First drive of season - pulling, stiff, screech, smell?

[stuartrubin]

I fired up my '75 Spider today for the first time since the fall. Thankfully it started right up! But, I'm having some symptoms.
*When pulling out of the garage very slowly, the breaks squeeled.
*The car seemed to pull to the left and the steering felt stiff.
*Everything felt generally stiff.
*Back into my garage, there was a "burned" smell.

I drove it for about 5 minute total around the neighborhood around 25 MPH.

It seems like there could be a brake issue.

Could this be something that just needs to "loosen up"?

I have never worked on brakes and I'm not even sure where to start.

Any advice is appreciated!

Thanks

[bobplyler]

If brakes sit for a while, they get surface rust. This can make the brakes make noise until the rust wears off. It will also smell. And stuff (dust/etc) can settle on the exhaust system (manifold, pipes, etc). This can also smell.

[TX82FIAT]

Since the car has been sitting it may be some surface rust as mentioned. Since the car is pulling I would be concerned the brake pads are not releasing from the rotors. Are the wheels hot to the touch? You mentioned you have not really worked on brakes. I might suggest you do two things. 1. the brake fluid can get moisture in the lines when sitting for a period of time or just over time. It is a good practice to bleed the brakes every couple years. The hydraulic fluid needs to be up to task. 2. The calipers can stick over time. Remove and inspect the brake pads. Assuming the pads are in good shape and you bled the brakes, clean any rust off of calipers, inspect springs. Pads need to be able to move in and out. Consider brake lube on metal to metal surfaces but get any lube on the pad surface.

[redcars]

The brakes should be serviced every or every other time you change your oil. That means bleed them as mentioned and remove the calipers, clean and lubricate the areas where they mount. The rust on your rotors will most likely wear off and be OK. As for the pulling you may have a stuck caliper piston. I would do the brake service first and see if it drives ok then.

[iphaul]

It’s obvious that the brake caliper on the left hand side is stuck.
By driving a longer distance with a lot of braking, the caliper may become more loose but you wont solve the root cause. You need to know that brake fluid is hygroscopic (it has the characteristic to absorb water). And the older the brake fluid the more water it contains. The combination of the contained water and oil can provoke blocked pistons in the brake calipers especially when not using the brakes for a long time.
How to solve?
Remove the stuck brake cylinder and replace it. A cheaper solution is a caliper repair kit that costs 10 times less but needs some more tools and knowledge to install. Since hou have dismantled the caliper maybe it’s time to check the condition of the flexible brake line and replace it if the rubber is too aged. After this job a complete replacement of the brake fluid should be done. Start bleeding at the caliper the most far away from the main brake cylinder i.e. rear RHS followed by rear LHS, front RHS and finally front LHS. Don’t stop bleeding before the color of the flushed brake fluid looks fresh.

About the rust on the rotors, don’t mind, this will disappear very fast after a spin round the block.

Some actual prices: 1 brake caliper front: $120 - 1 flexible brake line $20 - 1 repair kit caliper $12

Cheers, Paul

[stuartrubin]

Thanks everyone for the insights and ideas! Of course it's been rainy, so I have not been able to look into the suggestions. Hopefully today I can start with the diagnosis. I will report back.