3.2 parking brake locked up on one wheel

['89cab]

My ’89 3.2 has had little use in the past few weeks because of lousy weather. Perhaps twice in the past ten uses, the parking brake stuck when released – it would act as if I had left the brake on. Each time it would free itself when attempting to move a second time (always in reverse?). Well today it didn’t free itself – totally locked up going forward or in reverse. A search of the archives provided this thread with a similar situation:

Emergency Brake lockup while driving!!!

Well I’ve got the car in the carport, identified the guilty wheel, but can not figure out how to remove the drum. I can’t turn the wheel/tire to align the adjusting hole it is so, so stuck and can’t rotate the drum with a redwood two-by-four on the lugs with wheel off.

What the hey? How do I get in there? Bentley manual isn’t much help on this one. Thanks in advance friends.

[tonythetarga]

you might be able to pull the caliper and rotor off to see what
is wrong.

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

If it were me, I'd spray everything in sight on the brake drum, from inside the chassis looking outward, with a good penetrant. Not the AutoZone quasi-penetrant crap but something good like Zep. Let it soak a few hours and then whack the rotor all around its periphery with a heavy rubber or plastic mallet (better the former) after assuring yourself that you have truly unfastened it entirely from the hub. And if that doesn't work, heat is your salvation. Heat will fix anything, if there's enough of it. A propane torch on the drum part of the rotor, from the outside of the car, should bust that *ucker loose no matter what.

['89cab]

Thanks, Stephan. Loved your book.

[buttjoint]

I have a 89 cab also and replaced all the emergency brakes. I will look in the book and see if anything holds the caliper on.

[Gunter]

Heat and tapping: Big brass drift and 4-lb hammer.
If you don't have a torch, pour boiling water over the drum and tap on the edge.
If you replace the drum anyway, use a 4-lb hammer metal on metal.
When replacing shoes and cable, do both sides.

['89cab]

The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance -- it is the illusion of knowledge. -- Daniel J. Boorstin



I had this vision of the brake shoes locked up and never considered other sources of the problem. I then discovered that shaking/pulling on the brake cable sheath behind the drum freed the shoes.

I’ve now searched all the “brake cable” threads (one comment that I will misquote is, “John Walker looks at the cables first” another was to sell the car before you have to replace the cables).

This weekend, I hope to shoot lubricant into the cable housing from both ends and take care of the problem for a few years.

Questions:
If I pull the drum/rotor can I shoot lubricant into the cable sheath?

What lubricant won’t migrate into the brake area?

Can I do the same from the interior of car?

[tonythetarga]

Typically lubricating a cable that is not meant to have lube will not cure your problem but attract dust and debris to stick to the lube causing further problems. I know clutch cables are dry and I am assuming (sometims not a good thing) that the e-brake cable is a plastic sheathed dry cable. If it is the cable, just replace it and know it isn't going to happen again.