emergency brake stuck on...

[EDMUND65]

Usually i dont have a problem puttin my emergency brake on when i park it, but becasue of the recent change in weather (2 foot of snow) my ebrake is stuf on when cold... how do i fix this? new calipers? are there return springs somwhere?

[oneillchick]

My dad just warned me about this morning, i guess just wait till it defrosts and then start parking it in gear instead...

[Blackcrow64]

I'd get out the hair dryer and melt the ice off your rear brakes and dry it all up so they don't freeze again. I suppose you could do like she said and park it in gear then, thats what I usually do.

[scottsee]

That shit just happend to me yesterday! I sold a 2001 Hyundai Sonata to this lady, got it cleaned, washed it, and parked next to the building. When she came back 5 hours later to pick it up the E-brake was locked up. Took like 5 min's of rocking in reverse to break it loose. what a pain in the ass!

[twospirits]

So let me get this straight, if I park my car and put on the emergency brake (which I always do btw), the emergency brake can actually freeze up and not move because it too cold outside. Damn. I guess I have to retrain myself from not doing it, since I do it out of a force of habit.

also, what if I forget and do it and I come back a few hours later to see that it is in fact locked up due to the cold. What are my/our options. (mind you I am talking about at work, not at home where one can get a hair dryer to unfreeze it).

TS out

[1992eclipseGS]

I never leave my car in gear. Its always neutral and e-brake for me. Been doing that since i first learn to drive stick. One time i took my car to the shop, they fixed it, and parked my car in the lot. Seeing that I never leave my car in gear, I start the car, let of the cluth and BANG!!! my car flies into the car parked in front of me. (they parked the car in gear)

[EDMUND65]

so who paid for it?


umm i was driving on an empty road and i swear my rear calipers dont do much braking, so i opened my door doing about 20mph and i watch my rear tire, and slammed ont he brakes and the fronts locked up but no action on the rear... so could the calipers be frozen?

[AbsoluteGTR]

The rear tires should NOT lock up, if they did, it would be just like pulling up the handbrake, your back end would be sliding all over the place...

[EDMUND65]

well i was just saying on 1 inch of packed snow, and the ammount of pressure i put on the petal should have locked all four.. no?

[AbsoluteGTR]

Well now that the snow is involved, I see your point...but in reality the rear brakes get very little power (stopping force) compared to the front. FOr example when driving and you slowly brake the car down only the front brakes are being used. The rears are only activated when you slam or press hard on the brakes...they are there for an emergency.

[Blackcrow64]

I thought we were talking about e-brakes locking up due to ice and snow? Of course the rear tires will lock up if you yank the e-brake while driving. But he was saying that it locked up overnight while his car sat outside in the storm.

[Vtec95Civic]

I hear you 1992eclipseGS, I also always park my car neutral + ebrake. Got my stereo installed at tweeters, they parked the car in gear and when I started it, it was BAM up and over the curb.