Issue with stock GT PP brakes

So my car won't move.

I detailed my car and haven't driven it for the last three weeks. This afternoon I tried to take it out as the roads were dry and it was sunny out. The car won't move. The e-brake was not left on and it wasn't parked with the e-brake on either. When I go to back up, the car feels like it has the brakes stuck. It isn't tranny related as there are no odd noises or weird feelings when putting the car into reverse or first gear. I have had them lock up before but a little gas and it pops/breaks loose. This time it is completely stuck. I can't find anyone with this problem before. I wouldn't think rust between the pad and caliper would be enough to prevent me from moving.

I know it's the front brakes as I got the rear tires to spin a little bit.
Just in case I put the car in neutral and tried to push it; it's definitely the brakes and not the tranny.

Any suggestions?

I think the only thing I can do is take off the wheels and front calipers then make sure the pistons are moving freely.

It's actually a little easier than that. Remove one front wheel. Undo the retaining bolt and knock out the two pins with a drift. The springy retainers will now fall off. The pads should come out readily. If not, I'd try to move the pistons back a bit with a piston compression tool. That should make the pads loose enough to remove.

In any event, that will let you know in a very small amount of time what sort of problem you have.

Best,
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I would be inclined to believe the problem lies within the hill assist or the line lock .

If they sit and rust into place, they will break loose if you're willing to force the issue with the gas pedal. Mine have done that once or twice. If you think it might be something other than just rust, then better take a wheel or two off and do a good inspection before proceeding. The front pads are easy to service and you can use a C clamp on the pad backer plate and caliper in place of an official piston spreading tool.

maddawg57 said:

I would be inclined to believe the problem lies within the hill assist or the line lock .

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This^^^^

Got it figured out. The pads were rusted to the calipers. I just took off the wheels and loosened the pads then lightly sanded the rust spots on the calipers. Took her for a drive and the remaining rust came right off.

I'm really surprised that the rust was strong enough to allow my rear wheels to spin instead of breaking free.

this happens every time I park the car for more than 3-4 days to me, I'm just lucky that its not as seized as yours gets

I have had it happen every once in awhile. I don't think anything of it. The car is strong enough to break it loose.

Whenever I wash my car I take it for a run up the block and do 4 or 5 good brake applications to clean any water off the pads and rotors. That solves a lot of issues. It works, because the car is sitting in my garage, hasn't been driven since Nov. 15th and the rotors are still shiny and the pads move freely.

The last time I rotated tires, I detailed the car at the same time. Next time I drove, the rusty rotors were making such a racket, I was sure I'd screwed something up swapping the tires around. I jacked the car up, inspected everything for rubbing or anything that such a noise could be coming from. Couldn't find anything. One hard braking later, and the sound was gone, I'd done all that work inspecting for nothing!

My wife's car does that. The rears tend to rust up after a day or so.

Sub-Moa said:

Got it figured out. The pads were rusted to the calipers. I just took off the wheels and loosened the pads then lightly sanded the rust spots on the calipers. Took her for a drive and the remaining rust came right off.

I'm really surprised that the rust was strong enough to allow my rear wheels to spin instead of breaking free.

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It does seem like they rust very fast. Faster than any other car I have owned. Course they are also the biggest brakes, with the most surface area of any car I have owned.

earlingy said:

The last time I rotated tires, I detailed the car at the same time. Next time I drove, the rusty rotors were making such a racket, I was sure I'd screwed something up swapping the tires around. I jacked the car up, inspected everything for rubbing or anything that such a noise could be coming from. Couldn't find anything. One hard braking later, and the sound was gone, I'd done all that work inspecting for nothing!

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I used to have this with Subarus. Coming back to the airport after being away for a week, the rotors were "welded" to the pads. While they would break loose the left over rust made a heck of a racket and took a long time to go away. One time, I ran the car through a car wash on the way home. Noise went away immediately. From that time on, I would spray the brakes with a hose and problem solved. Just a little tip from experience.

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