Frozen Brakes

[Nippon]

Set off to come to work on new years eve and my rear brakes were locked solid......there had been a burst water pipe at the end of my street on the previous night so I drove through it on the way home, thought no more about it until I got into the car to drive to work the next day, took the handbrake off and there was no tension on it......thought to myself hmmmm wierd......drove off a bit and the car was dragging like a !Removed! took my foot off the accelerator and the car stopped dead..........so pulled back up at my house and whipped the back wheels off......the discs and pads were smoking red hot but still frozen solid, the linkages were frozen solid as were the brake pipes....no amount of hammering would free them off........so went and boiled the kettle....poured it on and hey presto both sides popped free.....

Anyone else had this problem......or is it just too damn cold in the North !?!?! :(

[SMiFFAD]

Set off to come to work on new years eve and my rear brakes were locked solid......there had been a burst water pipe at the end of my street on the previous night so I drove through it on the way home, thought no more about it until I got into the car to drive to work the next day, took the handbrake off and there was no tension on it......thought to myself hmmmm wierd......drove off a bit and the car was dragging like a !Removed! took my foot off the accelerator and the car stopped dead..........so pulled back up at my house and whipped the back wheels off......the discs and pads were smoking red hot but still frozen solid, the linkages were frozen solid as were the brake pipes....no amount of hammering would free them off........so went and boiled the kettle....poured it on and hey presto both sides popped free.....

Anyone else had this problem......or is it just too damn cold in the North !?!?! :(

Think the last bits the most likely option :P

Mine stick on....pull off and *gronk* but havent ever stuck for more than a second......

[pizza boy]

Best just park the car with wheels aimed at kerb, put it in gear and dont pull up the hbrake. I dont bother usin it to park overnight after the same thing happened to me a lil while ago. Strangley tho after that theres been far colder nights Ive the hbrake up on...but it was fine the next mornin.

[Bibbs]

Not seen the calipers freeze .. it's usually the cables ..

[Jimlad]

read the topic in general called " Emergency help needed.. please"

or something along those lines.... mine cost £485 to fix...

But mine wasn't caused by freezing.

[nomadmr2]

Not happened to me yet, but this is my first year of ownership so might happen this winter. That said I walk to work, so the MR2 is unlikely to see any action early in the morning. :)

[Harold56]

Over the past few weeks Ive resorted to parking in gear cos the handbrake cable was freezing on.

No matter how much rocking back or foward, it just wouldnt loosen up.

[MR-S Turbo]

I had the problem of them freezing on my MK1 MR2. It was because water got into the cable and froze.

[ruzz]

Yepp, same **** happened to me about a month ago: took the car for a jet washday before, parked overnight, next morning started the engine, drove about 100 yards then noticed that car is dragging like a !Removed!, even with my foot down. Noticed clouds of smoke behind me - someone even beeped to let me know that me engine is about to blow ! Pulled over - I really thought that I could pretty mych say "buy-buy my MR2..", but i left the engine runing, as thought that this would free the frozen cables. 10 mins later - cables got defrosetd completely ! I think the fact that the engine is nearer to the rear brake pads did the job... Next time it happens - dont worry, just pull over and leave th engine runing for 10 mins - it will get loose, gradually..

[dj_davo]

i just got back from a week in tenerife (10.01.04) and my car was in manchester airport all week. when i took the handbrake off it was really clunky, and the brakes were a bit crap for 10 minutes or so,........but not too bad considering.

perhaps next time i'll just leave it in gear and dont apply the handbrake though.