Can disk brakes freeze to the rotor?

[2000waexplorer]

I dont know if its just coincidence or not but last few mornings when I went to back out of my driveway it felt like the brakes were on(they werent). then this morning Iwent to back up and it wouldn't go, i rocked it between forward and reverse a few times (forward worked fine) and finally just floored it in reverse. the rear wheels were spinning and it felt like the front tires were dragging. I made it far enough back to pull onto the road and drove it a few blocks then tried reverse again, it worked fine. So because of the freezing temperatures we've had the last few days (20 degrees at night) and the snow during the days can disk brakes actually freeze to the rotors if they are wet enough? I know they can with drum brakes.

 

[JasonF]

This morning I got in my truck after not driving it for 3 or 4 days, and as soon as I put it in drive both front brakes seemed to break free from the rotors with a bang. The next few stops I got that nice rusty rotor grinding sound and then they smoothed out.

 

[JDraper]

Yes they can freeze to the rotors if there's enough water/slush/snow there.

 

[mhn3773]

does he have an a4ld? if so i dont know if id put that much strain on the tranny...well any ford auto lol

 

[Rob_B]

If they spin fine going forward I don't think the problem is the pads freezing to the rotor. I'd check to make sure the pads are wearing even, if one of the pins is messed up the caliper can kind of twist and wear unevenly. That might be a cause, but I could be wrong.

Assuming, since you're from Washington, that you have 4WD, put it in 4Hi or even 4lo if it's really sticking. If they're really stuck that should help break them free easier than dragging them out(which would be really bad on your t-case since you'd have auto 4wd).

 

[2000waexplorer]

Ok got back home today and looked at the skid marks in my driveway and it looks like (although Iwouldt swear by it) it may have been the left rear wheel that was draging,not the front. Reason I say this is becasue the two skid marks I see in my driveway appear to be linear and start where my two rear wheels would have been. Since I know for a fact that I done have a limited slip then it seems to reason that one of the rear wheels were dragging. Since the clouds of smoke and hopping were coming from the right rear side then I'd have to assume the left rear was dragging.

And no I dont have the A4LD, I have the 5 speed auto, whatever that is. And yes it was working just to drag this giant turd across the pavement

 

[2000waexplorer]

Originally posted by Rob_B
If they spin fine going forward I don't think the problem is the pads freezing to the rotor. I'd check to make sure the pads are wearing even, if one of the pins is messed up the caliper can kind of twist and wear unevenly. That might be a cause, but I could be wrong.


Assuming, since you're from Washington, that you have 4WD, put it in 4Hi or even 4lo if it's really sticking. If they're really stuck that should help break them free easier than dragging them out(which would be really bad on your t-case since you'd have auto 4wd).

Yeah I should have tried that but didnt think about it untill later. What the hell I like roasting my tires in the driveway at 6:30 am, the neighbors already hate me because of my Jeep in the driveway, why not just close the deal

I just had the rear brakes replaced (less than 1000 miles ago) with new rotors, pads etc by the ford dealer.; They said at the time that my fronts were at about 30% but OK for now.

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

It's more likely to be an e-brake problem if its the rear axle. The e-brake on all 96-01 X's is a cable opperated drum system inside the disc hat. They are notrious for freezing/disentegrating. Due to it's design, the ebrake is often NOT touched in normal brake service.

Replacing isn't too hard, I did it without ever doing brakes before:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=73405&perpage=20&pagenumber=2

It's about 1/2 way down the page.

 

[twomedicine]

e-brake

Mine did the same thing this spring. And actually I found out it happened at a good time because the disc pads were needing replacing too.

The rear has drum e-brakes and discs for your all around braking. The drum and the disc are one...looks kind of like a top-hat. You might get away with a simple adjustment without pulling the rotors/drums

My cable was fine, it was simply the drum brakes had tightened up to the metal drum. I pulled the the assy off after using a brake adjuster tool stuck in behind the backing plate. A small screw driver will work too for moving the star adjuster to release the pressure before pulling the disc/drum.

I used non-chloro brake cleaner on everything first and then replaced the pads and used high temp brake rail grease on the drum pad lube points.

If it's your cable causing the problem, then that's a fairly easy replacement

 

[WDP]

Don't set the parking brake if temps are going to drop below freezing. If the fronts are freezing over night, try this one, for the last 250 feet before parking for the night, apply moderate brake pressure to warm up the brake pads/rotors and dry them off. Mine is in a garage, but this worked with a Mazda that did the same thing.

WDP