Ron50

I went to drive my car today after being away for a week for work and the parking brake is stuck. I believe the drums were over tightened by the shop that did my brakes.

My question is, do any of you know if there’s a way to access the adjuster spindle to loosen the drum brakes from the back of brakes without having to take the wheel and rotors out? I saw a YouTube video where a third gen 4Runner had an access window to it, you just need to pull out a rubber cap to access the spindle but can’t seem to find it on the GX

ASE

Access is from the front (wheel) side ... so remove the wheel ... the "star wheel" adjuster is in the 6 o-clock position. The disk does not need to be removed. Rotate the disk so the access hole aligns with the "star wheel" adjuster.

Using a screwdriver ... rotate the "star wheel" away from you to tighten ... towards you to loosen. Since these are not "dynamic brakes" ... there is no need to adjust like standard drum brakes ... meaning a little extra clearance is better than adjusting too close ... as you have experienced.

Best way to adjust ... tighten until the brake shoes contact the drum ... where the star wheel stops easily turning ... then back off (loosen) the same number of "clicks" on each side of the vehicle.

Ron50

What if the wheel/rotor wont spin because the drum is stuck and actively holding the wheel in place? How do I get the wheel to spin in order for the hole to line up with the 6 o-clock position?

ASE

Remove the wheel ... and use a long pry bar (or equivalent) as leverage between the wheel studs to rotate.

Obvious ... but sometimes assumed ... triple check that the emergency brake pedal is fully released.

ASE

You never said ... when you parked for a week, did you apply the parking brake ? If things were all-good before ... your issue may be parking brake cable corrosion ... so the cables are not fully releasing the brake shoes on one or both sides of the vehicle.

Ron50

I went for an alignment 9 days ago, and the technician noticed that my rear left wheel wasn't spinning at all when the car was jacked, even with decent force applied. He told me the people who did the brakes likely overtightened the parking brake on that side and advised me not to use the parking brake until I could get it checked out. I applied the parking brake despite what he told me (I was on autopilot) before leaving for my trip, and now I came back to this. Towing doesn't seem like an option as I park in the rear of my building and the driveway to access it is barely wider than my GX, so it seems I'll have to find some mobile mechanic to come and help fix the issue.

ASE

FYI ... the emergency brake cable is $100-odd ... so not that expensive ... but the routing does require time for installation.

ASE

Maybe a good subject for a Poll ...

I have owned four 4-runners ... a Sequoia ... a GX470 ... and now an FJ Cruiser and a GX460 ... all obviously with automatic transmissions that lock when placed in "park".

So 99% of the time I have never used the emergency brake ... only use if parked on a more than mild incline where I cannot turn the front wheel into a curb.

jonshonda

I only use a parking brake when parking on a steep incline, and when attaching a trailer (you know the feeling when you get the ball perfectly under the trailer, put the truck in park, and it rolls one way or the other).