lefty09

hey, not sure if this is the right section....

i've got a 98 (manual) and i park outside...i noticed the past couple days since the weather temp dropped, that on hills the car doesn't roll back as it used to. it rolls a few inches then stops as if i have applied the brakes and i kinda feel the back end move up in the air.


tonight i parked in an underground lot for a short while where it was a little warmer than outside, and when i left i noticed that the car seemed fine and could roll back freely.

anyway, just now i tried to reverse out of a parking spot and the car won't move. the back passenger side wheel won't move at all. when i give it gas (in reverse) the car lifts up on that side, as if it's going over a snow pile but there's nothing there....the tire won't move at all. i gave it enough gas at one point to reverse a bit as the wheel stayed stuck. strange thing is that it will move forward. problem is i can't get out of the spot, i have to reverse....luckily i got a visitor pass so i had to leave it parked there

what can be causing this? is it a stuck ebrake cable?

TylerB

If you live in cold climate, using your e-brake in cold weather can freeze the shoe and drum solid. If this is the case, let it warm up and be on your way.

itsnotfast

Another possibility is that its got moisture in it and its literally freezing up.

TylerB

Yep, when I said freezing I meant litterally. My car does this quite often in cold weather, it is just a habit to set the e-brake and then I get a nice suprise when I can't go over 10 mph without shaking my brains out.

itsnotfast

Wow.. Lucky me, i've never had to experiance this lol.

lefty09

thanks for the input guys. i never knew not to use the ebrake in cold temps.

the temp is a little warm today and the sun was on that back tire but i'm still stuck, the wheel won't spin to reverse.

i have no idea what to do to get it out of that visitor spot.



btw, i'm in toronto so it gets pretty cold around this time of year...i wish i was in FL or Cali lol

itsnotfast

Eh try a hair dryer or a heat gun and warm it up.

azandford

i use to hit my drum with a hammer and it would sometimes free the ebrake...kind of like banging the tv when the picture is fuzzy..kind of surpised when it works. I dont advocate brake drum hammering though but i also dont have a hair dryer

itsnotfast

^ Lol

lefty09

cant use a heat gun...it's in an apartment parking lot with no outlets anywhere near it and i don't have an inverter.

why would the car be able to roll forward but not back up at all? could it really be seized one way but not the other?

itsnotfast

I bet one of the springs that keep inward tension againts the wheel cylinder broke and the brake is forced out all the way on one side against the drum, working kind of like the gears of a ratchet.

lefty09

well we were able to free it. we tried again and with some gas it freed it up. i had the rear brakes changed today since it was time and the mechanic couldn't find a cause to why the wheel was locked up. anyway, i'm just glad it's moving freely.

thanks for all the help guys! i hope this doesn't happen again.

shooitztom316

That sucks

Dontoh

gotta agree, I'm not an expert or anything, but if you notice when you try to go forward with your e-brake ON, your rear end will LIFT. so.. if it's lifting, I'd guess it was something with your e-brake like everyone else said, and quite possible the drum

lefty09

Well I haven't been using the ebrake since I had my brakes changed - just in case. All was good until tonight....I went out and noticed it wasn't rolling back freely again (I park on a very slight incline). It was doing the exact same thing as before....rolls back a few inches (slowler than usual) and the car lifts on the right side and stops. However, it is reversing thankfully.

After I ran my errands and got back home and parked, I walked to the wheel to take a look and it smelled really stong, guess it smelled like brakes (dunno?). I touched a lug nut and it was really hot, I thought it burned me actually lol.

Wtf, I had the brakes changed, and haven't been using the ebrake...what can be causing this??

On a side note, when I did the emission test last week the abs light was on. I went in to ask them why, as its never been on before and they told me it sometimes happens because only 2 wheels are moving. They said it would turn off after a short drive, and it did, and hasn't been back on. If it was the abs acting up, would the light come back on?

thanks again everyone!

jokerstone

i have the same issue now, did you fix it?