Handbrake stuck on - when it was off?!?!

Wondermike

Wondermike

Moderator
Staff member
I washed the car on Sunday, when for a short drive, and then parked it up, and after having problems with the drilled discs on my SLK I always leave the handbrake off, especially if the car is still wet.

But now it feels like the rear drum/handbrakes are stuck solid, even using 2k revs wouldn't free it, so it's still stuck on the drive.

What else can I do?

:cry:
 
You didn't use the handbreak, so cant be that....might be a seized calliper... I'd jack each wheel and see which ones freely move.
 
Ah well, still under AUC warranty with emergency service too, so I reckon I'll just ring them and let someone else sort it for me. Cheers.
 
If the front caliper is siezed would be relatively easy to check by jacking it up. I think with the LSD then if either rear is seized then neither will rotate.

As you have auc just get them to come out and sort it. Had a partially seized caliper on my old celica.... Driving down the m1 at 70mph made the alloy wheel and brakes glow red at night!
 
easy street then.. i think if you get the call in early but tell them you want it looking at in the morning, they'll send someone decent. only used them twice but been very impressed, especially compared to the AA / RAC lot etc..

Strange though if you don't use the handbrake..
 
try

a) engaging and disengaging the handbrake a few times. Probably wouldn't do anything since it wasn't engaged to begin with.

b) try pumping your brakes a few times. If At around 2000rpm in first---the car's body will rise on whichever side the brake is seized on. Someone from outside the car will see the body of the car rise a few inches away from the wheel where the issue is.

If you want to check the rear wheels with a LSD:
a) put a chuck around your front wheels to prevent rolling.
b) get a heavy duty jack (i.e. rapid lift) and place it at the back of the car under the center of the rear sub frame. Make sure you do not lift from the differential!
c) for safety, you should put jack stands under the lifting pucks in front of the rear wheels. Especially if you plan on crawling under there for some reason.
 
Do you have the option of trying to go forwards and backwards, or can you only move in one direction (e.g. the front of the car is right against a wall...?)

EDIT: Have you tried putting it in gear? :? :P
 
Corroded handbrakes can still stick when not engaged if tolerances are close. Try bouncing the rear of the car a little with your body weight, that helped free mine once after 'enthusiastic' jet washing! Or try popping some wood on the drum and give it some whacks with a mallet.
 
in the old days when drum brakes seized on, they could sometime be freed by trying reverse, try going back just a foot, then forward again
 
I know what the bloke will do - rev harder and get the car moving. You just have to be more forceful if you know it was caused by the surface rust from washing the car.
 
Z4 Beemer said:
Do you have the option of trying to go forwards and backwards, or can you only move in one direction (e.g. the front of the car is right against a wall...?)

EDIT: Have you tried putting it in gear? :? :P
Click to expand...
Yes in gear :poke: :rofl:

Never got a chance to call BMW today. Just went out and tried it again, I can make one of the rears spin without the car moving, worried about using much more force.

Ed - tried the bouncing trick, no luck. I have no jack, must have been in the SLK when I sold it.
 
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