Brake troubles after winter storage. 77S (SC)

[AndreasK]

Before I start pulling things apart, I thought IŽll get some advise where to start.

Got the car 1 year ago. I was told front calipers were recently rebuilt. Age of fluids unknown. All worked fine until winter storage. ( I have a cold garage) When taking the car out for the first time after, the pedal seems hard, brakes engage early. I barely have to touch the pedal for them to engage. Almost as they are dragging slightly, without touching the pedal.

Any tips to where to start my search appreciated

I think the brakes are the same as in the SC. It has the brake booster in the frunk.

[Oneredspyder]

I would start taking the car for a short ride and see if it pulls one way or the other when you brake, and coast to see if the wheel drags. Bleed the front brakes and look at the flex line, is it new, does it flex? I have flex lines look fine on the outside and rot on the inside to the point where the master can push fluid to the caliper when you put your foot down. The release of the calipers is a passive thing, and they will not return to their non braking position if the flex line is old and their inside diameter has shrunk from rotting. A slight curve or kink in the flex line will prevent the caliper Pistons from releasing, keep pressure in the system and make the pedal hard.
Just My experience.
I just replaced all the flex lines on my car with SS from Pelican. The rear ones had a ID of 2mm. They were all way to stiff and probably original to the car.
86 Carrara, 86,000 mi.

[old man neri]

Could it be as simple as a bit of rust on the rotors from sitting? I would go for a drive and see if things start to improve.

[AndreasK]

Thanks! Sounds like a good plan. Had the car out to top up with fresh gas. Only mellow driving, but no noticeable pulling to any sides. But on a couple of moments it felt like it wasnŽt rolling totally freely. When rolling the car on the garage flor I could hear some scraping from left rear, but it moved freely.

[Oneredspyder]

My other thought is don't drive too fast, I have lost brakes on 2 cars, it is pretty wild. You can crash or take an agricultural excursion.

[AndreasK]

Originally Posted by Oneredspyder

My other thought is don't drive too fast, I have lost brakes on 2 cars, it is pretty wild. You can crash or take an agricultural excursion.

Yeah, thatŽs why IŽm eager to dive in there. No real driving till its sorted

[NYNick]

Grab a jack and lift the wheels. Try hand turning all of them. They should spin pretty freely. Then test the operation of the brakes on each wheel. Gotta narrow down the culprit.

[kach22i]

If any of your wheels are abnormally hot (radiating heat) after a drive, it could be from the brakes not fully disengaging.

Likely culprit is the master brake cylinder from what I've read.

This also has symptoms of weird feeling brake pedal or a brake pedal that doesn't come back up by it's self.

Other symptoms include a dragging or scrapping noises from the wheels.

Might also check out the parking brake situation while you are in there.

[AndreasK]

Quick trip to test some other small fixes. Brakes seem to have auto-repaired, and work flawlessly Does that give an indication to what was the cause? Plan to check flex hoses and piston movement anyway.

[old man neri]

Originally Posted by AndreasK

Quick trip to test some other small fixes. Brakes seem to have auto-repaired, and work flawlessly Does that give an indication to what was the cause? Plan to check flex hoses and piston movement anyway.

Most likely light rust on the rotors that got scraped off after some use.

[AndreasK]

Originally Posted by old man neri

Most likely light rust on the rotors that got scraped off after some use.

Could well be. Or could it be pistons drying up (or starting to corrode) and not returning properly. Loosening up after a little use and lubrication?

[old man neri]

Could be.....

[kach22i]

Could be moisture in the brake lines, not good for anything in the system.

I think they recommend that brake fluid be replaced every other year.

[AndreasK]

Problem returned. And now i realize the pedal doesnŽt return properly. Rebuild of brake cluster in near future? Any quick fixes that will last me through the weekends planned driving?

[old man neri]

Originally Posted by AndreasK

Problem returned. And now i realize the pedal doesnŽt return properly. Rebuild of brake cluster in near future? Any quick fixes that will last me through the weekends planned driving?

If you think the problem is in the brake pedal you could always disconnect the linkage and work the pedal back and forth a few times. Use the lubricant of your choice.