Okay, riddle me this GT peeps...

[mardyn]

Anyone have something like this happen on our cars?

Cliff notes:

Washed the car and let it set for a few days, got in to go and it was stuck, would not move. Finally broke loose and all is good once again.



Longer version:

Washed the car a few days ago, wiped it down, pulled it back into the garage... brake rotors were still wet and had begun to slightly discolor with surface rust.

Hopped in the car to move it out of the stall a few days later, engine started just fine, put it in gear, took off the brake, let out the clutch and it would not move, in fact, it would stall & kill the engine. (it was as if the emergency brake was on, really, really tight)

Checked everything I could think of, thought it might be stuck between gears in the TA, but the shifter seemed fine, shift levers on the TA were free and moving in conjunction with the shifter lever, E brake calipers were released, nothing in front or behind the tires. The car was locked solid... could not rock it back and forth even the slightest bit.

and worst of all... my internet broadband antenna was down (for my garage expansion project) and I couldn't get on here to get help.

I finally just let it sit for an hour or so and considered the possible reasons...

Out of desperation, I got back in the car later, tried it again.. same thing, but this time it moved slightly when I let out on the clutch pedal... and then it popped (sounded like in under the console) and all was fine again.

I'm still like WTF?

Could the primary brake pads have possibly stuck to the rotors due to
the dampness? I know it's a far fetched idea, but I have absolutely no other explanation.

Any ideas or theories would be greatly appreciated.

mardyn

 

[BlackICE]

When you leave water on the rotors they rust as you noticed. The rust makes the rotors thicker so they rub more on the pads. Once broken free, a few applications of the brakes will remove the rust and all will be well.

 

[fjpikul]

NEVER leave the emergency brake on when it's wet. If you can't go for a drive, blow the rotors off with an air pump or something. Leave e-brake off and leave the car in first gear. I once left a VW bug in a garage for 3 months after an ice storm with e-brake on and had to pull drums to get them loose.

 

[Fubar]

Yep use 1st gear to park car after a wash or a hard track excursion. The rust from the brakes co-mingles with the rust from the rotors so they bond together.

I try to take my GT for a quick spin after washing her down for that exact reason.

 

[Neilda]

When you leave water on the rotors they rust as you noticed. The rust makes the rotors thicker so they rub more on the pads. Once broken free, a few applications of the brakes will remove the rust and all will be well.

Happens to mine a lot. The Aston Vanquish was particularly bad at this, the GT's not too bad in comparison.

 

[BlackICE]

NEVER leave the emergency brake on when it's wet. If you can't go for a drive, blow the rotors off with an air pump or something. Leave e-brake off and leave the car in first gear. I once left a VW bug in a garage for 3 months after an ice storm with e-brake on and had to pull drums to get them loose.

That is because the VW is so little torque. With the torque of GT the motor you be able to get the car moving without any problems. :biggrin

 

[mardyn]

Maybe the E brake pads were stuck to the rear rotors.... I did verify that the acutator arms on the calipers were moving when I released the brake handle, but could not tell for sure if the pads came off of the rotor surface at the same time.

It was kinda' scary for a few minutes for sure.

Thanks for all the comments.

mardyn

 

[Neilda]

Mardyn, I'm sure you know this already - but you know NOT to use the handbrake immediately after tracking this car (or any car)? (I'm not sure if you use the term 'handbrake' in the US - I mean the the brake lever).

Very bad for discs/rotors when hot.