Hello all.

I've had my Xterra since July '99 and absolutely love it. Have not had one single problem, until now.. If anyone on the forum has any ideas or input that will help me rectify this myself I would appreciate it. I'd take it to the dealership but that's about 60 miles away and I don't want to drive the X in it's current condition.

Problem:
I believe my emergency brake will not release fully. With the truck out of gear, and on a slight incline, it will not roll. Even when it's in gear, it feels like the brake is on. I set and released the Emerg Brake numerous times but that did not fix the problem. Actually, when i pulled the emergency brake a little farther back than normal and released, the problem seemed to get worse.

Is there something I can look for or test/try to confirm this? If so, is there something I can do myself to 'unset' the emergency brake. I haven't been driving it this week b/c I'm not sure what kind of damage I could cause.

Thanks for any assistance,

Brent
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I believe you can adjust your back brakes by backing up and hitting your brakes a few times. This helped me in another car that had this problem. If not, you may need to adjust the E-brake handle thingy.

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Wow, another Brent out there with an X...

First, note that the auto transmission will compensate for slight uphill grades and hold your position on its own. If you dont roll when facing forwards down the hill, you should investigate.

Anyway, easy check: Find a level place to park, chock the diagonally opposite front wheel, and jack up a rear tire. With the e-brake fully retracted and the transmission in neutral, gently turn the raised wheel and see if it has a lot of resistance.

Actually, I'm not certain that the limited-slip rear diff might affect the test. Another option is to go ahead and remove the wheel and see if you can pull the drum off. If the e-brake is sticking then it will cause the shoes to hold the drum in place and you'll have a very hard time getting the drum off of it if at all. You may need to give the drum a few smacks with a hammer around the circumference to break it loose from the hub if it has rusted onto it though.

Other than that, I can't say offhand.

Brent

[This message has been edited by OffroadX (edited 04-18-2001).]

Ok, put the car in gear and chock the wheels for both directions.Now go under the pass side (about 10" in front of the split of the front and rear doors)behind the frame is a lever with two cables coming out of it .One goes up to the e-brake handle the other goes to the e-brake.Tug on these cables with the handle in (brake off) they should have some play in them. If they are tight you may have a frozen cable.
Good Luck

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Kevin
00' Super Black SE 5 speed
superblackxterra.tripod.com

[This message has been edited by gearhead1972 (edited 04-18-2001).]

When we first got the god forsaken jeep we had this trouble. Turned out to be rusty e-brake cables. Every time we would put it in park then it would lock up the brake a little. After a few miles it would release fully. Took it to the dealer 3 times, the third because they locked up on a snowy hill and i slid down the hill T-boning an 84 grand marquis. We kinda layed into the Shop Sup, the PR lady, and some unsuspecting guy behind a counter. They finally replaced the cables at their cost. You could do it yourself, but why, you paid for the warranty. Since I don't have an x yet i can't be sure how the cables run but Try some WD40 on the cable if you can get it under the jacket (safety note: No WD40 on brake pads...just thought I would throw that in). Also, once you find out what it is don't forget to have them check your rims. If you drove at all with the E-brake locked up they could be warped, ours are.

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Not only can it be the cable, but it can also be the brake shoes not moving smoothly in the drums, thus causing some resistance because the shoes do not fully retract. If I had to take a guess, I would have to go with a sticky cable.

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Chris
'00 Xterra SE 4X4 Auto(Silver Ice)

if your E-brake is on, the rear brakes will get hot to the touch after a mile of two of driving.

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Thanks for all of your input... truly appreciated. After reading your suggestions, I decided to take it to the dealership and have them look at it.

I was informed that the brake shoes are all rusted and seized up. Now I'm not a mechanic or expert at all.. but I have a few questions..

Why/How is it possible that a vehicle with only 15,000 miles has seized up and rusted brakes? I've had 3 new vehicles and several old vehicles in my life and have never had anything like this happen. All of my driving is in town, a little highway, and extremely little driving off the 'beaten path'. The truck is basically new.

Have I done something to cause this, or could it be poor workmanship/parts?

The reason I'm a bit disturbed by this, is because absolutely none of the cost to fix it is covered by warranty. Because I did not take my 'X' in for it's 1 yr scheduled maintenance (which includes brake cleaning, etc), they claim I must dish out the coin.

To say the least.. I'm a bit upset that I have to dish out money for new brakes at this stage of the vehicles life. However, if this indeed is my err, than so be it. I'd just like your input on the matter if I could.

Thanks so much,

Brent
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Certainly if you are not driving thru deep water or squirting water into the brakes during washing I don't see how they could be overly rusted.
I would ask them the question you are asking us - it should be able to survive normal use.

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I would try and argue to have them covered under the warranty, that is of course if they are not worn down. If the linings are in good shape and rust is preventing them from working properly, I would hope that they would cover them, or at least pro rate them for the amount you used.

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Chris
'00 Xterra SE 4X4 Auto(Silver Ice)

Like Impavette said. I would argue that the back brakes could not have been adjusted properly to begin with to try to get them to cover this repair. I would argue that if they had been, they would not have rusted up and seized because they would be engaging and disengaging regularly through daily driving and regular use of the e-brake. I'd be curious to know the condition of your front brakes. If they're unusually worn, that might support this argument (although I think the fronts take more of a beating anyway).

I've had mine for a year and also have 15,000 miles on it. I know my e-brake had to be adjusted at I think it was the first oil change because the cable suddenly started to feel flabby.

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