hey people ive a weird problem with my brakes on my 1997 auto diesel surf
sometimes when im braking just before i come to a complete stop it feels like the brakes lock up as if i really stamped on the brake pedal.
if i release the pedal it wont move until i give it some gas.
did a serch but couldnt see anything. help would be great.

 

I bet its a leaky rear axle seal. Gear oil leaks out past the axle seals and onto your brake shoes. Your brake shoes get gummed up and the shoes stick to the drums. I've owned a 96 and 97 4Runner and both experienced the same problem.

Crawl under the rear of the truck and look for fluid leaks on in inside of the wheels. If you don't see any external leaks, you'll need to remove the drums and check the shoes. It can be a very slow leak that gums up the shoes. That is what I'm dealing with right now. It's not leaking externally but just enough to coat half of the shoes and cause the brakes to stick every now an then. On my previous 96, it was so bad the rear wheels would drag for a few seconds, and it was leaking externally.

 

is it easy to fix or is it one for a mechanic.

 

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/r...4runner-39679/