Got in my 88 4Runner this morning after it had been sitting out all night in 10 degree weather. After it warmed up a bit and I put it in gear, it would not go forward. I practically floored it and let out the clutch and it wouldn't go. So I put it in low range and with alot of coercion it finally *popped* and was rolling just fine.

Is something freezing? I have had this happen before, but never to this extent!

 

Was the park brake on? I have seen damp shoes freeze to the drums. It happens to our semi trucks/trailers all the time.

If you have moisture in the trans, transfer, or rear end, that may have frozen

 

Well I had released the PBrake but it has been on all night.

It could be alot of those things... I had taken it wheeling the day before and through some mud and stuff, no telling where moisture could have gotten.

Perhaps a switch to synth in the gearboxes would help?

 

Parking brake - don't engage it when it's gonna be really cold. Chock the wheels or put the truck in 4Low so there is enough compression braking to keep it from rolling

 

Thanks for the tip, TC.

You northerners know some useful things... Yankee ingenuity, eh?

I appreciate the help.

 

yeah, that sounds like classic parking brake freeze. as said, don't use it if its going to freeze.

 

arg...too slow

 

Didn't really think CO was "north"... LOL

 

Compared to Cumming, GA, it sure is.

 

Happened to me in my '90 Xtracab back around the winter of '97 on second shift at Boeing.

Came out and started it up, and it drove, but the rear brakes were dragging really bad, but they thawed out after about 1,000 feet of driving.

Lesson learned then, do not engage the parking break if it is going to dip under freezing.

 

Cumming, GA Latitude: 34? 10' 12"N
Longmont, CO Latitude: 40? 09' 49"N
Mason-Dixon line latitude: 39? 43' 20"N

OK LOL

 

I also had a rear parking brake rust stuck on my daily driver one night. Was not cold enough to freeze, but the brake shoes must have been wet when they were set. I think the vehicle was parked for at least a day and when I went to drive it, one rear wheel was sliding along on the wet pavement. Without power to the wheel, could not break it loose. Had to knock the brake drum off with a rubber mallet to get it freed up.

 

Yikes! Maybe this explains why my brakes felt *really* squishy too? I'm going to take a look at the fluid level too, but maybe it's just something stuck... drove very normally though other than the brakes...

 

if its going to go below freezing, putting the truck in 1st gear or even better, reverse after shutting it off will act like the parking brake, at least it does in sunny flat Florida

 

weird things happen when cold. Im more north than your wussies. Its -39 d Celcius with the windchill today. Things run different thats for certain. But an opitma and mobil1 goes along way.(and a block heater)

 

Hell after wheeling, mine is frozen to my driveway all the time... Somtimes I only need to drive it in the slush and I get froze to the driveway.... 4Wheel and gas and its unstuck...

 

that happens to me even when i don't put the parking break on, i am led to believe a little bit of popping is normal, but in your case it's cuz you left ur parking break on all night, that usually freezes, even when it's not extremely cold...as said before, don't put it on if its going to be real cold. not only can the shoes freeze to the drums but the cable can also freeze in it's sheath, which will cause the shoes to have constant pressure on the drums.

 

Do a search for Parking brake Bell Crank. Freezes on me every morning after the wife drives it (why can't you beat something in their heads, don't use the parking brake between Nov. and March) lol

 

Just put it into gear, thats what I used to do with my F250 when it got cold.