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Parking brake will not release

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by TiresMiteBSq, Nov 25, 2018.

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  1. TiresMiteBSq

    TiresMiteBSq New Member

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    My 2006 gen 2 had the 'triangle of death' show up on the dash along with a slew of other lights. It still drove but gas mileage was extremely poor. Anyone who has been through it is saying to themselves that it's a bad hybrid battery and the local dealer agrees. So not wanting to shell out the cash Rt then I drive it home and park it. To park it out of the way it was parked on a hill. I've dealt with the battery dieting if it sits too long on my gen 1 so I tried to start it every so often. Well it still went dead. Now 6 months have passed and the rear tires went real flat. I hand pump them (another story) to the car could move once I hopefully charge the battery. So time passes and I get the car started. At this point just the low tire light is on, but once I released the foot peddle for the park break and then engaged the car into R the backend lifted as if the parking break wouldn't release. I tried rocking between R and D but no luck and the front tires would spin and dig into the gravel. I sat and ran the car for 20+ min ( at some point the triangle of death reappeared) in hopes of warming up the possibility frozen cable. No luck. I then used two jacks an raised the back end so the tire barely touched the ground (slid a bit on the hill) and tried to rotate the tires with once again no luck. While jacked up I tried depressing the parking break and releasing it also in combination with the foot break. Still luck missed me. Next with my foot depressing the foot pedal I shifted to D and then R and back to park. Turning the car off would cause it to die and need jumping again. Tried this too and then repeated many of the same failed things. I know the car will need a new 12V battery, it can the bad battery or low tire pressure or something else be causing the park break not to release? Trying to get it in my garage so I can pull the hybrid battery,but it will not move.
     
    #1 TiresMiteBSq, Nov 25, 2018
  2. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    NO. A broken cable and/or spring, yes.

    Prolonged lack of use and the exposure to the outdoor elements most likely caused the shoes to freeze in place and/or rust to the rear drum. READ: '04 - Rear wheel stuck: Brake shoes? Cable? | PriusChat
     
    #2 exstudent, Nov 26, 2018
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  3. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    .
     
    #3 edthefox5, Nov 26, 2018
    Last edited: Nov 26, 2018
  4. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    If the brake shoes are seized to the drum, it's going to be a PIA to get the drum off. Chock the front wheels, make sure the parking brake pedal is released, take the tire off and smack the hell out of the drum with a mallet first, as that would be the easiest thing to do to try to unstick the shoes from the drum. Mechanical agitation can work miracles sometimes.

    If the cable is frozen inside it's sleeve, (shoes not seized to drum, but still clamped to the drum) the drum brake should have a rubber cover over an access hole in the back plate. Remove this rubber plug and there should be a "star" adjuster there. Back off the adjuster and the shoes should loosen.

    This assumes the Prius drum brakes are similar to normal drum brakes. I've been fortunate enough to have never needed to mess with mine.
     
    #4 TMR-JWAP, Nov 26, 2018
  5. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    yeah your right not sure what I was thinking you will never get the hubs off if the parking brake engaged.
     
    #5 edthefox5, Nov 26, 2018
  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    Rather than smacking the drums with mallets, you could try pushing them off the hub with a pair of M8x1.25 bolts in the holes provided there for the purpose. If you have made sure the parking brake pedal is released first, and wiggled the cables as much as you can going into the brakes, the motion of the drums being pushed off as you tighten the bolts will start to pull the shoes along with (the shoe hold-down springs allow this). That will angle the shoes away from flat against the drum, and probably break them free. Even if they stay extended, you'll be able to force the drums off that way. Shoes may be a bit shredded when you're done, but I might plan on replacing them and the levers/struts anyway.

    -Chap
     
    #6 ChapmanF, Nov 26, 2018
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  7. PAUL SCHULTZ

    PAUL SCHULTZ Member

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    If the drums are frozen and you could get the vehicle to a paved drive (assuming you have a paved drive) then towing the Prius in neutral with the brake released generally will free them up. Expect some skid marks on the pavement prior to the drums releasing. Sometimes even driving the front wheel drive vehicles on pavement can free up locked rear drum brakes.

    At my house I have a tow strap, a pick up truck, and a teenage assistant to help with these maneuvers!

    Good luck and keep us posted.

    Paul
     
    #7 PAUL SCHULTZ, Nov 26, 2018
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