celica rear wheel jammed after winter storage

arch0n · #1 03-15-2010, 09:42 AM

I just tokk my Toyota Celica 2002 out of 4 month storage and the right rear wheel is stuck and won't budge a dime. I guess the pads are stuck to the disc. I've tried moving forward and backward but the whell will only drag and won't move.

Any tips?

Thanks

shorod · #2 03-15-2010, 12:17 PM

Make sure the parking brake lever is released. If it is, you should be able to still jack up the wheel and pull it to get a better look. You might need to manually release the parking brake lever at the caliper. Did you have the parking brake set while the car was in storage?

-Rod

arch0n · #3 03-15-2010, 01:15 PM

The hand brake was on during storage but I have disengage it before moving the car of course. I've played with it a little but didn't change anything. I guess I will take the wheel of, but was checking if there was a way around it. Once the wheel has been remove what is the best way to release the brake?

RahX · #4 03-15-2010, 06:36 PM

Take the caliper off and use a screwdriver/hammer to give it a few loving taps to get it to break loose. You might have a frozen parking brake though since it was on the whole time.

shorod · #5 03-15-2010, 11:33 PM

I'm not sure how Toyota does the rear parking brakes with 4-wheel disc. If they use a ratchet style built in to the caliper, you don't want to hit it with a hammer since the piston needs to be "screwed" back in to the caliper. I'm suspecting that the parking brake is not fully releasing and if you're lucky, the problem is a rusty parking brake cable. Once you get the car jacked up and properly supported you should try crawling under the car and tugging on the parking brake cables to each of the rear wheels to make sure it is not stuck in the sheath somewhere.

-Rod

Blt2Lst · #6 03-16-2010, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shorod

you should try crawling under the car and tugging on the parking brake cables to each of the rear wheels to make sure it is not stuck in the sheath somewhere.

^ You beat me to it.

Moving the cable around a bit will usually free it up enough to get you rolling again if that is the problem.
Once it is free, you will need to lube or replace the cable if needed.

RahX · #7 03-16-2010, 02:05 AM

I meant to say the brake pads, not the caliper.

arch0n · #8 03-16-2010, 02:08 PM

I took off the wheel and caliper and the pads weren't stuck that much after all. Now try to rotate the wheel with the caliper off I can feel something is blocking, I'm guessing the parking brake as you guys suggested, now pardon my ignorance but how to I locate it and release it?

Thanks again

arch0n · #9 03-16-2010, 02:42 PM

Ok i got the parking brake cable, but how do I get it to release... I played with it a bit but nothing is happening...

shorod · #10 03-16-2010, 09:52 PM

If the pads are not stuck but the wheel still won't rotate, that would suggest that the parking brake mechanism is likely a drum brake setup within the rotor hat. So there shouldn't be a ratchet mechanism to it. If you can pull the parking brake cable so there is slack in it the parking brake should be able to release. If there is plenty of slack in the parking brake cable to both rear wheels the problem is likely something seized within the drum assembly. About the easiest thing to do then is spray as much penetrating oil as you can inside the drum assembly, let it soak for a bit, then try to get it to move again. Once you get the car to where you can do something comfortably with it, plan to replace the parking brake shoes and hardware.

-Rod

arch0n · #11 03-16-2010, 10:56 PM

this is not drums though it's discs

shorod · #12 03-17-2010, 06:44 AM

The primary braking is disc, but some vehicles use a drum setup within the brake disc for the parking brake assembly. If the parking brake is not incorporated in to the rear disc brake caliper then it is very likely that your car uses a drum setup for the parking brake. Follow the parking brake cable to each rear wheel. Does it attached to the caliper? If not, does it go through the backing plate? If yes, then there is a drum setup integrated in to the rotor for the parking brake.

Since you have a stuck wheel and the disc brake pads are not causing the rotor to stick (how I interpreted your post #8 above) there most likely is a drum assembly. It's either that or you have seized wheel bearings which doesn't seem likely. You might try the repair guide at the Autozone website to see if they have an exploded view diagram of the rear brakes so you can see how the parking brake works. You could also try moving this thread to the Celica website since people on that forum likely have a good understanding of this particular car.

-Rod

RahX · #13 03-18-2010, 12:56 AM

You can try hitting the ouside of the drum portion of the rotor with a hammer to rattle the shoes loose. Most likely they are rusted TO their mating surface but the cable or other hardware may be rusted in position or broken.

arch0n · #14 03-19-2010, 11:13 AM

Got it!!! Finally.
There was a little rubber cap on the disc, I removed it and sprayed a penatrating oil inside, hit the disc with a rubber mace couple times, then try to rotate it with my hands, then it started to move a bit so i kept going and voilà!!!
I cleaned de disc with brake cleaner afterwards as there was some oil, took it for a test drive, works perfect, parking brake is working too and didn't get stuck again, i'll monitor this closely and might change the cable if needed.

Thanks to all of you for your help and tips.

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