I have a ke70 1983 sedan and i was driving around the other night and i pulled over to have a smoke and I looked down at the front wheels and smoke was coming from the brakes so I had a look and the brakes were glowing red so i waited till they cooled down. I started driving home and went to put the brakes on and they didn't work the pedal went all the way to the floor. so i got home and waited about an hour I jumped back in and the worked. can some one tell me what would of caused them to stop working and then magically just start working?

When they get redhot they will boil the brake fluid, and the bubbles just collapse when you pusjh on the pedal rather than compressing the pistons.

 

When they cool the bubbles re-dissolve and they work again.

 

The big question is... why were they red hot?? When will they fail again??

 

You are lucky to be alive really, as I am after my Mini Cooper dumped the +ve battery lead out through the brake lines many years ago.

Was your brakes feeling really weak before this? or when braking it wanted to turn to the opposite side of that wheel?

 

I reckon your pad completely worn out and its metal on metal. Thus why its getting hot as shit.

Edited December 20, 201213 yr by It's_AUDM_Yo

if its metal on metal that is a pretty horrible noise it would be hard to miss. Were you giving it some 'spirited driving' before you pulled over?

Could be a partially seized caliper or slide seized mayb?

yeah its pretty much metal on metal haha i might go out and get some new rotors, pads and wheel bearings

make sure your calipers arent stuck, and put a bottle of good fluid through it. :)