Ilike928

Need to free brakes to load on trailer. Would disconnecting lines at master cylinder do it? Other ideas? Just temporary for loading only. Thx for any help!

bills928

What do you mean by freeing brakes? ..... are the pads stuck to the rotors?

bills928

Or the parking brake shoes ????

White Lightnin'

Try one of these:

Ilike928

Must be pads because brake pedal is stuck down.

bills928

Can you manually pull the petal back up ??? Return spring may be broken.... Has the car been sitting for a long time ? Pads may be rusted to the rotors...
As you asked, you can disconnect the line to release any pressure, but it still may not release the pads.

dr bob

Must be master cylinder or booster or pedal if pedal is stuck down.

The pedal and the pedal pushrod have their own return spring. It's a tension spring above and to the rear (rear is rear of car) behind the pivot of the pedal itself. Make sure it's there and connected.

The pushrod engages the servo in the booster, which in turn pushes on the master cylinder piston. Both the booster (weak) and the master cylinder (strong) have their own return springs.

If all else fails, you can open the bleeders on the brake calipers. The pads should retract from the rotors on their own. If they don't. it's OK to pry them with a roll-head bar or screwdriver to get them to retract. The two sections of the caliper slide relative to each other, so you'll be prying to spread the caliper sections, not just trying to push one pad away from the rotor.



Parking brake shoes do often get rusted in place after a long nap. There are acccessible star-wheel adjusters, accessible through slots in the backing plates with a screwdriver or brake adjusting spoon. Thses are very similar to standard rear drum brakes in their operation, except there's a cable-operated cam setup to spread the shoes, rather than a hydraulic cylinder.


Load the car carefully, with a winch, straps and wheel chocks to manage movement as you get it up on the ramps. Once you open the bleeders and spread the calipers, you will have no brakes to stop the car as it rolls onto the ramps.

Ilike928

Awesome info! Thanks a million! So are the parking break shoes the only ones susceptible to being rusted "stuck" or can the caliper pads be rusted also? It has been sitting a long time so rust is very possible. Thanks again for the great help. I'm planning on checking all those but I wonder what to do if the parking brake shoes and pads are both rusted. I wonder if poeple can normally pry them apart if they are rusted? Or is this a soak in penetrating oil and hammer type problem, or?

bills928

I would pull the wheels and see what you have going on down there.... then you will know how to proceed. Then loosen the bleeders as Dr bob suggested.
Parking brake is mechanical, so it that the problem you can just disconnect it.

dr bob

Caliper pistons can get stuck, and the caliper frames can rust so they don't want to move. Parking brake shoes can rust in place, and more important can rust in the extended position where they block removal of the rotor. Both conditions described in my post #7 above.