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Any idea how to unstick a stuck parking break?
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olePigeon
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Jan 22, 2003, 01:44 AM
 
Hopped into my truck and tried to go somewhere and it wouldn't move. I noticed the parking break light was on but the parking brake handle is all the way in (it's a Toyota truck.)

Err, any ideas how to get it unstuck? I can't exactly take the truck to the shop. Wondering if this has happened to someone else before...

Really don't want to pay for a full bed tow.
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Nimisys
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Jan 22, 2003, 01:51 AM
 
broken cable.
     
Ozmodiar
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Jan 22, 2003, 01:59 AM
 
My dad's Tacoma would do that once in a while. Actually, I think the parking break light was on all the time. When it happened to me I would just pull the handle out, set it back in, and repeat if necessary.

Then of course, Nimisys could be speaking with more authority on autos than me, so you should probably be listening to him.
     
Nimisys
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Jan 22, 2003, 02:02 AM
 
any resistance in the handle as you try to reset it? and you said it wonlt go even witht he parking brake off, meaning it is still engaged.

if you feel resistance then your cable is fine, it is in your brakes. if you donlt feel resistance, the cable is broken somewhere and you will have to trace it out( could just be the cable attachment to the handle)
     
olePigeon  (op)
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Jan 22, 2003, 02:26 AM
 
Originally posted by Nimisys:
if you feel resistance then your cable is fine, it is in your brakes. if you donlt feel resistance, the cable is broken somewhere and you will have to trace it out( could just be the cable attachment to the handle)
Well, some good news and some bad news.

My brother helped me rock the truck and seems to have unstuck itself. The handle does have tension.

However, I seemed to have left the lights on last night when this first happened and now the battery and engine light came on. Argh. Gonna get it jumped tomorrow and hopefully I can drag it down to the shop and get it fixed.

The truck did sit for about 4 months doing nothing and it rained a LOT. Is it possible the brakes have rusted? It's an older truck (94), but seems unlikely.
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
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olePigeon  (op)
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Jan 22, 2003, 02:29 AM
 
Originally posted by Ozmodiar:
My dad's Tacoma would do that once in a while. Actually, I think the parking break light was on all the time. When it happened to me I would just pull the handle out, set it back in, and repeat if necessary.
It is a Tocoma, I wonder if it's a documented problem? I'll check the net.
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
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olePigeon  (op)
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Jan 22, 2003, 02:33 AM
 
Oh sh*t... just occured to me. Brake fluid? I'll check tomorrow morning.

Can low brake fluid cause the brakes to freeze up? Seems to me it would loose pressure and the brakes wouldn't work period.
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
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Nimisys
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Jan 22, 2003, 02:34 AM
 
could have rusted a bit (rotors get surface rust very easily) most likely the springs inside the drums were slightly frozen, and weren't retracting the shoes correctly

before you drive it, rock the crank pulley back and forth to help break any bonds the piston rings may have made to the cylinder bores. check fluids and be prepared to drain and replace the gas if it is rough running, as it will be starting to go bad. the engine light may come on if the PCM (power control module, cars computer) isn;t getting suffiecent power
     
Nimisys
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Jan 22, 2003, 02:41 AM
 
Originally posted by olePigeon:
Oh sh*t... just occured to me. Brake fluid? I'll check tomorrow morning.

Can low brake fluid cause the brakes to freeze up? Seems to me it would loose pressure and the brakes wouldn't work period.
pump your brakes, they should go firm by the third pump if you have enough fluid.

that truck i thionk still had rear drum brakes, in which case the parking brake is activated by the cable the parking brake pulls on. it literally forces the shoes inside to push aginst the drum walls. if the sliding mechanism hasnt been used for a while they could freeze in place and not retract away from the wall. that sounds like what has happened here

inised there is a hydralic ram that oushes the shoes against the wall, so with low fluid the ram won't function and you donlt get brakes, even thought he parking brake will. on disk brakes the ram pushes the pads against the rotor braking the vehicle
     
olePigeon  (op)
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Jan 22, 2003, 02:52 AM
 
Brakes are firm. However, I found this discussion on an auto webpage regarding this guy's dads 1994 Toyota truck.

http://cartalk.cars.com/Columns/Arch.../April/06.html

Scary. I'll see if I can get it looked at tomorrow. May have to rent a car. I live at the top of a VERY big hill. Eep. Gonna double check if it's the brake brakes or the emergency brake, don't wanna go wheeling down the road without 'em.
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
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Nimisys
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Jan 22, 2003, 03:07 AM
 
Originally posted by olePigeon:
Brakes are firm. However, I found this discussion on an auto webpage regarding this guy's dads 1994 Toyota truck.

http://cartalk.cars.com/Columns/Arch.../April/06.html

Scary. I'll see if I can get it looked at tomorrow. May have to rent a car. I live at the top of a VERY big hill. Eep. Gonna double check if it's the brake brakes or the emergency brake, don't wanna go wheeling down the road without 'em.
went on a cuise this last sasturday and my frined with a volvo 740 trubo was running around on 15lbs of boost (he had race gas in it at the time) and he boiled his brakes, could still stop but it took much longer.

and easy way to till is if it has gain fluid since the last time you checked it. if thats the case then you will need to bleed and replace the fluid. firm brakes mean your booster is functioning properly. i would try setting and reseting the parking brake a few times. if they donlt stick again i wouldn't worry that much about them.
     
olePigeon  (op)
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Jan 22, 2003, 06:31 AM
 
Originally posted by Nimisys:
went on a cuise this last sasturday and my frined with a volvo 740 trubo was running around on 15lbs of boost (he had race gas in it at the time) and he boiled his brakes, could still stop but it took much longer.

and easy way to till is if it has gain fluid since the last time you checked it. if thats the case then you will need to bleed and replace the fluid. firm brakes mean your booster is functioning properly. i would try setting and reseting the parking brake a few times. if they donlt stick again i wouldn't worry that much about them.
I live less than a mile from a full service place. Think I'm going to take it down, get a full lube, and see how it does.

Thanks for the help.
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F. Roberts
     
MrBenn
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Jan 22, 2003, 07:37 AM
 
Parking brakes get stuck on all the time. (I had a summer job at a big car auction) Stick it in 1st gear, or 'drive' or whatever and give it some gas, stick it in reverse and give it some gas. Just kind of rock it back and forward a bit till it releases. Don't be afraid of it, you might need to rev' it pretty hard.

Caution, you'll hear a loud clunk as the brake release and you'll be moving! So stay alert.
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gadster
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Jan 22, 2003, 07:48 AM
 
Have you tried a shotgun?
e-gads
     
Edju516
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Sep 9, 2012, 11:37 AM
 
I was stuck with my emergency brake and was gonna call tow. Got on smart phone and looked up Tacoma breaks. Finally read your post, started it and revved forward. THANKS MAN!!
     
phantomdragonz
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Sep 9, 2012, 03:21 PM
 
Zombie thread! Whoa... it's been a long time since I have seen a thread this old get booted to the front page.
     
Gankdawg
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Sep 10, 2012, 05:32 AM
 
I wouldn't have been able to find this thread with a search because I know how to spell 'brakes' correctly.
     
knifecarrier2
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Sep 10, 2012, 06:52 AM
 
Spray the cable ends with PB Blaster. Both inside the car and underneath the car.
     
olePigeon  (op)
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Sep 13, 2012, 08:49 AM
 
Wow. Super old thread. I'm on my 2nd Toyota Pickup now. Here's what happened: I ended up taking it to a Brake Master's, and they "fixed" it. By fix, I mean they drained all my vehicle's liquids (oil, coolant, brake, power steering, and windshield), then proceeded to NOT hook any of the hoses back up.

I didn't know about the hoses, and was thinking that everything seemed a little stiff. Keep in mind this is my very first vehicle and very first major service, so I didn't know what to expect. I headed out of the parking lot and my brake didn't work. I rolled into a busy intersection and somehow managed to avoid an accident. I quickly stuck it in reverse and gunned it. Fortunately no one was behind me, and I drifted back into the parking lot.

They took it back in for another 30 minutes, then came back out and told me, "Oh yeah, Jim Boy forgot to hook up the hoses."

So they hooked them back up. You may notice the lack of refilling any fluids.

I didn't live very far, so I managed to get it home without any issues. The next morning I was on my way to work when my engine overheated. I happened to be right next to a gas station, so I pulled in. I open the hood and look in the radiator, nothing. Check the dip stick, no oil. Even checked the windshield spritzer, nothing.

So i called Brake Masters and told them that after having my brake checked, they didn't refill any of the fluids and my pickup overheated. So they told me to bring it in and they'll look at it. I told them I can't, there's no f*cking oil in the engine. I asked them to send a tow truck, and they told me they'll send one but I have to pay for it. So I hung up and called their regional office. About an hour later, they finally sent a tow truck, and the tow truck guy was asking how I wanted to pay for it. So I called back their regional office, and they and the tow truck guy talked and did a payment over the phone.

So I got my pickup back there. They checked it over, refilled everything, and assured me that everything was fine. Again, remember that this is my first time ever owning a vehicle. I was young. I should have immediately taken the vehicle to an independent dealer, had them check it. But I didn't know any better.

Fast forward about 3 months. My radiator blows up. I take it into a shop. They can't find anything wrong with the hoses or anything, so I have a new radiator put in. The lid on the new metal radiator blows off. So I take it in again and they drain it and run some sort of red smoke through it. They determined that the gasket blew and that was what caused my radiator to blow up.

It seems so obvious looking back on it now that I should have had Brake Masters buy me a brand new engine. But, I didn't know. Now it's too late to go back and sue them or whatever. I ended up selling it to a guy who does rock crawling, and he fixed the head gasket himself. I used the money to buy my smaller Toyota. I'm now 200,000 miles on it with zero problems.

Live and learn.
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F. Roberts
     
phantomdragonz
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Sep 13, 2012, 09:30 AM
 
I have a 94 pickup, the Toyota 3.0L v6 engines were notorious for blowing head gaskets... not to say that the monkeys did not accelerate the failure, but those engines are total crap... the 3.4L v6 in the Tacoma's though... those engines are awesome.

Also another common failure on those trucks was the parking break, the handle mechanism would abrade the cable eventually causing it to snap, the cable is $80+ from the dealer.

I am a huge toyota fan, and those trucks were built extremely well, with the exception to the 3.0.
     
olePigeon  (op)
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Sep 13, 2012, 10:32 AM
 
Mine was the 4 cylinder. That engine was built like a tank. They last 300k+ with regular maintenance, and mine only had 64k miles on it. The morons destroyed my pickup. I'm glad the guy that bought it knew what he was doing. He's going to get a lot of life out of it if he doesn't roll it too much. I'm glad I could help someone out even if I got screwed.
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F. Roberts
     
knifecarrier2
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Sep 13, 2012, 11:03 AM
 
haha. Your first car is no excuse for blatant ignorance. LOL. Common sense man. If they drained everything and you drove it you did irreparable damage to everything.
     
olePigeon  (op)
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Sep 13, 2012, 01:52 PM
 
Well, I'm an idiot and socially awkward. If you put those two together, you get that wonderful nugget of a story. So it goes.
"…I contend that we are both atheists. I just believe in one fewer god than
you do. When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods,
you will understand why I dismiss yours." - Stephen F. Roberts
     
andi*pandi
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Sep 13, 2012, 04:08 PM
 
Well you didn't know they drained everything. Why would they? So it's not your fault.
     
phantomdragonz
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Sep 14, 2012, 08:59 AM
 
Agreed andi....

I am pretty knowledgable about cars, but when I was younger I would have made the same mistake.
     
Shaddim
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Sep 14, 2012, 02:03 PM
 
Originally Posted by knifecarrier2 View Post
haha. Your first car is no excuse for blatant ignorance. LOL. Common sense man. If they drained everything and you drove it you did irreparable damage to everything.
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