drums sticking

[--weezl--]

so in november/devember, my e-brake wasn't disengaging fully, especially when it was really cold (-20) so i was told it could be dirty brakes, so i replaced the pads, cleaned the backing plates as much as i could and put it all back together, it worked for the most part, they disengaged, but the pedal wouldn't quite come up enough to turn the light off... in december i had my truck in, they replaced my rear diff, replaced all 4 axle seals and cleaned the backing plate, i haven't driven it much since then, as i've been out of town, i hopped in my truck last night, after it sitting for over 24 hours, and the whole truck felt like it was frozen... i take my foot off the gas and it's like i slam on the brakes, i assumed this was the 75-140 in my rear and the 75-90 turning to a solid like state because it was -28 on my mirror (which dropped to -34 while driving) after driving out of my buddy's subdivision and letting it warm up a little, it loosened up a little, while driving down the highway (i was only doing like 60km/h (35mph) it felt fine, till i hit a traffic light, as i stopped, i could tell the rear brakes were on for sure, as it was a downward hill and i stopped, then i noticed a lot of smoke passing the passenger side, and could smell burning brake, turn the truck off, the drivers side is cold, the passenger side rim is warm to the touch (ambient temperature is -35ish) and smells bad, not to mention i can see smoke coming out of it...

i tried to drive forward but that one wheel was locked for sure, put it in 2wd and dropped the clutch, got both wheels spinning, pushed the ebrake pedal all the way down, and snapped it back up a few times, it seemed to be released at this point, so i drove the rest of the way home... when i got home, i could still smell burning brakes, but didn't check to see if the rim was warm, went inside and went to bed...

what i'm wondering, is there anyway that the dealership screwed something up that would cause this? what could this be caused by?

 

[YZ250Rider23]

Sounds to me like your parking brake cables are sticking. Being that your truck is a 2007 I doubt they are worn out, but they might have water in them. I'm not sure what course of action you should do from here, but step one would be to verify that it is the cables. When you release your parking brake lift the pedal all the way up with you foot, (for the love of god make sure your truck is on a level surface and it's in gear, so it doesn't roll) then reach under the truck and grab the brake cable going to the back. Now due to the design of the parking brake auto adjuster, you should be able to pull the line and 4-5" or so of cable should pull out of the front cable casing, if that makes sense. now if it doesn't retract when you let it go, or you can't budge it at all, then either your front cable is binding or your pedal assembly is binding. If that slips nice and easy then you'll have to pull the drums and check the other ends of the cables.

Aside from diagnosing it, I'm not sure what I would recommend.... If you could park your truck somewhere heated and at least get it above 32 degrees and see if it works better.

When my front cable started to go bad I would have to lean out the door of my truck everytime I released the brake and give the cable underneath a little tug to release the rear brakes.

 

[--weezl--]

i might try the tug when it sticks, it only does it when it's really cold... like 10+ degrees below freezing... i know before this all happened, and before i did my rear shoes, when i released the brake, and pulled up on the pedal to turn the light off, the cable that runs down the side of the frame rail sagged a good 2 inches down in the middle... which would lead me to believe that it's the cable housings at the back on my truck...

they work smooth and normal above freezing, and even a few degrees below... i have been in deep water, and deep mud... any method to clean them or dry them out perminantly? last time i took it offroading was the end of november...

 

[backroad101]

Myself, I am parking on flat surfaces for the most part and not using my e-brake until it warms up a bit. I am ready for spring

 

[--weezl--]

that's what i've been trying to do recently... or just park with it in gear... but because of the drastic weather changes here where i live, it was +2*c when i showed up to my buddy's place and when i left the following night (spent 2 days playing COD) it was -32c

 

[YZ250Rider23]

Sounds like it is the rear cables. I'm not sure what you could do. You could try spraying some cable lube in at the ends (but do this at your own risk, my I would be concerned that the lube might soften or break down the plastic cable sheathing), maybe fill a spray bottle with ISO-HEET fuel drier (in the red bottle.... yellow bottle is methanol, which is pretty hazardous to get on yourself or inhale) and spray some in there. It could also be that the springs at the ends of the cables, inside the drums are getting weak, but I'm doubtful about that.

 

[backroad101]

When it first happened to me I was leaving work and I thought my tires were frozen to the ground. Then it happened again the next morning in my (detached) garage. Thought about it on the drive to work and thought I would try not setting the e-brake. No problems since. Lucky my garage is flat as is my lot at work.

.

 

[--weezl--]

i'm pretty sure the springs are good, because when it is warm, it comes back up with some authority...

i know when i changed the clutch cable on my bike (yamaha virago) i was told to hang one end of it, and squirt transmission fluid in the end until it came out the other end (the cable was from the bike jy) so i might give that a try, but i have a feeling i will need to disasseble my rear brakes to do that which i don't really want to do...

 

[michowski]

If you can, grab a can of wd-40 and spray it all over the cable. Try and get it in there and if there is rust it will break it all up and should allow you to use it as normal again.