Howdy guys,

I've got a strange problem that I've never encountered on any car I've owned in the past.

It seems as something is binding up either in the rear diff/axles, or in the rear brakes. Before today, when I would start the truck in the morning, release the parking brake, feather the clutch to get it moving, I'd hear and feel a slight *tap* coming from the rear, as if something had gotten stuck, and freed itself as I drove away.

I first noticed something weird yesterday as I was coasting to a stop; I had my feet off all the pedals, and it felt as if I had lightly engaged the parking brake. I let the 4Runner come to a slow roll, and to my suprise, it stopped as if someone had held down the brakes (you could feel yourself go forward in the seat as it stopped instead of gently gliding to a stop with the truck).

Well today, that light *tap* has turned into a *BAAANG*! This morning, I took off the parking brake, feathered the clutch, and I stalled out. "WTF?" Fired the engine back up, feathered the clutch and I could feel it about to stall...gave it gas, could see the left front of the 4Runner lift up from the engine torque, put it in reverse and it rolled back like normal, put it back in 1st and gave it gas, felt like someone had tied off my 4Runner to a dump truck, I gave it more gas, then *BAAANG*! Something let loose, and I was able to drive away.

Now at all stops, it does the invisible braking thing.

E-brake works fine, brakes are working fine, no offroading or mods to the 4Runner.

What say you Yotatech? What do you think it is? E-brake not fully releasing? Rear brakes binding up? Something more serious and sinister in the rear end??

 

Rear axel seals? Frozen pivots?

 

sounds like rear brakes...possibly axle seals leaking, causing shoes to swell and/or bell cranks for the ebrake is starting to bind...either way its time to get those drums off.......

 

I am full of WIN right now! I fixed it!

I had a MASSIVE ball of fishing line tangled around the parking brake mechanism on the rear axle. Cut, cut, snip, snip, and everything is A-OK!'

 

If something is not working, that's the first thing I check, if there is fishing line. It's quite common on '98-'99 4Runners.

 

lmfao, damn well i guess in corpus christi they do alot of fishing for 4runners. why didnt you look under there the first time you heard the noise?

 

Same thing happened in my 2nd gen when I would go to stop if there was any ice as soon as I tapped the breaks my rears locked, made for some interesting high traffic stops. I would have to back up then go foreward and they'd unlock with a bang. It was a combination of brake and axle seal problems. Fishing line, weird.

 

I paid more attention to the pass. side brakes, since thats where i 'felt' the noise was coming from. Fishing line was clear monofilament TIGHTLY wrapped around the drivers side parking brake arm, following it's every curve and bend, almost looked OEM.

Hey, there's an idea...a Toyota OEM fishing line holder!