HOW did my parking brake break

[yob_yeknom]

I have no clue what happened. While wheeling at Paragon, my parking brake on the passenger side broke.

On the way back to Chris's house, I started smelling burning brakes. When I got there, (just a couple of miles) I could smell the brakes around the wheel and actually fell heat radiating from the wheel well.

Jacked it up and removed the wheel. Removed the caliper and the wheel still wouldn't turn, so I knew the p-brake was locked up. I backed the brakes off with the little star wheel behind the rotor, and with some hard tugging was able to remove the rotor. The brake shoes fell out in a million pieces.

I cleaned the pieces out and just put things back together for the ride home. No p-brake, but who cares, I wanted to go home.

Anyways, what could have caused that? I didn't go through any deep mud like the rest of the guys, and never left the brake on while moving. Just half-way the Chris's I started hearing brake squeel, then a little later smelt brakes.

 

[Alec]

Maybe the pbrake cable got pulled on? Then it froze and cooked :fire:

 

[410Fortune]

Yeah you gotta watch those cables, tehy get pulled pretty good when wheeling, look at the routing...

Heck I drove for about an hour and a half just creeping along down from Topof the World in Moab with my E brake set all the way to the floor. Since it;s an 88 a with 230K miles the little brake light doesnt work sometimes, got me in trouble there. Cost me $90 in parts and labor tohave it fixed last week, I had them do it when they re-geared my diff since they were already in there....

Those things are a PITA, I could think of 10000 better ways to make a aparking brake on disc brakes, like a Honda or Toyota with a simple cable that pulls the caliper shut. I have actually been thinking about making up a driveline parking brake, they sell them aftermarket for Yota'sand it wouldnt be too hard to make fit our t case, just use the parts from a motocycle disc and a little welding, run a cable, and BLAM! no more drum e brake nightmares

 

[yob_yeknom]

I fiddled with the cable, it had slack in it like it should.

Yes, I know how much of a PITA they are. I had to replace a set on my old Explorer. I got so fed up I had to get my dad to help do it. It still took us a long time and a lot of frustration.

 

[mrboyle]

Originally posted by 410Fortune

Those things are a PITA, I could think of 10000 better ways to make a aparking brake on disc brakes, like a Honda or Toyota with a simple cable that pulls the caliper shut.

In reality the system used by Ford (on rearends w/discs) is the best parking brake and the only true emergency brake design available. It is the only setup that is independent of the entire braking system. Yes they can be a pain, but try to limp home a vehicle with the caliper stuck because the built in e-brake stuck. It wont happen! Also, servicing the brakes that use this style caliper takes special tools and is a lot more difficult than usual. The driveline brake is an option, but what happens if you break the driveline?

 

[Stephen]

They seem to just do that. Mine failed a while back much in the same way yours did, just locked and shattered the shoes. Do you use your parking brake regularly, when you're not wheeling? The only answer (other than Ford's standard line, they all do that) my service rep could give me was that if the parking brake doesn't get regularly used then it rusts up and seizes, then if it is used it locks down and shatteres the shoes. I've had lots of cars, and I have rarely used the parking brake on all of them that were automatic, all with different types of braking systems and I've never had one seize like that.

All I can think is if you hadn't used it since you last went offroad and some kind of sludge got in there, it stuck hard and dried, when you used it this time it wouldn't release.

 

[yob_yeknom]

Originally posted by Stephen
All I can think is if you hadn't used it since you last went offroad and some kind of sludge got in there, it stuck hard and dried, when you used it this time it wouldn't release.

This could be it. I rarely use the parking brake.

 

[Stephen]

Thats probably why.

Fix it yourself though, Ford charged me $400.

 

[yob_yeknom]

That's insane. I'll definitely be doing it myself.

 

[Texan01]

I like the Ford design of the P-brake. Makes servicing pads a lot easier.

My old 6000 had the unusual rear disc brake option and the P-brake acted on the calipers so anytime you had to pull the caliper off you had to go through and adjust the stupid thing which wasn't hard but it was time consuming. If you weren't careful you'd wind up having to bleed the brakes because the adjusting screw acted directly on the piston. and you had to use the brake regularly to keep the silly thing in adjustment otherwise the rear brakes wouldn't compensate for pad wear.

 

[410Fortune]

Well it does do a great job! I have had that sucker holding my truck and boat on some pretty steep inclines.
It;s just a PITA to replace, but that never stopped me before...........I just got lucky and had it done while the axles were out.


INrboyle: If the driveline breaks it's trailer time and beer time.............or a big rock in front of the tire makes a great parking brake.