This morning I went to pull out of my driveway, & the truck wouldn't move. It wasn't the powertrain/ drivetrain- it was like the tires were glued to the pavement. Something similar has hapened before: after giving it some RMPS's there's like a "break free" sound (kinda like when you crack loose a bolt) then it's fine. This usually hapens when it's not driven for a few days (which is the case this time). I was in a hurry for work this morning, so I didn't give it too much gas or try too hard, i just left it & took my other car. What exactly could it be? I'm not very familiar with drum brakes/ emergency brake systems. Is this a common issue? What should I do to A.) break it free this time & B.) ensure that this doesn't hapen in the future? Note: the e-brake works well (ie: when it's engaged, the truck won't roll, even on a steep driveway)

HELP!!!

Thanks!

 

I meant to say: "after giving it some RPM's"

 

Yeah mine sticks too. But its more like the cable is gummed up inside and just returns very VERY slowly. My guess its because of accordion-like seals on the ends of the cable tearing and letting in water and dirt and stuff. And then me shooting a bunch of white lithium in there may have contributed to my problem. I am just going to get a new cable soon. Sounds like yours may be rusting somewhere. Check all the linkages and if you don't see anything there I would take the drum off and look around in there. May just need lubing somewhere. Have you ever replaces your rear shoes?

 

I’ve had the truck for about 6k miles & haven’t touched the rear brakes- I wasn’t planning to either since the e-brake works great. It just feels like the tires are glued to the concrete, it just wouldn’t move this morning- I even tried putting it in low range & moving forward & back. The last time it stuck like this I was able to put it in reverse & rev it pretty hard & it broke loose.

Could it be something other than the rear brakes? I doubt it, but what else could possibly cause this?

 

Mine like to stick when there is loads of moisture in the air. Im pretty sure its the shoes rusting to the drums.

Sometimes happens at stop lights too..

 

Only one way to find out, take off those drums and see whats what

 

I remember telling myself to do this a few months ago... THE HORROR!

 

Drums are really fun if you don't know what to expect

 

i agree, sometimes disc and drum brakes tend to rust to the pads when left for extended periods of time and they can be very hard to break lose, and the rust could also be causeing the e-brake to work well makes the pads nice n rough making them grippy, but im not sure why it would do it while waiting at lights.
or it could just be like survivorman97 says, a sticky cable.

 

How about you address it when its locked. Block the fronts and jack up the rear and see if it is one wheel or both or none at all. Have the tranny in neutral.
It's always a good idea to take a look at your shoes and all the hardware/adjusters.

With the drum off you should be able to see your parking brake lever being pulled and the shoes spreading.(with someone else pulling on the handle while you watch). Next look to see if the lever returns on its own once the e-brake is released. That's what those coil springs on the cable are for as well as the retrun springs on your shoes.
If they return but slowly you can try some PB Blaster in there but it's hard to get it in very far into the cable's sheath. Compressed air sometimes helps. Most likely you just need to replace one or both of your e-brake cables.

 

My brake cable is frayed at the handle and that keeps it from returning on it's own, I have to jam it back

 

Yeah, I totally didn't expect having to completely replace them to the tune of the better part of a grand. If I hadn't already blown $400 on this, I would've just converted to discs!

 

That's a lot. Even if you replaced everything. Shoes, wheel cylinders, drums, hardware, adjusters, shouldn't come close. Did you go to the stealership?

 

It was about $300 for drums, shoes, wheel cylinders, and hardware (all the springs and clips basically). The drums were wrong (6-lug instead of 5-lug) though and somehow the right ones are about $25/each more, so about $350 so far in that department. I can't seem to get the backing plates for under $120/each (toyotapartszone doesn't ship here), or the adjusters for under $60/each, from the stealership. I haven't bought them yet because I have a lead on a better deal and hopefully that pans out. I thought rockauto would have most of the hardware but they seem to have stopped carrying the backing plates sometime in the past couple months and I'm unsure about the adjusters they have for sale. I'm hoping that I can salvage the two levers on each side but everything else is toast. My axle rebuild is not looking like it's going to end up being that cheap in the end, especially when the brakes are gonna run me as much as the gears and locker!

 

How did the backing plates get damaged?