handbrake stuck

[sflash868]

Dont' know what to do about this. Searched the forum and the only advice is give it some throttle. Well I tried, forward, backward etc. How much speed to I need here? Should I take it out on the road and hope it lets go before i blow something up? I doubt I can get the drum off with the brake on, right? Thoughts? p.s. what's the max trailer weight for a d-90?

[Red90]

Hit the drum and the linkage into the drum with a hammer....

If that does not work, back off the manual adjuster a bunch.

[MonLand]

Dont' know what to do about this. Searched the forum and the only advice is give it some throttle. Well I tried, forward, backward etc. How much speed to I need here? Should I take it out on the road and hope it lets go before i blow something up? I doubt I can get the drum off with the brake on, right? Thoughts? p.s. what's the max trailer weight for a d-90?

I would not recommend this. After a while, when the drum brakes get olders, the friction plates can disconnect from the support. When that happen, they can lock sideways and going forward and backward will not help for too long.... Happened to me with a Renault 5 (Le car).
May I suggest opening the drum instead? This way you will see what is wrong and will not break anything.
What does this take?
- remove the shaft
- remove a few nuts
Probably a one hour job (unmount and remount), then either you see something wrong and you can order parts/... or you can just unstuck the drum easily.

[sflash868]

I know getting the shaft off is easy, what about the drum? WHere are those bolts? Will the drum budge with the brake engaged?

[MonLand]

The drum is easy to get out if not stuck.... ;-) Lightly/gently tap it out with a rubber mallet. The drum will not move is the brake is engaged.
Actually, before you take everything out (shaft), you can try to:
- release the brake
- release a little the adjustment nut
- tap on the outside with a rubber mallet all around the drum
- see if that free up the drum

If you need to turn the drum (and it is still stuck), take the rear axle off the ground (both wheels) and do not lock the central diff.

[sflash868]

Couldn't I just disconnect the rear drive shaft? And drive it on front wheel if need be

[jimmy salmon]

your brake would still be on. sounds like your brake shoes are well worn and they have moved to far apart to return while applying the hand brake

[cgalpin]

Have you been in mud lately? Giving the inside a good hose down might free it up if you have.

And those pads are crazy expensive btw. No idea why.

charles

[Hans]

Pulling the rear shaft wouldn't be an option, it would cause some real funky issues with the transfer case differential and the gearing would be all wacko too.

I've had the same problem in the past, and tried the foreward/backward thing.... it broke the parking brake free, but then it wouldn't RE-engage again.

I'd try holding the button on the handle, and giving that handle a few sharp yanks upward to see if it will break the pads free of the drum. Also, been in any water lately? If it's frozen, perhaps hitting the drum with a hair dryer for a while might thaw it out for you.

-Hans

[Tim Scully]

If the rear drive shaft is removed getting the drum off will be the biggest issue. Make sure the linkage isnt what is binding it up. If it is an earlier 90 the linkage was a cluster F and would get stuck, I found that using a pry bar on the linkage to incourage it helped to free a couple of sticking parking brakes. Otherwise you risk messing up the backing plate by prying the drum off the housing.

You will be able to drive it if you remove the rear shaft and the drum is locked, remember you are dealing with an open diff if the diff lock is off. If the drum wont let the rear flange turn then the power has to go to the front shaft. I wouldnt however recommend this for an extended period. I think this would be a patch for a bigger problem, fix the real issue before it causes more issues in the future

[sflash868]

it is an earlier 90. 94. It's my brothers not mine, so it's been sitting for about 2 months with the hand brake yanked up hard. He knows little about cars and less about d-90's so he didn't know leaving in gear is a better idea. Wanna hear a bad idea?... Once I get this brake free, I have to drive it to georgia pick up a car and trailer, and bring all 5,000 pounds back to NY as fast as i can. Need to be back by sunday, leaving friday. Car hasn't been driven in 2 months. I can't wait for the Sh*t show of mechanical problems to start

[MonLand]

it is an earlier 90. 94. It's my brothers not mine, so it's been sitting for about 2 months with the hand brake yanked up hard. He knows little about cars and less about d-90's so he didn't know leaving in gear is a better idea. Wanna hear a bad idea?... Once I get this brake free, I have to drive it to georgia pick up a car and trailer, and bring all 5,000 pounds back to NY as fast as i can. Need to be back by sunday, leaving friday. Car hasn't been driven in 2 months. I can't wait for the Sh*t show of mechanical problems to start

Probably rusted and lacking oil/grease on the jaws/mechanism..... Rubber mallet it!

[sflash868]

Tried: heating it, rubber malet, metal hammer, removing the drum (won't budge), jiggling the cable, adjusting the tension, prying on the cable. jiggling the handle and I think i might have spit on it too. Didn't have time to keep messing with it, car went to LR on a flatbed. THey really are the best looking car on a flat bed.. thanks for all the help though!

[hillstrubl]

I'm having a similar issue, stuck handbrake. Mine however seems to be caused by the cable not sliding in the sheeth smoothly enough. A spray with silicone and using my fingers to force the cable (where it attaches to the handle) seems to have freed it up. I'm going to tap the drum a bit with a mallet just in case though. Is there any way (easily) to check and see if mud has accumulated in there without having to take the whole thing apart?

[nikojo]

I had this happen on my original D90.

I have since replaced it with the X-eng brake.

I wonder if some larger holes or slots could be made in the drum that allow for transfer of mud/water so it can't accumulate.