Help - Driver's side seizing brake caliper?
 

Hi everyone, hoping to get some help diagnosing what is going on. Symptoms are:
1. E-brake not fully engaging (doesn't seem to engage very well)
2. Odd sound coming after driving for 5 minutes or more (sounds like tire out of balance)
3. When i pulled over there was a crazy amount of heat coming from the brakes/wheel

I have not had any work done on the brakes recently although I am close to needing new pads on the rear.

Also, it has been very cold here (-25C) and has just recently warmed back up into positive temperatures. Tonight the car was in the garage and the issues happened after driving it.

Has anyone had similar problems? Any help is appreciated.

Thanks

I guess the next step is to dismount the tire and have a closer look at the caliper, the pads, and the rotor. If the rotor looks warped, its time to replace that. If the pads are wearing down to the wear indicator, it will not be long before your brakes start chirping.

Now for the bad news:
If your calipers are siezing, that is bad news. That means your caliper is shot and the only remedy I can think of is to completely replace the caliper on the left side and also the right side.

If you are really savvy and know how to rebuild calipers, you could go that route.

Sometimes the parking brake cable gets moisture inside and freezes up so that your rear brakes don't release. That will make the parking brake lever operation feel strange too.

Thanks for the tips guys. I am going to bleed the lines tomorrow and see if that solves the problem. Hopefully just moisture as Mr Ugly said.
Next step would be to change the pads and see if the problem persists.
Cheers

I don't have any possible solutions but some words of caution.

First, the moisture reference from Mr Ugly has nothing to do with bleeding the brakes as the e-brake is cable actuated, not hydraulic.

Secondly, be careful bleeding the brakes in the mustang as you could create an expensive problem if you cause the level to fall to low from bleeding. It has something to do with air bubbles in the ABS systems. Do a search and find out more.

Don

You can do a quick check if the cable is stuck or frozen.

Just jack up the back of the car and take off the wheels.

You can see where the cable attaches to the brake mechanism.

Release the parking brake lever and see if the mechanism releases.

Sometimes the cable can seize up inside the sheath due to dirt and corrosion even if it isn't frozen from the cold.