My car sits for a week and the brakes are locked/seized

[dsm-onster]

It happens everytime I park the thing for longer than 4-5 days. It seems like the pads are rusting onto the rotors. I'll have to rev and drop the clutch to break them loose (w/ a loud report). Also, they seam to drag for a long time then free up. After every time it freezes up, when I bring the car up to 45-65 mph, the steering shakes or actually turns back in forth short and very rapid. This happens at brake, accel or coast.

I've been researching this. I have in the past just let the brake calipers dangle on the brake lines when doing tranny work, etc. I know now that this is bad. As the rubber lines break down and are prone to because of the DOT 3 fluid used. I've heard of the lines getting clogged and, in effect, creating a one way check valve for the brake fluid. You have enough pressures using the pedal to push the fluid through the line to expand the piston, but there's not enough flow back out of the line to release it properly. From: Brake drag and single wheel brake issues.

I've had this problem for a LONG time now. I've blead the brakes and swapped in new rotors and new pads. It makes sense that faulty brake lines could cause the brakes to drag. I can feel the loss in power from them dragging. Eventually they loosen up and I feel the improvement and no steering shake. How is the dragging brakes related to my steering wheel vibrating so violently? All my tierod ends are in good shape and my lower ball joints are fine. What causes the brakes to tighten up after just a week of sitting? I'm at a loss

 

[HIGHPSI4]

Are you parking with the e-brakes applied? What type of pads? As for the fronts, can you tell the pads are wearing out quick? You may need to rebuild the calipers if they are dragging. I have seen the guide pins get coated with grease and sand and not release from the rotor after the brake pressure is removed.

 

[dsm-onster]

My pads arn't wearing so far. I've put about 10K on them. They're the mid-grade non-lifetime ones. I think "Wear-Ever", maybe?

I don't apply the ebrake when I park. I had a problem w/ the e-brake cable hanging once before and I live on very flat territory. I confess that I never looked into the e-brake issue because it just freed up on its own. I'm not sure it could be related being that after some driving time goes by the brakes seem to mysteriously loosen up and the steering ceases it's shaking frinzy.

 

[No_Skillz]

The shake comes from your rotors not being completely smooth. Just a car with warped rotors will shake under braking, your car is shaking since it's basically constantly under braking conditions when your brakes are siezed.

This would especially make sense since you are probably making alot of heat with the brakes half applied, and if you ever come to a full stop under such circumstances, your pads act like an insulator and the rotor area underneath the pad cools slower than the rest. Thus causing warping.

It sounds like you already know what to do to fix your problem, so get some new parts (or upgraded ones) and see if it still does the same. I'm also no specialist on a 1g, so maybe someone who knows more than me can help.