Emergency Brake Stuck

[JimBeam]

OK so the other day I put the emergency break on in my 2000 Tahoe and it goes all the way down and will not release.

My BIL's brother tells me I should be able to cut a cable that'll release it.

Is this advised ?

I don't ever use the break so if cutting it will make it useless going forward I have no issue w/ that but I don't wanna make the car unsafe in any way.

If I decided to not do it myself and took it to a mechanic do you think he'd disable it and if so what could he possibly charge me ?

[opie's twisted balls]

OK so the other day I put the emergency break on in my 2000 Tahoe and it goes all the way down and will not release.

My BIL's brother tells me I should be able to cut a cable that'll release it.

Is this advised ?
Ahhhh...no!

Cutting the cable will only work if thats where its seized. If its stuck @ the drum (I think the Tahoe's have drum breaks in the rear) then cutting the cable won't do jack. Will also likely make your vehicle fail its next mechanical inspection.

[Snoogans]

you shoulda got a toyota. they dont give a fuck about brakes

[JimBeam]

Ahhhh...no!

Cutting the cable will only work if thats where its seized. If its stuck @ the drum (I think the Tahoe's have drum breaks in the rear) then cutting the cable won't do jack. Will also likely make your vehicle fail its next mechanical inspection.

I don't think it's stuck at the drum because I was able to drive it a a bit from where it got stuck to my driveway.

There wasn't much grinding and/or resistance and all I was getting was the warning that the brake was still on.

[Snoogans]

I don't think it's stuck at the drum because I was able to drive it a a bit from where it got stuck to my driveway.

There wasn't much grinding and/or resistance and all I was getting was the warning that the brake was still on.

that doesnt matter. It doesnt mean stuck fully on. It could be stuck in the drum from coming back out of it. Could be some water froze in there, you never know

[JimBeam]

Thanks.

I have a mechanic at the bottom of the hill here so I'll take it there tomorrow and see what he says.

Hopefully he won't rape me since I've gone to him for the last few things I've needed fixed.

[Snoogans]

Thanks.

I have a mechanic at the bottom of the hill here so I'll take it there tomorrow and see what he says.

Hopefully he won't rape me since I've gone to him for the last few things I've needed fixed.

let it run and warm up. Drive it around the block and hit the break a couple times. See if you can heat it a little and get it to release

[JimBeam]

I'll try that too.

Will also likely make your vehicle fail its next mechanical inspection.

One of the good things about living in CT is there's no inspection.

And I hope to be able to have a new car before this one's registration needs to be renewed.

[Snoogans]

I'll try that too.



One of the good things about living in CT is there's no inspection.

And I hope to be able to have a new car before this one's registration needs to be renewed.

its good until you realize you pay about 1-2000 more for a car because of it

[biggestmexi]

to find out if it is stuck drive around a block a few times then touch your rear breaks with your tongue

[danlaroe]

i had the same thing happen to me. i took a maglite and banged on the rear brakes calipers and the housing unit behind it. popped right free. not a problem since

[sr71blackbird]

Thanks.

I have a mechanic at the bottom of the hill here so I'll take it there tomorrow and see what he says.

Hopefully he won't rape me since I've gone to him for the last few things I've needed fixed.


Too bad he is at the bottom of the hill...

Isnt bringing a broken car to a mechanic kind of the reason of their existence?

[opie's twisted balls]

then touch your rear breaks with your tongue
a real man would use the tip of his cock

[Chigworthy]

Take the wheels off and look at your brakes. They're not that complicated. Cutting the cable would be silly; disconnecting it would be a better temporary solution.

[Snoogans]

Take the wheels off and look at your brakes. They're not that complicated. Cutting the cable would be silly; disconnecting it would be a better temporary solution.

if you have drum brakes, yes, they are very complicated

[SatCam]

I don't ever use the break

Here's your problem. You should set your parking brake on a regular basis or else it can seize like this when you do decide to use it. It's not a safety issue per se, considering the brake is really for parking and not for emergencies, but cutting the cable would just be silly considering you could just spend a little more time taking off your back wheels and dealing with the brakes there

[Charlie_Don't_Surf]

to find out if it is stuck drive around a block a few times then touch your rear breaks with your tongue

You forgot to tell him to try to get the flat part of the tongue not just the tip.


Oh and it's BRAKE!!!!!!

[PapaBear]

Oh and it's BRAKE!!!!!!
It doesn't work right. I'd say it's broke.

[Chigworthy]

if you have drum brakes, yes, they are very complicated

Not to me.

[Charlie_Don't_Surf]

It doesn't work right. I'd say it's broke.

Lucky for him, it could have been baroque.

[Snoogans]

Not to me.

well then you have either learned about them or never taken the actual drum off

[Chigworthy]

well then you have either learned about them or never taken the actual drum off

I got me some of that book-learnin'. Any hetero male should be able to work on their brakes with a 20$ manual and some knuckle-skin.

[Snoogans]

I got me some of that book-learnin'. Any hetero male should be able to work on their brakes with a 20$ manual and some knuckle-skin.

most people cant even tell the springs apart from the pictures in books. I learned it in Auto Shop class but since 90% of cars are discs now, its been so long since I looked at a drum brake assembly that Id probably need some time to jog my memory and remember how all the pieces fit back together.

its alot simpler on disc brakes. Just disconnect every bolt except the one with the hose attached to it

[Chigworthy]

most people cant even tell the springs apart from the pictures in books. I learned it in Auto Shop class but since 90% of cars are discs now, its been so long since I looked at a drum brake assembly that Id probably need some time to jog my memory and remember how all the pieces fit back together.

its alot simpler on disc brakes. Just disconnect every bolt except the one with the hose attached to it

Disc brakes rule. My last truck had discs all around. My current truck has rear drums.

One trick for changing disc pads: Compress the piston slowly with a large c-clamp while the old pads are still on the calipers (take the reservoir cap on the master cylinder off if the pressure is too much). These morons who open the lines to change pads, then have to bleed them and refill with fluid don't know shit.

[hyperspace]

dont know about the new cars but gm foot er brake used to have a lever on the side of the mounting bracket to release it if you wanna crawl under the dash and look

[JimBeam]

dont know about the new cars but gm foot er brake used to have a lever on the side of the mounting bracket to release it if you wanna crawl under the dash and look

Yeah I actually looked for that after I Googled the problem and either it wasn't there or it was just stuck really tightly.

In the end I brought it to the mechanic and it cost me $47.

I know nothing about fixing cars so it was an easy $47 to spend.

They said that it had gotten stuck and then the cable was out of whack.

They just took apart and reattached the actual pedal and then aligned the cable again.

When I told the issue to the mechanic that had last replaced my brakes he told me that he had mentioned it to me at that time and I chose not to do it.

I asked him what he thought it would cost and he estimated $1K to replace everything.

I was like " No thank you. I'm not replacing the emergency brake and whatever else comes w/ that for $1K on a truck w/ almost 160K miles. "

Thanks to everybody for your imput.

My wife thinks that I'm quite the dork for posting on here but I don't think she realizes how helpful you guys on here can be.