Stuck E-Brake...Any Tips??

[Mischief7m]

Hey All,
So my E-Brake is stuck, and stuck HARD...
So Much though that i can't get the car to budge an inch even under engine power.

I haven't dropped the clutch, as i have a new 1jz under the hood, and i'm a bit scared of doing that..

but even when it was moved with a tow truck, the tires dragged all the way up onto the bed.

One last thing i am going to try is pulling it with my dads truck while trying to break it with the engine....but i can't seem to find anything in the linkages that is seized.

does anyone have any tips outside pulling them apart at the wheels??

thanks,
Trevor

 

[CRE]

I'm a little confused here... How is the e-brake "stuck". Both wheels are locked or just one? If it's both disconnect the cable from the handle.

 

[ForcedTorque]

Did you by chance just buy this car? If so, are you sure the wheels are large enough to clear the rotor. I once bought a parts car that didn't run, but the kid thought it would look better sitting there with some Mazda 626 wheels on it instead of sawblades.

Why not take them apart at the wheels?

 

[Mischief7m]

no, ive had the car for about a year. and it was my daily driver for 6 months.

and why not take them apart at the wheels? its a pain in the ass, and my schedule is very tight.

just wondering if anyone had any tricks other than that

 

[Ckanderson]

take off the rear wheels, and hit the edges of the rear rotor with a rubber or plastic mallet. should free them.

you could also just try dropping the clutch and being ready for whatever happens.

 

[CRE]

Is one stuck or both???

 

[Guyana00]

Is one stuck or both???

+1

Also I wouldn't try dropping the clutch yet or trying to break it free. It will only strain the motor and if it turns the wheels it will just wear the pad down more and still be locked.

How does the handle feel, is it stuck too or does it seem to operate normally? Does give resistance when pulling up and how does it feel when you push it down, does it go all the way down and stay?

 

[Ckanderson]

+1

Also I wouldn't try dropping the clutch yet or trying to break it free. It will only strain the motor and if it turns the wheels it will just wear the pad down more and still be locked.
?

I said what I said assuming the pads have siezed to the rotor, which happens if the car sits for awile.

Obviously if the pads are being pressed against the drum becuase the mechanism hasnt realeased then dropping the clutch wont help. whacking it with a plastic mallet though might.

 

[Mischief7m]

it is seized because it has been sitting. the handle operates normally, goes down and stays, and has resistance when pulling up.

it hasn't been driven in 6 months. the brake has been set for 2-3 weeks without moving tho.

there will be no clutch dropping here lol. ill try giving it a smack and see what happens

thanks guys

 

[Ckanderson]

it is seized because it has been sitting. the handle operates normally, goes down and stays, and has resistance when pulling up.

it hasn't been driven in 6 months. the brake has been set for 2-3 weeks without moving tho.

there will be no clutch dropping here lol. ill try giving it a smack and see what happens

thanks guys

it might take several whacks. i would even go so far as hitting the hat part with a 5 pound sldge a few times (half swings NOT full on) if the plastic hammer doenst do anything.

I dont see why your against dropinng the clutch

 

[Mischief7m]

i'm against dropping the clutch because i just started my 1jz for the first time, and i dont want the first movement it gets to be a huge slam.

ill give the sledge a try...good thing i ve used one before, i could see some guy winding up and punching a hole in the fender haha

 

[Ckanderson]

i'm against dropping the clutch because i just started my 1jz for the first time, and i dont want the first movement it gets to be a huge slam.

oh 1j?

never mind it wouldent have enough torque :momaru:

 

[Mischief7m]

haha right to the nuts...

yea, the 1j was actually designed for a sports car, not a truck, so it lacks the torque to pull stumps out of the ground. lol

 

[Poodles]

The M series was never designed for a truck, unlike the KA in a 240SX...

 

[Asterix]

This is why I never set the parking brake if the car is going to sit for more than a few days. I've had rear drums sieze several times on different cars. Usually they pop free with not much effort by the engine, but in your case more active pursuasion is in order as others have suggested. Worst case, you get to drill off the retainer heads behind the backing plate so you can pull the rotors off with the shoes stuck on. Buy a new spring and hardware kit ahead of time (and new shoes).

You should pull the rotors off anyway to make sure the spring on the actuator bar (or whatever it's called) is still in place. It, or something else, may have fallen out of place when you moved the handle with the shoes already out.

Or, put a big puller on the rotor and put it under some stress while you smack it with your 5lb sledge.

Asterix

 

[Mischief7m]

yea, it wasn't me that set the brake, i had the car towed from my school where i live and work to my house to finish the swap, and my father set the brake when he received the car...i got home 3 weeks later with two days to work on it...and bingo
w/e, im not too worried. i have a few more tricks up my sleeve before i pull it apart.

 

[Guyana00]

I really think the best thing to do is just take the rotors off and take a look and see what's going on.