the handbrake lever is up anyway.

help help help... :(

[DeLaSoul]

Okay,

This will be bit of a wild guess, I have never had to work on MR2 rear brakes but........

Jammed handbrake on other makes we used to "shock" it unstuck (where possible) by reveresing sharply,

or

Press the brake pedal really hard and pump the hand brake a few times.

You are right though, the light on the dashboard will only come on when the handbrake is up as the sensor us underneath the handle.

Hope this was some help (??!!?!)

Dave

[yby]

Sounds like the pads are locked/bonded on to the disc's. I've had this before (on my Rover 200) but as soon as I drove there was a bang and the pads had let go. Try reversing slowly and see if the rear of the car goes up in the air as you start to move. This will confirm if the pads are locked on.

[MyV6Flys]

Get a hammer or something like it and hit the wheel. You may have to pull the tire off to get to the drum. Once you get to the drum you can hit at it to brake loose the stuck pad, Figure a way to heat the drum so the brake can free up. My first thought was a real Hot towel, wrap it around the drum, but then your introducing more water.

Maybe drive the car a few blocks, that should heat up the rotor. Which should heat up the pads. Let it sit just a minute or two then try driving again. Don't sit to long as the metal will refreeze.

Owners man. says not to use Ebrake in cold weather for my car. Now I know why.

[Jimlad]

Sounds like the pads are locked/bonded on to the disc's. I've had this before (on my Rover 200) but as soon as I drove there was a bang and the pads had let go. Try reversing slowly and see if the rear of the car goes up in the air as you start to move. This will confirm if the pads are locked on.

yeah... I've had it before also and I heard a bang and it released... didn't notice it rise, but it was a struggle to get the thing to move. So the brakes are obviously still on it some degree.

[Jimlad]

Okay,

This will be bit of a wild guess, I have never had to work on MR2 rear brakes but........

Jammed handbrake on other makes we used to "shock" it unstuck (where possible) by reveresing sharply,

or

Press the brake pedal really hard and pump the hand brake a few times.

You are right though, the light on the dashboard will only come on when the handbrake is up as the sensor us underneath the handle.

Hope this was some help (??!!?!)

Dave

I tried pumping the brakes etc... driving back and forth also...

didn't try to "shock it"... but may have to. This could be a good blag for not getting to work today... lol.

forget it, I don't want it fixed.. lol. j/k

[Jimlad]

Get a hammer or something like it and hit the wheel. You may have to pull the tire off to get to the drum. Once you get to the drum you can hit at it to brake loose the stuck pad, Figure a way to heat the drum so the brake can free up. My first thought was a real Hot towel, wrap it around the drum, but then your introducing more water.

Maybe drive the car a few blocks, that should heat up the rotor. Which should heat up the pads. Let it sit just a minute or two then try driving again. Don't sit to long as the metal will refreeze.

Owners man. says not to use Ebrake in cold weather for my car. Now I know why.

I don't have drums.. I have disks... but I assume it's the same.

I did drive about... but nothing. Maybe I didn't drive long enough ??

I have read the bit in the manual about not using the hand brake in cold weather... oh well.... now I also know why.. lol.

[Jimlad]

revvin kevin has pm'd me saying I should disconnect them at the calipers... the cables I assume.

easy to do ?? will this resolve it ?

[Jimlad]

tried the "shock method".. back and forth... nothing. Just ended up wheel spinning... lol.

Doh..... !

still no tension in the cable at all.

[John R]

A bit of de-icer sprayed where your pads come into contact with the discs....Might work, I can't see it making breaking worse.... as it's only alochol and water..

[MyV6Flys]

Hey, you got a Hair Blow dryer. Blow that pup in the claipers for a few and see what happens.

( I just went out and released my E-brake) Dam manauls.

J/k

[Jimlad]

well I got a bit annoyed so I'e dumped the car in at Budget... tyre/brake/exhaust place... like quick fit. It is only 1min along the road from me.

They've done some work on my brakes before and are alright. He didn't say what it could be, but he did say that calipers are bad for going on these cars. My front right has died in the past and I had to get a new one. Hopefully it isn't something like this... argh !

[nws25]

Hold on..............when you have rear discs, the pads/calipers arent operated by the handbrake. What you have is a mini drum built into the inside of the disc and also mini brake shoes, like normal rear shoe/drum combination. Whats probably happened with the moist air and frost?? is that they have frozen. Nothing to worry about, very common, just inconvienient.

HTH

[MyV6Flys]

It's that thin layer of frost that made me think of the hair dryer. Bet it would have worked.

[Jimlad]

Hold on..............when you have rear discs, the pads/calipers arent operated by the handbrake. What you have is a mini drum built into the inside of the disc and also mini brake shoes, like normal rear shoe/drum combination. Whats probably happened with the moist air and frost?? is that they have frozen. Nothing to worry about, very common, just inconvienient.

HTH

seriously ?? didn't know that.. weird.

Something's frozen anyway... or buggered... or something... lol

still waiting to hear back from the garage.. they prob can't suss out how to get the imobiliser off.. lol.

in the mean time... I'm not at work which is a bonus... lol

[Jimlad]

just been on the phone to the garage...

fu*king hell !!!

gonna cost me nearly £500 to get fixed.

This is what was wrong with the bugger....

Rear passenger side caliper siezed.. ( I've had the front right sieze before also.. had to replace )

Handbrake cables dead.

Rear discs are dead and all blue from this.

Need new brake fluid... brake fluid boiled he said and = no good.

everything was seized... everything sucks ***** !! AARGH !!! Grrr.... :(

So basically sh*te !

They said it's possibly been like this for a little while and wouldn't have just happened from this morning. They said the hbrake cable had a bulge in it etc.. which would have resulted in it dying. Not too sure why it all happened tho, if it was actually down to the hbrake itself or the caliper... either way.... CRAP!

What's annoying also is that I got a full service only a month ago... should they have picked anything like this up ? Or could it have happened after the service.

:censor: :censor: :censor: :censor: :ffs:

[Jimlad]

:ffs: :ffs: :ffs: :ffs: :ffs:

sorry.... I'm annoyed !!!! :ffs:

[Oli]

Sorry to hear about this mate.

No luck at all, at the moment.

[MyV6Flys]

Brake fluid Boiled ???????

WHAT?? Um....no.

It's cold out, the small aount of brake fluid that was touching the inside of the calipers is NOT enough to Boil the fluid. No.........No.............No........

There is a straw size line that starts under the hood and has seprate lines that go off to each wheel. It Did Not Boil. It could not get enough in one spot to boil the brake fluid.

I wish I could see the car, I think your getting took for a ride, and not in your car.

Hand brake cable is dead???

it's a line of cable, unless it got frayed REAL Fast, no way could freezing brakes do that. I would ask to see the part they remove.

I can buy the roter changing colors Maybe, depending on how long the problem has been going on.

Just ask for part of any thing they replace if you can do that there.

Who else here feels this guy is getting ripped off.

[Jimlad]

they said the brake fluid would have boiled in the past as this has been like this for a little while. Not this morning. He said becuase of this it should be replaced.

They said the cable is bulged etc.. as if rusted or something else... can't remember. This wasn't caused by the cold weather. Possibly the hbrake cable sorta... but the rest has been going this way for a wee while he said.

I will ask for anything they replace. I have been there before while they were doing work ( when the front caliper siezed ), I had a look and infact it had seized. So on that side fo things I do trust them.

I will ask him to explain it all in more detail when I go to pick the thing up... will give more info then if I have it.

if they were ripping me off they would have made me replace my front disc the last time, but they said there was no need and it was all fine and it had been caught in time.

Wish I knew this was gonna happen, then I would have bought new uprated discs ready for it. Now I'm gonna put it off for a while.

[novamuncher]

Man sounds like your having a ruff time with the garage. A few things you ought to consider:

Your car went in for a service not too long ago right? - a full service, in which case they should of replaced the brake fluid if it was dirty - as its hydroscopic (attracts moisture from the air, and if its not changed when in this condition can be very serious).

They should of also checked and adjusted the loss of movement in the handbrake cable (movement being from the h/brake being lifted to when the pads/shoes make contact with the disks/drums) - they should of picked up the handbrake cable being dogdy at this point.

some models have the inner shoes in the disks, in which case they should of removed the disks and checked the inner pads, if not, they should check the mechanism at the pad/handbrake end, and lubricated them with plenty of oil, and them greased them good and proper as the free movement is necesary for the handbrakes operation.

and they should report any further work that the car needs doing once the service is complete - then different garages vary and they dont have to tell you unless the car isnt safe to be driven.

try asking the garage where you got it serviced if they knew anything and take it from there,

good luck jimlad

[Jimlad]

yeah I will do... unfortunatley the gargage (jap specialist) where I got the service from was closed or I would have taken it there in the first place.

But I will be speaking to them when they are next open. You would have thought that they should have noticed something. I will speak to the place where it is just now to see what they feel. See if they think the other place should have noticed something.

Bummer huh !!!

[pizza boy]

Hmm I posted a topic up about this not long ago I had the same thing happen to me. Seized up rear brakes...no tension in handbrake etc. Sounds like youll need reconditioned calipers on your rears. Itll cost £92 pound each Fensport(who are shut till 5th Jan...bugger)Dont bother buying new ones they are £220 odd. The handbrake mechanism is part of the rear caliper I was told.

Word of advice tho..NEVER trust a garage unless its your m8 workin in it imo! They are all rip off merchants full of bad news to = big bucks. Its thier trade after all. Was it CRD that did your 'service'?

[Jimlad]

it was CRD that done the full service... I'm gonna take all faulty bits from where it is just now along with them when they are open and explain what happened and see if they have an explanation as to why none of it was picked up. Surely something should have been.. .it was a month ago though... so could it be possible that none of this was present then ?? Seems a bit iffy to me.

As for calipers... the last time the front one cost me £150. Can't wait until 5th Jan.. need the car everyday more or less.... hence having to fork out for new ones. The car will be fixed today though, so at least that's a plus point. A bad point tho.... it wasn't caught earlier.. could have saved me ££££..... I probably wouldn't have had to fork out for new discs also.

Like I said earlier.. when my front caliper seized at least the disc was ok. Is it actually common for MR2's calipers to sieze ?? Is it only an issue with older cars ? If so, I recommend everyone to get some reconditioned calipers from fensport asap. Could actually save you £££ in the long run !