3 of 4 wheels locked?

Short version: Truck feels stuck and only one wheel seems to turn. I drove it more than I should've, and the problem *definitely* didn't resolve itself. All I got was lots of white smoke and a stinky smell.

Long version:
I get up this morning and it feels like the truck is frozen solid to the ground. This seems weird, because it's been below freezing for a week and also I'm parked in a shelter, but ok. I try it in reverse and then 1st to see if that loosens things up. I rock it out, but it doesn't feel better even after I get it to move about a foot forward.

I decide it's maybe the e-brake that's stuck. This sometimes happens in winter, so I try to gently drive it out of the shelter and up the driveway. In the past, that's been enough to release it (and then I just avoid using the e-brake again until I can get it sorted out).

I realize I'm giving it TONS of gas to get moving. As I realize this, the truck comes out of the shelter and slips sideways, blocking my husband's truck. F**K.

Our driveway has a real slope to it, so now I'm hosed. I'm revving super high trying to get it back into the shelter, making tons of white smoke, and there is a terrible stinking smell that could be my tires and metal studs spinning, or maybe something worse. The truck is barely moving and it feels like (at best) only 2 wheels are rolling. It's now pivoting sideways on the slope of the driveway, so it's even further from the shelter and MORE in the way.

In the end I got it back into the shelter, but I think only the rear right tire was turning. Putting it in 2WD accomplished nothing (it didn't move at all). It's going to get towed to the dealership as soon as they open.

I've read a bunch of old threads similar to my problem, but most of them amount to stuck brakes, and often are related to water freezing in the mechanism.

I don't think that's my problem, because:
1) I drove it over the weekend and everything seemed fine. It's my only vehicle, so it never sits for more than a few days.
2) It's been below freezing for the past week, including the day I drove the truck and the days in between. We have had no rain or snow and the truck is parked under a shelter.
3) I don't believe in car washes and there's no reason to think there was liquid water anywhere near the truck
4) The rear left (but not right) wheel appeared to turn, so I would guess that it's not a rear brake thing - and if it's a front brake thing, wouldn't both rear wheels work?

Any ideas???

 

“Tons of white smoke” can be a real issue. Do you know what was the source of the smoke, the one spinning tire or was it the stuck brakes? Any way I wouldn’t drive it until it got sorted.

 

Yeah I already feel like I drove it too much. I just hope the driveway isn't too icy for CAA (Canadian version of AAA) to get it.

 

Well let's assume you have 4wd and no lockers, and that your tcase didn't explode. That means you have at least 1 wheel on each axle that will move.

Tons of white smoke and 1 wheel spinning under high rpm sounds a lot like just being stuck in icy ground with open diffs.

 

Sounds like Ebrake bellcrank lock up. If the lever doesn't return to the stops at the cable ends hammer taps and lube under the rubber boots may fix it. Common Taco problem in cold or corrosive environment.

 

Kinda what I was thinking as I read through it as well. Thinking siezed up park brakes could definitely hold the truck back

 

Yeah same thought I have as where to start. Sounds like she's just towing it straight to do a dealership. Bummer.

 

I know drum brakes are pure unfiltered shit, but it seems unlikely that they would freeze so solid that moving the truck wouldn't break them loose. I suppose it's possible, though.

 

I will take drum brakes over disc brakes any time on the rear axle .

I do hope She comes back and tells us the problem.

I never had the Bell Cranks seize unless the truck sat for a very long time or the parking brake was never used .

I use my Parking brake every time my Truck gets used then mine has all new parts about 80,000 miles ago

I have had Shoes freeze to drums never on smaller vehicles mostly on trailers

 

I've had it happen but only once or twice and never when they were dry. I don't know for sure if it was the actual brakes that were frozen but it took some throttle and it was was nothing nothing nothing POP, we're good to go.

 

Auto transmission?

Any chance the smoke was out the tailpipe?

If manual trans the smell could well be clutch burning.

On another topic, judging by the amount of body rust the truck shows in a picture you posted, I'd be concerned about the condition of the frame as well. Hopefully that has been properly examined and it is safe to be used............. An certainly something to be sure of before dropping any significant cash into repairs.

 

Easy answers first: The frame (and most of the stuff that connect to it) is under 5 years old and in great shape. (The body is by far the ugliest and rustiest part of the vehicle.) It's a manual transmission, so probably the smell/white smoke was the clutch.

I was able to move it about 15-20 feet with no measurable improvement to the locked wheels, so definitely not stuck on ice. I cannot stress enough how much gas I had to give it to accomplish this, and to move it back into place after. If giving it throttle was going to free it up, I felt like I gave it as much as I could without damaging other stuff in the process.

That said, once the truck was in the nice cozy garage all mechanic could find was a locked drum brake on the driver side (and he claimed I "boiled" the brake/clutch fluid, which seemed probable). I wonder if the other wheels not turning (or not visibly turning) in the front could have been related to the balance of weight on the front vs. back tires?

Given how spot-on everyone's answers were, I'm a bit sad I didn't try to figure it out myself. On the other hand, it was -17C and windy yesterday morning, so an outdoor repair would have been a stretch for me.

 

If you're in 4wd, at least 1 of the front wheels HAS to turn. If not you'll be picking up pieces of tcase/driveline/differential up.

 

Totally understood on the conditions and actually impressed the mechanic was honest with you. What he is saying sounds very reasonable. Not every day you find a shop that's reasonable. Good to hear that overall the shop visit went fine