Weird brake issue on my 97 SE, kinda scary
 

Before I purchased the car, the master cylinder was replaced. That's nice and all but they failed to mention that the pads and rotors would need replacing sooner than later.

Here's the problem: when I start driving the brakes are fine but after a few minutes they tighten up a little and it makes it harder to drive. If I pull over, turn the car off for a second then turn it back on, braking goes back to normal. I'm worried that simply replacing the rotors/pads won't fix this because honestly I've never encountered an issue like this. What would you guys and gals check first with something like this? I've already bled the system and the problem persisted.

tightening up as in like when you press the brake pedal when the car is off (the pedal gradually gets harder to press). if so, that would sound like a power brake cylinder issue and not pad/rotor related.

For as old as our cars are now, many times when the Master Cylinder fails, it's leaking internally. That means brake fluid seeps towards the power booster. This is usually an incremental slow process. Most just replace the MC when this happens, but know sooner or later the Power Booster will leak as well. Just know there are NO decent new power boosters available. If you find an OEM, it will be $1k. Only Re-manufactured. Don't even know what to recommend because this is rarely brought up here, so there's no reference point(s).

Rock Auto has a brand that seems to be specifically for rebuilding Power Booster units and it's more expensive than Cardone. I suspect, it might be a better rebuild. There's not much out there on reliability.

But also check your vacuum hose from the booster to the engine FIRST.

Tighten up as in the brakes feel like they're resting on the rotors and it takes very little touching the brake pedal to stop the car. Idle speed drops to zero.

My goodness I reaaaally hope it's not that expensive. I had the master cylinder replaced just weeks ago.

So, what you're describing a little more clearly is the brakes don't want to retract after letting off the brake pedal? And what do you mean by idle speed drops to zero? Car stalls?

Suddenly for both? More details explained more exact please.

My money is going to be on a brake hose. My car did that and before replacing the hose I replaced the caliper, only to have the same symptom.

What happens is the pressure goes into the hose when brake is applied, then the fluid cannot come back--the deteriorated rubber hose is flowing one way and not letting the fluid leave as quickly. At least that's what happened with mine. It simply gets worse and worse until the brake locks up and believe it or not, the engine cannot even overpower it, white smoke and burning smell.

I agree. The problem could be a bad hose which would act as Frank described.

It's also possible that you have a stuck piston in the caliper.

The calipers are not cheap. But it's possible to rebuild them. The seals come in a kit for a few dollars. The piston is about 20 dollars. The first one will take a while to figure out. The next ones won't take as long. Some 600 grit sandpaper can help remove slight rust and other deposits. Be sure to remove all grit with brake cleaner before assembly.

Generic caliper rebuild videos are on you tube.

Stuck calipers occur when the brakes are not bled occasionally. Bleeding removes water which settled in the calipers.

I had a frozen piston on my Durango. Like ring around the collar (of corrosion on the piston) it wouldn't back off and I ate the pads on that side real fast. Funny, you couldn't tell it was hanging while driving (My wife drove it mostly). But even I didn't pick up on it.

On my Maxima recently, I replaced hoses and calipers. It's nice to stop like new again.

I used the PowerStop remanufactured front calipers both sides for my Maxima recently. $38ea with a core charge and $25ea after returning the cores. NICE And then while there I replaced all 4 hoses with a SS kit from Amazon. Goodridge 22133. Similarly priced to name recognition rubber hoses for all 4 corners. I also used the PowerStop Z23 pad and rotor kits front and rear. They bite better than ever. Don't forget the complete power bleed with all new and clear fluid.

I'll try to clarify but it seems like you guys have successfully translated my dribble.

This is exactly what happens. The brakes tighten up so much that when I push down on the pedal, it takes only a small bit of motion to full stop the car. When I said idle speed drops to zero, I mean that when I let go of the break the car stays put as if I haven't let off the brake. No stalling or anything. The engine, thankfully, seems to be in great shape.

The pads are pretty thin and the rotors aren't wrecked but they are on their way out. So I plan to change out all 4 of each next week. While I'm at it I'll look through the whole system. If there's no change I'll begin replacing what I find to be faulty.

Your parts such as the calipers and hoses will pass a visual inspection. Don't rely on that.

One of more of your brakes are dragging.
Dragging brakes generate heat. So do bad wheel bearings.
So drive the car a while. Then stop the car.
Have a wet cold towel handy as you touch all 4 wheel hubs. The hot ones are the ones with problems. The cold wet towel is to cool your hands aftee possibly burning them. Like a hot stove would.

Nice suggestion, sans a few things. If your brakes are dragging, you don't need to go to the trouble of giving yourself partial thickness burns by touching the hubs, the wheel itself will be significantly warmer than a proper functioning wheel. And OP, go ahead and disregard the above statement suggesting that this procedure involves a high risk of burning yourself. Just give a wheel spoke a pat or two, move on to the next one then make your assessment. There is no risk of injury with this procedure. Your brain will be able to figure out the hot one. Unless your nerve endings are all burnt off like JvG's from all the years of grabbing hot hubs :)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Yes!

I will say this, if you have a caliper hanging, your wheel(s) should be dirtier with brake dust than those that aren't hanging.

The dust and particles coming off will be MUCH hotter than normal and might ruin any clear coat on your rims on those wheels.

Thanks for the help folks. I work and study full time so it'll have to wait until Sunday. Thank goodness this car doesn't need to be inspected lol

Good tip. Although not to brag, I'm a chef so my fingers are used to torture, but hot rotors are a bit much even for me.

Well I'm a foodie. Payment expected. LOL

hmmm, looks like time for a meet, and i know who's cooking......:bgrin:

My comment about touching the hubs, and the wet towel is based on the fact that someone could possibly burn their fingers by touching a particularly hot hub. A cold towel would feel good, and prevent possible burns.

We live in a society where people file lawsuits.

The cold towel is CYA..