sticking front brake!!!

[Liv-84]

I had the pads changed on my mx5 mk2 on the front coz they were sticking but now its starting to do it again an over heating. Anyone got any ideas wot the problem could be??????

Edited by Liv-84 on Tuesday 16th April 21:56

[S7Paul]

If it was sticking it's very unlikely that a pad change would fix it. I suspect that you'll need the caliper stripped & rebuilt with new seals (not a difficult job). Worst case would be a new caliper.

ETA: I'm assuming the sliding pins aren't seized!

[FatFace]

I had this recently, both front calipers were seizing and one slider had rusted. I replaced the calipers with reconditioned ones they were about £100 each from autolink, and the slider was about £10. It only took me a couple of hours to fit it all.

[BeirutTaxi]

It's a common problem and you'll most likely need a new calliper.

Also, might be an idea to replace the pads in case they've over-heated, in my opinion.

I removed pads from a sticking calliper and there were obvious signs of overheating.

[Digby]

If it's not the caliper, it can also be the brake flexi pipe breaking up inside and not allowing pressure to release.I had a Mazda 626 which cost me two new calipers only to find out it wasn't them at all.

[MX-5 Lazza]

Most probable cause (and cheapest) is just the calliper sticking on the slide pins which is a very quick & simple fix.
Do you do your own maintenance?

Edited by MX-5 Lazza on Wednesday 17th April 09:45

[Liv-84]

Nice on cheers guys, no i dont but ill get my mate to have a look at it..

[sbird]

FatFace said:

I had this recently, both front calipers were seizing and one slider had rusted. I replaced the calipers with reconditioned ones they were about £100 each from autolink, and the slider was about £10. It only took me a couple of hours to fit it all.

I had a stuck N/S/F caliper. I replaced it with a recon, and replaced the O/S/F at the same time for balance.

I bought mine locally from here, on a recommendation from another MX-5 owner:

http://www.jagspares.co.uk/Abingdon/partdetail.asp...
http://www.jagspares.co.uk/Abingdon/partdetail.asp...

The prices say £153, but that includes the £75 deposit (you get it back when you send them your old caliper). They also do the refurb parts, but I found it less hassle to get the whole unit swapped out.

I paid slightly less than that, so it's worth phoning and checking.

[Mellow Matt]

I had a sticking front caliper last week, so I took the caliper off (didn't take off the brake line) and had a look.

The piston was a bit cruddy, so I pumped the brakes a few times so it was mostly out of the cylinder then gave it a good clean, then pushed it back in with a C clamp.

I also gave the little lips at the tops and bottoms of the brakes pads a bit of a file, so that they were more free to move back and forth. Seems fine now

[snotrag]

The calipers are not hard to refurb yourself at home.

Its corrosion on the pistons that causes them to really stick, not the slider pins. They get grubby, admittedly, and can cause rubbing, but the full 'brake locked on, wheel almost metling' syndrome that all MX5-s throw at you every once in a while, thats corroded pistons.

[Liv-84]

all sorted the flexy pipe was blockd so happy days!!!

[BeirutTaxi]

Liv-84 said:

all sorted the flexy pipe was blockd so happy days!!!

Do you know what it was blocked with? I'm intrigued!

[Digby]

BeirutTaxi said:

Liv-84 said:

all sorted the flexy pipe was blockd so happy days!!!

Do you know what it was blocked with? I'm intrigued!

Not sure if this is the exact problem the OP had, but as I mentioned earlier, as the hoses age, the internal liner can break up and act like a sort of one way valve.You apply pressure, the fluid pushes out the piston and when you release the pedal/pressure, the fluid can no longer return.End result = stuck caliper.It can also be an intermittent problem depending how severely the hose has degraded and how often you use the car.If your car is left parked up over night for example, pressure has time to slowly release and may appear fine for a time when you next use it.

Edited by Digby on Tuesday 23 April 20:26

[BeirutTaxi]

I'm looking at investing in these

Goodridge stainless braided hose set

http://www.autolinkmx5.com/brake-hose-set-ss-braid...

[Liv-84]

My mate said it was sum sort of white sludge it seems to b fine at the mo but if it happens again ill get him to change the pipes on it.

[BeirutTaxi]

Liv-84 said:

My mate said it was sum sort of white sludge it seems to b fine at the mo but if it happens again ill get him to change the pipes on it.

Sounds like the brake fluid is contaminated, possibly with water. Change the fluid if you haven't already.

Worth investigating if there is any more build-up of this white sludge in the system anywhere. It could potentially act like a blood clot and stop fluid flowing to the callipers.


However, I'm not an experienced mechanic so I recommend you seek professional expertise.

Edited by BeirutTaxi on Thursday 25th April 20:29

[MX-5 Lazza]

I'd agree with that. Sounds like you need to get that fluid replaced asap.

[Liv-84]

My mate done a fuild change an flushed it all out an seems to b fine now.

[SixtySpeedTwin]

+1 on braided hoses, i put them on my 944 and the brakes felt awesome. Deff a mod i'll do to my Mx5

[Flatinfourth]

I have hust fitted a HEL kit to a Mk2.5 turbo track car for a customer, would normally use Goodridge hoses, but no ready made kit available, the HEL Kit appears fine. Certainly fitting Goodridge hoses removes the problems with rubber hoses delaminating internally.

NOTE: The quick way to diagnose a delaminated hose is to prod the brake pedal with that corner's wheel removed, and while the wheel is sticking, open the bleed nipple, the brake will release as the trapped fluid escapes.

ALSO: Too many people replace calipers with re-con units only to find that the slider pins on the carrier were the problem, let someone look at it who you can absolutely trust not to fit unnecessary parts and then charge you for it!!