yesterday my front driverside brake caliper would not release from the rotor and i didnt notice it until i got to work and i smelled it. after work i drove it home and it didnt stick at all. could my caliper be going bad

 

I had a caliper go bad. I was out when it froze. I opened the bleeder to release it. It worked enough to get home. Then I replaced it. Don't take a chance with brakes. Pull it apart and find the problem or buy a rebuilt.

 

The calipers are prone to stick, usually happens after a "pads only" brake job.

 

Another thing to consider, had it happen a few times: The inside of the brake hose could have deteriorated, craked and held the pressure. If you have to open the bleeder, there is a good chance this happened. It's kinda like a check valve, it lets you apply pressure, but when you let off, it doesn't. Overnight, it'll bleed back down, and may not happen right away, but it will likely do it again. I personally have never had trouble like that from just changing pads. If the caliper stuck, it is either rusty, or bent. If the piston overextended, you had more trouble than just pads. The movement from taking the caliper off the mount can cause this effect on older hoses. Typically when the caliper fails, it will drag on one side or the other, unless someone got stupid and beat the piston with a hammer ( my old man did this to a pair of dual piston calipers on his 84 250 4x4, $200 in parts later....)

 

Just don't fool with it anymore and replace everything with parts from AutoZone. I can do a full, complete, everything brake job (not master cylinder) for $250 on these old Ford trucks.