Lisa1

Hi there,

I am new to the forum. I have a 2000 RX300 with about 92,000 miles on it. Last spring, I used the emergency brake (I think that's what it's called -- it's the one on the far left that you press down when you're parked on a hill). Afterward, when I drove away, there was a loud sound coming from the rear of my car like something was stuck to the tire or some other rotating part. As I slowed down the sound turned into a thumping noise that slowed with me and stopped when I did. I got out of the car and looked underneath, thinking maybe I ran over a branch and it was stuck somewhere but saw nothing. I got in the car and drove off and never heard the sound again -- until tonight. I used that brake again (I was parked on a hill) and a similar sound happened. I drove a short way, the sound started and quit when I stopped. I drove home and didn't hear it again. There is a faint smell of burning rubber, though, coming from the rear driver's wheel. Any ideas on what it is and what to do? Would it be safe to drive it to a brake repair shop if it's making the noise tomorrow morning? Or should I get towed? I know NOTHING about cars and have a (very) small budget. Thank you!

hypervish

Welcome to Club Lexus!

It is safe to drive, take it to a shop.

The parking brakes are probably freezing because of the very little use they are getting.

If you don't use the parking brake a lot, then I suggest you just get them to make sure they aren't sticking and just keep driving without getting it fixed till you have the budget to do so.

Lisa1

Thank you! Thank you! I've been lurking on this forum for a long while and it's been a tremendous help for me. I am so glad you're "here" for me.

hypervish

You're very welcome!

Club Lexus is a fantastic community!

salimshah

Brakes are so reliable that we forget the importance of axillary brakes. Many years ago I had brakes fail on me and fortunately the speed was slow and I could make four right turns and make it to the shop. The hand brake (yes it was a hand break on that vehicle) was my braking agent.

So please do not put off repairs. It is one of the safety features and must be kept in good working order.

Have you recently thought about couple of emergency situations ...
Accident?
Loss of brakes?
Stuck acc?
Escaping from a vehicle which is sinking in deep water?
etc.

Salim

carguy07

Very rare that a split braking system would ever leave you hanging without at least two wheels with brakes. Old cars can lose their brakes, newer cars, not so much.

kalali

I lost total braking in my Jeep Cherokee this last summer. It turned out to be a small hole in the metal brake line from the booster to the rear brake under the car. I pressed the pedal just as I got to my driveway and the brake fluid just shot out of that little hole. I was real lucky it did not give out my entire ride from work to home. If it wasn't for the hand brake I would have probably rammed into my garage. I'm sure the hand brake would have saved my life if I had lost the brakes earlier in my ride. It was a one piece steel line and I replaced it next day.

carguy07

What year is your Jeep?

kalali

2000 Cherokee Sport. The hole was where the steel brake line fits into the line going into the rear drivers side drum. That could happen to older cars which have exposed steel brake lines running the length of underneath the car. I also changed the lines going to the front brakes as well at the same time.

carguy07

You should have still had front brakes?? Pedal would be super soft, but they would still work.

kalali

Pedal went all the way to the floor and the Jeep started rolling back in my driveway...
I must have pushed the entire supply of brake fluid through that little hole right to the ground. The reservoir was totally empty.

salimshah

There are different designs in modern vehicles.
eg: Lexus '98GS400 ,,, uses electrical pump. If you press the brake pedal down and open a valve to bleed, it will pump out your brake fluid reservoir. Yes the first time you will have the diagonals that will hold pressure, but when you lift and apply the brakes the second time you may not have enough fluid left.

I do understand your point of view that the main system has protection built-in.

The point I am (was) trying to make is that we there is a primary system and a back up system. Motor vehicle dept [county or state] have determined a certain standard that a vehicle must have to be deemed worthy to be on public streets. Without working axillary brake, the vehicle is non-compliant.

The other thing I was bringing to attention was how to be prepared for emergency situations. The monotony of driving has made us unprepared for very possible scenarios. I hope no one encounters them, but we should be mentally prepared.

I always ask any one who gets drivers license .. what would be your first action when you realize you are going in water? right answer is ... unbuckle the seat belt ... yours and for any child who is with you.

Salim

carguy07

They put a divider in the bottom of the reservoir to prevent that from happening.

salimshah

Good point
Salim

djchan

Hey Lisa1, You should have this checked to be safe. Your parking brake my be frozen in the on position. The next time after driving abit, stop and feel the metal part of your rear wheels, be careful they may be extremely hot, you may get burned. Also smell and look for smoke. All are indicators of a locked up emergancy brake. What can happen is that the heat generated by driving around with the parking on, can be hot enough to soften your brake hose enough so the next time you apply the brakes they'll blow up like balloons and then explode, leaving you with only half your brakes, maybe not enough to advoid an accident. If this is the case you can pay someone to back off the parking brake and just not use it anymore . In the 13 years I've owned our Rx we've never used the parking brake. Also other things get messed up when that area gets THAT HOT.