Parking Brake???

[cpritchard]

Everyone here is very smart and knowledgable and I wanted to see if any had has any answers to this:

This morning, I disengaged my parking brake on my standard 96 Mazda B3000 and the pedal came out as usual, but the brakes did not release. Is this easy to fix myself???

[cabinetman]

I don't know if this will help, but from my limited knowledge of "parking brakes" I've had on different vehicles, they were just a cable type system on the rear wheels that were not part of the general hydraulic system for the whole car's braking system.

If you look under the rear wheels you might see a cable and a lever arm of some sort, that may operate a friction system for either drum brakes or discs. More than likely (on my vehicles anyway) there were spring assemblies that got taught when the pedal was pushed or a lever pulled. Then when it is released, the spring pulls back on the device releasing it.

Sounds like yours is not releasing. You may try releasing the brake, and back up a few feet and see if they release. If not check out the assemblies at the rear wheels.



A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOREVER - John Keats

[LarryG]

How cold is it where you live? When I lived in Alaska, I rarely used the PB during the winter because the shoes could and would freeze to the wheel drums.

[cpritchard]

It did get past freezing last night and was 31 when I tried to leave today.

[cpritchard]

Just had LOML check again now that temps are above freezing (45 ) and it is still stuck. I will go home today and check cables.

[rg32]

Hi Chris

Do you set the your emergency brake on regular basis?
From years experience
I would give everything a good soaking with WD 40 waiting for it to penetrate and then try and working it free.
Good luck

[cpritchard]

Yes I use my parking brake all the time. I will try WD as well

[LinuxRandal]

94 Ranger 2.3, sister vehicle

There was a recall on the parking brakes on em a few years back. They don't always engage (I believe it was jumping the track at the pedal), there was a shim fix.

That said, I have had parking brake issues on various vehicles. On one vehicle, the release lever pulled, and released the pedal, but the brake release handle, has a cable which broke under the dash (it had a metal ball which sheared off the cord, so the cord pulled out).
On another vehicle, I had the cable rust out where it bolted to the cables to the rear wheels (at the Y).
Other than that, I also have had a frozen cable and in only one case, frozen release, in the drums (vehicle had sat a while, had to rock it to break loose the rust, this one shouldn't be it at all).

[cpritchard]

My parking brake is fixed now. Thanks for all the tips! We had a lot of rain on Friday (the last time I used the truck) and I never park in the back but I did that day (uphill). A friend of mine came over and said that those two factors probably caused rusting and the parking brake to cease. He tapped the drums with a hammer and shook the truck back and forth until it finally released.

[dick541]

I NEVER use the parking brake on ANY car, They are a waste unless you are always on a steep hill. I had a 1956 ford sedan that frose up on me back in the 60's, it took 3 hours to free them up. NEVER AGAIN. If any one uses any of my cars I tell them NOT to us the parking brake. Put in park and forget it.
Even when I put it on blocks or ramps, I will not use the pb.
dick