Parking brake rust belt blues. 2017 Ram 1500

[JTK]

I've mentioned it in other threads, but the parking brakes began hanging up on my 2017 Ram 1500 months back with barely two winters on the truck and about 40K miles on the ODO. I was able to free them up externally at the time and I let them be until today when I did a brake job on the rear. Not the best pics, but the rusty block looking assembly is the part of the P-brake mechanism for the right rear wheel. It's mounted on the bottom on the rear left wheel. You can see how rusty all the bits are in there. Everything is wet with PB Blaster in the pics. When you mash the parking brake pedal, a lever arm through the backing plate actuates a cam that spreads that block open, pushing the shoes against the drum. Spring tension with the spring you see should retract the shoes. When everything jambs up with rust, the shoes won't retract and you'll notice your parking brake cable sagging. I got all the rust out I could, PB blastered the heck out of all the metal/metal contacts I could get at and then slathered the mechanism with brake grease. They're working for now, but any fellow rust-belters might want to check this area and apply grease before things get expensive.

 

[JC1]

Do you normally use the parking brake? I use the parking brakes on my all vehicles almost daily.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted by JC1

Do you normally use the parking brake? I use the parking brakes on my all vehicles almost daily.

Definitely not daily, but I'd mash and release the P-brake when I thought about it. Maybe 1-3x per month. That's definitely not enough for this style setup in the rust belt. I'm not even sure regular use would prevent this situation unless you also inpect, clean and lube it as well.

 

[JC1]

Yes you are right. Only on the Civic do I normally remove the rear drums and clean them off with brake cleaner (normally once a year). I've only changed the rear shoes on the Civic once, we are the original owner with just over 130K miles on the Civic. I would put some anti-seize on the screw for the star adjuster and on the surfaces that come into contact with the Rotor for your next service to be less painful next time!

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted by JC1

I would put some anti-seize on the screw for the star adjuster and on the surfaces that come into contact with the Rotor for your next service to be less painful next time!

I sure did. Luckily the star-wheel adjusters moved freely or it would have gotten ugly trying to remove the OEM rear rotors at ~51K miles. The inside surface of the rear rotors were grooved badly. Kind of a shame because there was lots of pad and rotor life left. I can see why Ram owners who don't live in areas with winter climates can get 100K miles out of their brakes.

 

[JC1]

Thanks for letting me know!

 

[CharBaby]

JTK, I know exactly what you mean.

 

[tcp71]

I use my parking brake every time I park and my F150's parking brakes would bind in a similar fashion. Ford uses a similar cam mechanism to apply the brakes and it sticks with the brakes applied. I sprayed lube into it through the hole in the backing plate to keep it free. Part #13 corrodes and doesn't release.

 

[xxch4osxx]

When I replaced the OEM rear brakes on my Ram back in August of 2018, I had one [censored] of a time getting the rotors off. I had to pound them off with a sledge hammer and the parking brake shoes came off with them. All the parking brake parts were rusted badly. I also had to replace one of the backing plates because I bent it up too much while getting the rotor off. Cleaning and lubing the pins and sliders every year is a must for these trucks so I have learned.

 

[ford46guy]

My explorer has the exact same mechanism, same problem. It looks like a 25yo truck. I used marine anti-seize on it. Nothing else holds up. The lexus also has the same setup, but it looks like they used much higher quality parts and it works fine. Little rust on the actuators. I posted though about the lexus, the rear caliper slide pins need a sledge to move. You can't win.I have a feeling though it was because the last person doing the brakes tore the boots.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted by ford46guy

My explorer has the exact same mechanism, same problem. It looks like a 25yo truck. I used marine anti-seize on it. Nothing else holds up.

Good idea. If it acts up again, I'll clean all of the current goo off with brake clean and butter it up with a marine type anti-seize and try that. Anyone in the rust belt with a Ram should consider doing this right out of the gate. If the parking brake doesn't hold the vehicle, you don't pass our lovely NY State yearly inspection process... Unless you know somebody who will overlook that part of it.

 

[metroplex]

The 2011-2019 Explorers have rear brakes that rust as well. My 2018 Explorer with 11k miles has a dragging right rear that gets so hot it fills my garage with the smell of burning metal. Apparently I need to clean the calipers and pad mounting areas on the anchor plate after each winter.

 

[George7941]

I am glad have rear drums on my truck, it never gives me any issues. Twice a year, at seasonal tire changeover, I clean the brake mechanism out and lubricate it. My 14 year old parking brake works just fine and I have never had to do anything to it. I live in the rust belt. On the other hand my previous truck, a 1986 F150, would need the parking brake cables replaced every couple of years because they would start seizing up. In spite of my best efforts the cables would not last.