• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Parking brake stuck

J

jonnywong

NAXJA Forum User
Location
upstate NY
I just installed a rustys 3" lift on my '95 XJ and cant figure out why my parking brake is locked on. Anyone ever had a problem with this? I release the lever all the way down, but it seems like the right rear is locked on for some reason.
 
I just put a Rusty's 8 in. lift on mine and it pulled the e-brake cables too tight and locked my brakes. Check your e-brake cables to see if they have any slack or if they are pulled tight. You can use a cable off a YJ (or maybe a TJ). I think its the passenger side one that is longer.
 
pull off your wheel and the drum (if you can) and see if there is something out of place. if the backing plate isn't in the way you should be able to tap the drum off with a hammer
 
Check the cable on the passenger side where is passes over the muffler. There should be a spring that holds the cable above the muffler and even some insulation on the cable. The spring broke on my XJ and the cable ended up resting on the muffler. I think the heat ended up fusing the cable to the inside of the metal sleeve so that the brake was always engaged. I could lower the brake handle inside, but the passenger side brake stayed engaged.
 
still not sure what the problem is... driver side has slack and the passenger side does not. I checked where the cable crosses over the muffler and there appears to be some damage to the outter layer of hose but not so bad you can see the cable inside of it. The spring holding up the cable isnt there anymore because it broke when i was installing the lift, so i probably need to get that replaced. i took off the pass. side wheel and tapped the wheel drum a little bit but nothing happened. ebrake light is still on
 
the light is on? Isn't the switch in the handle? I could be wrong since i dont have an Ebrake. I've never looked. If you sit in the jeep and pull up on the handle does it feel like it used to when you set the brake or is it harder or easier to lift?
 
Well i still have had no success.
I wacked the hell out of the wheel drum with a hammer, as my friend told me it would loosen up any tension on the ebrake. After doing this I actually took the wheel drum off, but i did not see anything unusual, but i dont really know brakes that well. put everything back on, and still no luck, i tried spinning the tire back and fourth with my hands to see if it would disengage but nothing. I took the tire off 3x trying this but no luck. I am beginning to suspect its the brake hose that goes over the muffler. there is a pretty descent burn mark in it from being on the muffler, although i dont know if that was already there or not. Running out of ideas here

*Just to clarify, the ebrake light is on even when the lever is down, and yes it still feels like its pulling at about the same it used to...maybe a little easier.
 
Last edited:
do you know how to do brakes? If you do, look at the other side to make sure you didn't run the e-brake cable wrong, you could have it hooked wrong.. You know it is some thing silly like that
 
jonnywong said:
*Just to clarify, the ebrake light is on even when the lever is down, and yes it still feels like its pulling at about the same it used to...maybe a little easier.
Click to expand...

This makes me wonder where the switch is for the e-brake light. I felt sure it would be in the handle like EVERY other car in america. Reguardless, if the handle pulls about the same as it usually would, I'd say the passenger side cable was just too tight... Unhook the cable and see if you still got the same problem... Tho it may be difficult to do with tension on it, YOU CAN DO IT!
 
not really sure exactly what your describing, but if you were able to remove the drum, I would think that would be damn near impossible if the brake was locked on...
 
bfred said:
not really sure exactly what your describing, but if you were able to remove the drum, I would think that would be damn near impossible if the brake was locked on...
Click to expand...

Yeah that too? Where you able to get both drums off with little trouble.
 
ill try and get some pics tomarrow. Ive tried damn near everything i can think of, but that cable is still tight. Is there any easy way to disengage the ebrake inside the drum?
 
yeah ive been driving around with it on thinking it might just break free but its still stuck and you can tell its not just the light on cuz the right rear wheel feels pretty warm compared to the left, and i can hear it at low speeds - but its driveable. Im gonna have to wait til the weekend to get a better look at it and ill try to put up some pics of inside the drum and underneath.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

H
JK parking brake cable on XJ JK rear axle
Replies
5
Views
2K
XJEEPER
XJEEPER
B
1990 turn and parking light issue left front and dash
Replies
13
Views
658
RCP Phx
R
O
Brake failure light randomly coming on
Replies
4
Views
2K
RCP Phx
R
O
Resetting Brake fault light
Replies
1
Views
977
kastein
kastein
X
My brakes are crap
Replies
12
Views
3K
xjklmnop69
X
Back
Top