2nd Gen. Rear drum Siezing

Hi All ,

I’m new to the forum. After getting nowhere with the dealership recently I thought I would see if could find a solution or at least some guidance on my next steps with Toyota.

So last summer I bought a boat and got out fishing several times without any problems. Until one day I walked up from the dock to get the truck and trailer to get my boat out of the water and my drivers side rear drum was seized. I eventually got it to release by rocking the truck a bit . The next day I dropped it off at the dealerShip and they told me they performed a brake service and everything was in proper working order. The very next time I had the boat out the drivers side rear seized again only this time I was at the bottom of the boat ramp loading up my boat and it wouldn’t release. I ended up having to put it in 4wd and drag the seized tire (ruined the tire). and my boat up the ramp so I wasn’t blocking the ramp and called a tow. The next day the dealership calls and tells me and says that they missed some small perforations in the rubber sheath on their last inspection and that my ebrake cable is corroded and needs to be replaced. After waiting for 6 weeks for the back-ordered cable to come in last summer they fixed it and I went fishing one last time for the season and everything went well.

After my 3rd trip out this year I went up to get the truck and trailer and the end of the day and the diver side rear is seized up again and won’t release and I ended up having to call for a tow again. Unfortunately when the town truck driver was dropping my truck off the dolly at the dealership it released the seized drum. The dealership had my truck for 3 days hosing down the drum trying get it to stick again without any luck. So they performed brake service again and have told me they cannot find anything wrong !

Now I’m questioning whether or not the ebrake cable even needed to be replaced last year or not as its only ever the drivers side rear that seizes up. Kinda makes me think the issue is with something inside the drum, but Toyota is telling me the wheel cylinder and bell crank etc are all in good worker order ....

The boat ramp is fairly steep and the parking lot is like a big turtles shell at my local lake so NOT using my ebrake is NOT an option , unless I want to join the “Certified Captains” club on You Tube and post a video of my truck and trailer floating !

Does anyone have any suggestions? Please

 

Thinking of your problem. Why only after dunking the drums does the problem arise? It’s possible the places that should have a TINY dab of grease is drying up then getting washed away. Or the parking brake cables are getting water in them.

If the grease is drying up and washing off, you may need to open it up and regrease everything, and often if this is an issue with boat launching. Keeping in mind brake material and drums contact surfaces doesn’t like grease on it. It’s also possible your backing plates have grooves where the shoes touch. The shoes can get stuck in the groove and cause weird things.

If the problem is in the parking brake cables, with the drums off, you can pull and release repeatedly watching to make sure nothing is binding up, 2 people required. I like to get some dielectric grease with a little wd40 inside the sheath, which isn’t easy because the cable is in the way. With the cable off the vehicle, slide the end rubber boots out of the way if possible, shove some grease in, slide the cable back and forth to work it in, a short blast of air with a rubber tip air blow gun, repeat over and over, put the boots back on.

It could also be a problem with the hardware being worn, rusty, or assembled wrong. Easy to assemble it wrong even for an experienced mechanic.

You should also make sure the self adjusters are properly adjusted. It’s something like tighten until tight, then back off 15 clicks. Search for the correct way to do it. Or you could try letting the self adjusters adjust. Point the front up a hill, roll back stop, repeat over and over. Keep in mind, self adjusters don’t self adjust very good.

 

Mine seize up in winter when the roads have melted snow/ salt mixture spraying all over. It hasn't happened in summer yet. This is a problem well documented here on TacomaWorld. In cold areas, the early sign is that the parking brake freezes in winter from water getting into the cable housing. Eventually it rusts. I did the 2wd low range mod offered on here from Up2NoGood, therefor I don't need to set the parking brake on boat ramps - just put her in 2 lo and back down. I turn off the truck while getting the boat off the trailer, then start up and drive away. The lower gearing holds the truck securely. On dirt/ gravel ramps, I just use 4wd low.

I imagine one would need to replace a bunch of parts to ensure nothing in there is rusted. I was going to put on new brake shoes, but my drums are rusted on. I just adjusted the rears, since I didn't have a torch to heat them up.

 

One thing would be to learn how to service and adjust the brakes yourself, including of course the ebrake.

Are you submerging the drums at launch? If yes, can you avoid that?

 

Thanks for the responses . I live in Ontario Canada and fortunately this has not happened to me in my he winter months , just the boat ramp. My local lake is a reservoir so submerging the drums or not all depends on the water level of the lake that day. I have waterproof grease I use on my trailers wheel bearings I can try to lightly grease the internals on the drum and I will definitely try launching the boat with the truck in 2lo or 4lo. I just heard my door bell , my 5lbs dead blow hammer aka the drum knocker just arrived from Amazon I will be keeping in the truck as well.


However I still feel that the dealership should be the ones to make this right after what happened last year . Telling me my ebrake and drums are in perfect working order and sending me on my way only to have it completely seize the very next time out is a hard pill to swallow. Having the ebrake Cable replaced Was a pricey repair especially after having to replace the tire as well that I dragged up the ramp.$$$.

 

In defense of the dealership (which I rarely do): If the brakes were not seized at the time they looked at them, they were in good working order. Also, I don't understand why you needed to replace a tire after dragging it up the boat ramp. That short slide should not have done significant damage. No more than slamming on the brakes to avoid a collision, I would think. I've been wrong before though.

 

How often do you use the Parking Brake?
Only on the boat ramp? Or all the time?

If you don’t use it except on the boat ramp, it’s possible the cable and/or brake hardware is rusting or binding. I’d go outside, when I have free time and can afford to have my truck “down”.
Then apply the Parking Brake On/Off many times and see what happens.
You may even need to inspect the WHOLE parking brake system. Even the one inside the truck.
It’s usually under the center console.

 

The water level was low in the lake/reservoir last summer when the seizure happened . I had to drag the locked tire and my boat and trailer probably 40-50ft up to the parking to get out of the way so others could get their boats out of the water. I use my ebrake everyday when I park at home as my driveway is inclined .

B/c the cable was replaced last year and the passenger side has never seized once makes me think there is something special going on inside the drivers side drum , but the dealership insists it’s “all good”.

 

Sound strange. I don’t know about the 2nd gen parking brake but my 4Runner had drum binding issues. There’s a pivot arm on each brake that when the parking brake is applied it tightens up the drum. My 4 runner was rusted so much the spring tension wouldn’t let the pivot arm return to position. I’ve had to hammer it slightly to release. It doesn’t do it when normal braking but just ebrake. I replaced the pivot arm and it fixed it. Good luck.

 

It could also be when launching the boat you get the drums in the water, then you park and apply the ebrake. The pads when hot Will basically adhere themselves to the drums as they cool.