cold-frozen (rear) brakes

'96 XJ Country, auto, 4.0L, 2WD

Today was the first day of below-freezing temperatures in my part of Dallas TX. Went to go to work, started it up & let the engine warm up, took the parking brake off (I always use the parking brake even though I have an auto), put it in gear, felt it go into gear, but the brakes won't let go. I gave it a little gas, it moved a tiny bit & I felt the front left caliper break free, but several additional attempts at moving fwd & backward failed to free the rear brakes.

I haven't looked underneath the Jeep yet, so I know I'm posting prematurely, but I ask you to entertain a couple of questions. I searched here & on Jeepforum.Com, & the only similar thing I found was a guy with a TJ who said his would do this every time the temps dropped to freezing -- he said he would just rock fwd & backwd until they broke free (I'm reluctant to keep trying). Here are my questions, remembering that I haven't physically looked at the brakes yet:

1) Have my (probably quite old) brake lines simply frozen?

2) is it possible that brake fluid has leaked out & frozen on the drums/pads?

3) or is it likely I have a broken brake line somewhere?

I've also read that seeping axle seals could cause the brakes to lock up, but that was not related to cold temperatures . . . any thoughts? I promise I'll jack up the XJ later today & provide more detailed info.

Not sure about brakes myself, but word of note, it is a VERY GOOD IDEA to ALWAYS put on your emergency brake when you park.:thumbup: before changing your shifter to park, [Opposite when you go to move the vehicle] This is due ot the fact that it takes the pressure off the gears inside the tranny, which if not done, over time will wear out the tranny faster. Try it. You'll notice the care rock slightly [the pressure on the gears causes this] if you don't use the emerg. brake, when you use the emerg. brake in this method, it won't rock at all.

HoratioTheJeep said:

'96 XJ Country, auto, 4.0L, 2WD


1) Have my (probably quite old) brake lines simply frozen?

2) is it possible that brake fluid has leaked out & frozen on the drums/pads?

3) or is it likely I have a broken brake line somewhere?

I've also read that seeping axle seals could cause the brakes to lock up, but that was not related to cold temperatures . . . any thoughts? I promise I'll jack up the XJ later today & provide more detailed info.

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1- You may have some moisture in the emer. brake cable sleeves that is
freezing and not letting them release.

2- Typically, uncontaminated brake fluid won't freeze. Not on our planet
anyway. Sometimes a leaky wheel cylinder will contaminate the brake
shoes and cause them to stick to the drum. But you will know this
because they will grab and lock up that wheel when you apply the brakes.

3- A broken line would cause your pedal to hit the floor as it "vents" the
system.

Check underneath the driver's side, see if you can wiggle any of the exposed emergency brake cables and get the rear to release. Do it in a safe manner, on level ground, engine off and in Park ect. I had the same problem on an old Blazer but it was due to corrosion in the cables and hardware.

I was under the assumption that when you use the park brake, that it only engages the rear brakes. I was just reading, and you said your front calipers broke loose.. Maybe I'm wrong.. I used the e-brake to drift in the snow because it locked up the rear.

cykaaro said:

Not sure about brakes myself, but word of note, it is a VERY GOOD IDEA to ALWAYS put on your emergency brake when you park.:thumbup: before changing your shifter to park, [Opposite when you go to move the vehicle] This is due ot the fact that it takes the pressure off the gears inside the tranny, which if not done, over time will wear out the tranny faster. Try it. You'll notice the care rock slightly [the pressure on the gears causes this] if you don't use the emerg. brake, when you use the emerg. brake in this method, it won't rock at all.

Click to expand...

This is completely false. The parking mechanism in a auto trans is a "pawl and rachet" system, and unless you are putting it into "park" when actually MOVING, there is no savings on "wear and tear" of the transmission by applying the parking brake first.

In fact, applying the parking brake in cold weather is a GOOD way to LOCK the rear wheels, as moisture tends to find it's way into the parking brake cables, and when it freezes, it effectively siezes the cable inside it's sheath. (Been there and done that as a younger man.)

Use the "park" position on the auto trans with complete freedom from fear of "wearing out the gears", providing you don't engage "park" when going 10MPH

It rained all day here yesterday, I forgot to leave off the parking brake last night and this morning the brakes were frozen. It got down to around 12*F. I say this morning, but I couldn't get in the door until lunch time, the locks were frozen too.

My belief was that moisture would be between and around the brake shoes and freezes the shoes to the drums in wet cold weather. When living in the country, I never locked my doors and parked on flat ground and I knew not to put the parking brake on during freezing weather. We moved into town (I lock my doors now) and I park on a slight grade, so I always use the parking brake. I'll remember tonight. :wierd:

Keith

Thanks for the comments, all. I think the shoes were stuck to the drums, if for no other reason than that I could operate the brake handle & feel the tension increase & decrease.

I finally just blipped the throttle a little harder & the drums broke loose. Everything moves freely now, & (thankfully) still functions. I made it to work & all. Later today I'm going to remove one or both wheels & see if I can tell what's going on.

It rained most of yesterday, dried out in the evening, then it got down to 28*F at about midnight (windchill of 11*F) -- so I think there was just moisture in the drums, or possibly in the cable shafts. So, I think the guys (&/or gals) are correct who said it happened 'cause the e-brake was on overnight. My guess is, what I thought was the front left caliper was really only the rear drums making noise -- sure sounded like the front, though. I was somewhat afraid that water had somehow gotten in the brake fluid & froze . . . but I really have no reason to believe that such may have happened, since the brakes were working fine yesterday before they froze.

I've had rear drums drag on other cars, but I've never had them freeze solid!

I've been using the parking/e-brake religiously b/c I was told I should by the dealer I bought it from (he's not too smart, so I won't be surprised if he's wrong), for, as he claimed, there had been cases where the tranny let loose & set an XJ rolling. Ever hear such a thing?

Well, for my part, I'm going to be more judicious about my use of it, from now on . . . Anyway, thanks again.

This has happened on all of my three Jeeps. In the winter I just leave it in gear and make sure that I chock the wheels against the curb if I am on a hill to keep the strain off the driveshaft. If you have an auto, just leave it in Park, no worries.

Well I don't know how cold it actually gets where you guys are but it has been -50 c here at night for the last two weeks and I have not had my brakes freeze at all. So I would think that you have some contamination or moisture somewhere that is causing your brakes to freeze/lock. I had a VW Scirocco that had the rear brakes freeze 'cause I had driven around on a slushy day, parked in an unheated garage and it went to -30 that night. Lesson learned there don't put your park brake on in the winter. Leave it in gear. I can't tell you how many times in the winter we have military vehicles freeze their park brakes, happens all the time up here. Just my $0.0244!!

Marty

'91 XJ 2dr, 5spd. No mods... Yet!

edmaude said:

This has happened on all of my three Jeeps. In the winter I just leave it in gear and make sure that I chock the wheels against the curb if I am on a hill to keep the strain off the driveshaft. If you have an auto, just leave it in Park, no worries.

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Chocks!! Of course!! Brilliant!!

Why, oh, why am I so stupid? [don't answer that] I have some in the back of the XJ I use whenever I've got it up on jackstands . . . but I do have an auto.

I hear that, if you have an auto & are parking on an incline, it helps (after putting it in Park) to let off the brakes slowly -- if you let off suddenly you can bend the pin (or pawl?) or whatever, that the tranny locks against when in park. You know--when you've just put it in park, it will roll a little before it comes to a stop. So is that right? let off the brakes slowly?

After one <0 morning spent hack sawing my e-brake cables so I could
get to work , about 20 years ago, I swore never again to set the damn things, and I haven't. Anybody concerned about wear etc can rest easy.

when you live in northern california where we get lots of snow, you learn to never never set your parking brake when its snowing or even cold out. if water makes it into you drums, and you park and set your parking brake, and its below freezing, the shoes can and will freeze to the drums!! cant tell you how many times up at the ski resort we've had to try to get frozen rear brakes loose. usually heat them up with a propain torch on low heart. seen them so bad you cant move, and cant brake them loose.