Sticky front brake.

[Slyjoe]

Ok, so i'm sat at work, on my commute here I thought the engine was down on power.
Turns out the front n/s brake seems to be stuck on (to what degree I dont know)but it was very hot when I parked up.
I have no tools here, is it ok to drive (Its an MX5 if it matters)
Or is there an old school fix I could do on the fly?
Thanks in advance for any advice.

[Ozzie Osmond]

The most common cause is piston seized in the caliper and holding the pad against the disc. this generates massive heat causing all the metal parts to expand, causing more friction, causing more heat, casing more expansion in a vicious circle.

You may find when it's all cooled down the brake is no longer seized and the car can be driven slowly and carefully, although the piston will still be seized. Whether it's a good idea to drive on the road in a car with defective brakes is a different matter.

[davepoth]

Depending on how long it's been sticking on there's a chance the disc might have overheated and warped too.

[morgrp]

Be careful - you boil your brake fluid and your pedal will hit the floor

[klimakool]

if you really need to drive it, do your journey in stages, as said above, you really dont want to boil the brake fluid

[Slyjoe]

Well, I drove it cautiously out of the car park, and guess what - no bother at all.
Continued home, testing and teasing the pedal.
It seems, fine. Guess I'll add it to the list of jobs to do.

[maniac0796]

Should be alright. As with most things, it's not pleasant, but then if you saw how many cars go through MOT's with binding brakes, then you realise that just by knowing it's stuck, you're a bit more concious and safe.

Depending how long and how fast you've been driving, you might need a new set of pads. You can either take the brake caliper apart, clean it up, fit a new seal and boot, and it should be fine, or fit a new/remanufactured caliper. Take it to a garage and just get them to put it on the roller brake testers. Should pick up any disc warp that will make a difference.

[Dave Brand]

Before you go to the trouble of stripping & overhauling the caliper just take the caliper off & make sure that the caliper pins are sliding freely & that the pads are free to move - clean & lubricate as necessary.