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'04 - Rear wheel stuck: Brake shoes? Cable?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Frank06, Nov 15, 2015.

  1. Frank06

    Frank06 Junior Member

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    My brother-in-law has an '04 with ~160K miles that we're potentially interested in picking up from him. It's been sitting for awhile with the parking brake on. When going to try it out today I released the parking brake (it seemed to release okay) but both rear wheels were stuck. I drove it a few feet and the left rear freed up but the right rear would not budge (multiple attempts.) It was dragging on their driveway and I could barely get the car back out of the way.

    Can someone point me to some help (videos, manual, etc.) as to how the parking brake works? Is there an external adjustment I can reach or some place to try to release the cable? We had an '06 that our daughter now drives but I've never had any issues with rear brakes in 200+K miles on that car.
     
  2. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    techinfo.toyota.com is the subscription website for Toyota factory repair manual info.

    It sounds like the parking brake cable released OK if the LR wheel is spinning freely. If the RR wheel does not release, you can try rotating the rear brake adjuster toothed wheel to reduce the length of the adjuster, allowing the brake shoes to contract away from the drum.

    This requires raising up the car at that corner, supporting the car with a jack stand, and removing the tire to more easily reach the access hole at the rear of the brake assembly. A rubber plug covers the access hole. Consult the repair manual for an exploded parts diagram to make it easier for you to visualize what must be done.

    If that doesn't work, another possibility is to use a couple of 8 mm bolts inserted into the drum's threaded holes. As the bolts are screwed into the drum, that will force the drum off the brake shoes. If the shoes are rubbing against the drum, you may end up destroying the drum and the shoes so that should be done only if you are desperate. In that case you would simply replace the drums and the brake shoes on both sides of the rear axle - as well as any other components that are damaged or corroded.
     
  3. Frank06

    Frank06 Junior Member

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    Thanks Patrick. The cable must split somewhere, I'm assuming that can be easily found? I guess it makes sense that if one side released the other did too, although the left rear also acted like it was corroded against the brake drum until it released and I have no idea how freely it's spinning. I'll try to release the right side using the adjustment wheel. :)
     
  4. Lucifer

    Lucifer Senior Member

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    Drum brakes, you might as well do the rear brakes, shoes and drums, while there you can unstick the one side that's frozen.
    you can't toe it, you have to put all four wheels up to move it, if it's going to a shop.
     
  5. Frank06

    Frank06 Junior Member

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    That's the plan - the problem is, the car is 50 miles from our house! I was going to drive it home to work on it at my leisure but this complicates things.
     
  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    My guess is that, just as you found with the left, the shoes are corroded in place against the drum, only it's a bit worse on the right. You probably slackened the cable all right, it's just that the shoes haven't moved, because you can't push a rope. I wouldn't expect slackening the adjuster to have very much effect either, for the same reason.

    What probably will work is to follow Patrick's suggestion and take the drum off, which won't be possible by hand. Pick up a pair of M8x1.25 bolts at least as long as the drum is deep, start them into the drum pull holes near the hub, and just tighten them alternately about half a turn each at a time.

    In the usual case you only give a couple turns before the drum pops off. I suggest the longer bolts only in case it goes as badly as possible and you have to drag the drum kicking and screaming the whole way.

    But I think that's very unlikely. If the shoes really are tight against the drum, the first thing your pulling action will do is pull the shoes away from the backing plate, which is probably what they are stuck to, and you will hear a spong and then be able to turn your wheel.

    If you do have to drag the drum off the shoes the whole way, I do not expect that to damage the cast iron drum in any way, but it might well chew up the shoes. You should really just plan on replacing them and have a new set on hand, they're quite inexpensive.

    Now when you get the drum off and look at it, you might see other reasons to resurface or replace it, but that would be an as-needed thing.

    If the backing plate is really corroded you might want to replace it. It's not expensive, but you need the wheel bearing out to get to it, and from the sounds of your corrosion that could be a chore in itself.

    Whatever you do, be sure to get brake lube on the six or so places where the shoes rest on the backplate.

    -Chap

    p.s. re backing plate and wheel bearing: most of the methods anyone has come up with for removing the bearing hub, when it is being stubborn, are destructive to the bearing being removed. That's not a problem at all in the usual case where changing the bearing is the reason for the job. To remove a stubborn bearing that you aren't hoping to replace with new would require a lot more finesse and, bluntly, luck.
     
    #6 ChapmanF, Nov 16, 2015
    Last edited: Nov 16, 2015
  7. Frank06

    Frank06 Junior Member

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    Thanks for the advice. If I can get the wheel freed-up this car will serve well for a couple of years. They bought it new but it hasn't gotten much use lately. It does need other work (front brakes, exhaust pipe, that I know about - maybe brake lines?) but that's what happens in Maine. A couple of hours of my time may save them $$ getting it towed and worked on in a service garage somewhere.
     
  8. Priusyipee

    Priusyipee Active Member

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    Had this happen to me on my '06 Highlander. I had it in for service and the car received a complimentary wash. The car was parked in the garage with the e-brake set (not my doing). A week later I got in, started the car, released the e-brake and tried to back up. The car would not budge. The right wheel was free but the left wheel (about 2 feet from the garage wall) was stuck. The e-brake cable released, but the mini e-brake shoes on the left side had rusted to the walls of the rotor. Can't tell you how many cuss words resulted as the space was tight. Had to remove the rotor which was a bear considering that my clearance to get the job done was limited. Once the rotor was off, I resurfaced the e-brake contact area of the rotor, the mini shoes, and lubricated everything well before reassembly.

    There is now a standing rule in my house: NEVER park the car with the e-brake engaged and allow the car to sit. This is also true in the winter where the shoes can freeze to the metal components overnight due to moisture build up. There is really no need to set the e-brake in the garage anyway.

    One note: it is important to occasionally engage the e-brake to ensure that it is functional. Good luck. I hope that removal will be easier for you than it was for me. I was lucky in that neither the e-brake shoes nor the rotor were damaged during removal.
     
  9. Frank06

    Frank06 Junior Member

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    Thanks, hopefully it won't be as hard but I will be working outside which is never easy, especially if something goes wrong. The other piece of info that hit me last night was that when backing up the car was "riding up" on that side i.e. climbing the brake shoe, so I'm pretty sure it's not stuck at the backing plate. Oh well, part of the tool kit going with me is a large hammer...
     
  10. M in KC

    M in KC Active Member

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    Edxachery! Big Hammer, dead blow if you have one. Everyone's else's advisement is spot on as usual around here. But if it were me I would strike the rear drum a time or two with a big hammer before proceeding. And if on the outside chance you had and air compressor and an air hammer, I'd chuck that bad boy up and tap around the rear drum with it in an attempt to break the bond.
     
  11. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    Frank,

    If you need the Gen2 maintenance manual, send me a PM and I'll respond with a link to zip archives on my web server.

    JeffD
     
  12. Priusyipee

    Priusyipee Active Member

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    Rubber mallet will reduce the likelihood of any damage...
     
  13. Frank06

    Frank06 Junior Member

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    Got the car home.... I went prepared for worst-case and ended up with best-case. I loosened the lug nuts, jacked the car up and was surprised to see the wheel move back-and-forth, perhaps 1/2" at the OD, obviously hitting something inside pretty hard. I figured something was broken. Removing the wheel and tapping the brake drum fairly gently with a pretty big hammer freed it up and it rotated fine. I put the wheel back on and drove it tentatively but it seemed fine, both forward and reverse (although I did avoid heavy braking.) Still no problems on a longer test drive so I hit the road.

    The only thing I'm not familiar with was when I got out of the car at our house to open the garage door. I left it powered-up and could hear a clicking (relay?) which could have been from the relay box or inverter, I couldn't tell. I don't remember hearing this on our '06. If anyone has any thoughts if this is normal or not I would appreciate hearing them.
     
  14. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I suggest you remove the rear brake drums soon, for inspection. Buy a couple of 8 mm bolts to use in removing the drums in case they are stuck.
     
  15. Frank06

    Frank06 Junior Member

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    Absolutely, I've been wondering if the lining on one shoe hasn't broken away.
     
  16. Frank06

    Frank06 Junior Member

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    I removed the offending side and saw nothing untoward (lots of brake dust though!) Maybe a chunk of rust was hanging it up?

    Does anyone know offhand what the service limit of the shoes is?


    EDIT: found it - 1.0 mm
     
    #16 Frank06, Nov 20, 2015
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2015
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i can't think of anything under the hood that would make a clicing relay sound. was the a/c on?
     
  18. Frank06

    Frank06 Junior Member

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    I can't remember for sure but will try to duplicate it this morning. The defrost was probably on.
     
  19. Frank06

    Frank06 Junior Member

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    It didn't make the clicking again and it looks like the defrost was "on." I'm sure it's not a big issue. (thanks for thinking about it for me)
     
  20. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    The specific bolt you need for drum removal is M8x1.25. Get fully threaded, with say 1" thread length. Two are are needed.

    They're readily available, at Home Despot or wherever.

    The first time I used such bolts was for a disc brake rotor removal. I wasn't sure I had the right bolt, and what with all the rust in the holes threads was even less sure. I just kept screwing it in 'till I met moderate resistance, then backed it out, blew the loosened rust out, and repeated, 'till it finally got through.