Car has been sitting [outside] for a few months (winter in the PNW). Finally fixed the ignition switch so I could drive it, but when I pulled out of the driveway, I noticed that the brake pedal is especially firm, and that the brakes don't seem to release after touching the pedal. Should I just drive it around for a while to see if it fixes itself? It doesn't feel like just rusty rotors (rotors are very rusty). I'm just trying to drive the thing around to dry it out and put the car cover on...
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Brake caliper cylinders can rust too. -
I personally would identify which wheel it is and start pulling things apart to loosen them up.
not sure how cold "winter" is where you are, but if its snow etc, it wouldn't take very long for things to jam up.
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Yeah, this winter has been pretty snowy and cold at times. Car definitely was covered in a foot of snow for a week or so, in addition to some very cold weather. I guess next step is to see how many of the brakes are frozen.Comment
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OK, I jacked up a wheel and it was "stuck". I cracked the bleeder and the caliper released however. This makes me think it's the master cylinder. I pumped the brake pedal a few times. Initially the pedal didn't spring back, but after a couple pumps it seemed to spring back a bit. Put the wheel back on and was able to drive it round normally. However, as I was pulling back into the driveway I could feel the brakes still not fully releasing. I'm going to prob try and do the same thing over again, and see if it improves again (except give it a lot more pumps, top off fluid, etc.). Is this futile? Should I just order a new master cylinder? Is there anything else it could be?Comment
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Check all wheels and compare.Comment
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