mastershake10401

I’ve been out of the country for the past year and a half and I have a 69 Tacoma that I'm trying to get moving again. All the wheels were locked up and I managed to get the front wheels moving. When I got to the real wheels, I found them to be completely frozen up and I can’t seem to get them to move. The rear breaks are drum breaks and they should just come right off once the tires have been removed but I can’t get the breaks to move. What I’m concerned about is I can’t get the parking break to release (the front dash show the parking break symbol illuminated). If the parking breaks wont release how do I remove the breaks?
Thanks for the help
Corey

8422r4Runner

Sounds like the brake pads are rusted to the drums. That's why the E-brake will not release. Don't go nuts but beating on it with a hammer may break it loose. There are also drum pullers out there. They have 2 or 3 arms that grab the outside of the drum and a center long bolt like thing you tighten. As you tighten the bolt it pulls the drum off.

May as well plan on buying new drums, they may get warped pulling them off being so frozen on there.

GSGALLANT

Try spraying down the bell-cranks (lever that the parking brake cable pulls on) behind your rear wheels. Spray inside the rubber boot, let it soak, then tap the bell-cranks back in with a hammer. Also, you can pull the little rubber grommet off the back plate of your brake housing on each rear wheel, and back the shoes away from the drum using the star adjusting wheel (search for adjusting rear brakes if you're unsure how to do this). Neither of these ideas will work if your shoes are fused to the pads, though. If that's the case, try tapping the whole way around the drum with a hammer to try to break it free from the shoes, then try to release the brakes again. My guess is seized up bell-cranks like I mentioned above, but that's easy enough to check (just see if they move a bit when you push/pull on them).

MTL_4runner

You don't need a drum puller, there are threaded holes on the drum for doing exacly that. I agree with GSGALLANT on the possibility that the drum's bellcranks might be frozen (mine did and my truck is driven daily). If it has been sitting too long you may need to use a torch and cut them off and replace them (only had to ever do that twice as a mechanic) but most of the time a little work with a BFH will pursuade them to move again. Replace the drums, shoes and spring hardware if they are in too rough shape.