So the Lexass is undrivable... and stuck in a parking lot between my school and my house.

I don't know what to do, but thought I would vent/get help here...

So I pulled the car into the auto shop today to balance one of my wheels. I engaged the parking brake and did my thing. Backed the car out and started driving. I noticed that it seemed the parking brake was sticking. So I stopped, engaged and released and shook the pedal violently. I've done this before and at worse, the brake will stick about 100 yards and then disengage. It, however, did not completely disengage this time, since the car would barely move at idle and not roll on a slope.

Well, the wheels were still rolling, so I figure I would see if I could get it home...

I got about a quarter mile, and the vibration coming from the rear end was absolutely crazy between 10-20 mph, but not beyond that.. I thought something is seriously going to break... so I pulled into a subdivision. Then talked to a friend, and tried limping it home again. This time it got worse. Now the driveshaft is hitting the body somehow (probably because of the broken trans mount), and the car shakes violently at all speeds.

So I made it about a half-mile down and now the car rests in the parking lot of a funeral home. At this point I don't know what to do... I don't have AAA and I'm not about to pay $50 for a tow truck driver to tow it a mile to the school's auto shop. I have a friend with a diesel Dodge Ram 2500 who wants to flat-tow it, but I don't think that would be a good idea. At this point, that may be the most feasible option.

I dunno. I'm angry, tired, and freaking out right now. So what kinda brakes does the LS400 have anyways? Is it just the rear disc or is it a disc and drum for the parking brake? I never really bothered to look. Should I just jack it up and knock the hell out of it, or should I do something else?

 

Well I'm no expert with the parking brake, only that I apply it before I shift to park, but I think your problem is somewhere in the pedal or mechanism which is what is making it stick. The parking brake wont stick unless something is making it apply itself to your discs.

Your car should have full disc brakes by the way - and you should let your friend tow it, ONLY if he knows what he is doing and knows how to strap the car down.

You just had to park the car at a FUNERAL home...the screams death - jk man, im sure its not an expensive fix, you just might have to replace part of the parking brake.

 

Your cable is probably seized.
Find out which corner and spray some pb blaster on the end of the cable where the metal cable sticks out. Other wise shove it back in by hand as well and you can get home , You will have to buy a new cable though . The same thing happened to mine and i had to replace it also.

 

The parking brake is a drum brake integrated inside the rear disc brakes. Have you friend tow it provided he is familiar with how to properly secure your car to the trailer.

 

Jack up the rear of the car. Crawl underneth around the rear wheelwell area. you will see two exposed metal cables in the middle area. Pull on the cables one by one to free up the stuck side. Put in N and try to spin the wheels by hand they should turn. If they both spin, drive the car and dont use parking brake until you fix the problem.

Oh and change your trans mount. It only takes like 15 minutes...

peace

 

So how many of you guys use the parking break before you shift into park?

 

nope lol..im never on a hill so why bother.

 

I do on anything other than perfectly flat surface. Its pointless it apply it after placing it in Park, and releasing your foot off the brake pedal.

 

i always apply my parking brake. never knoe where it might roll off too .

 

I notice he is from the far north were cars tend to rust more underneath... I wonder if it could just be some sort of rusted part or something?

 

i'm sure his whole parking =brake system is all rusted and stuck. i think he meant his buddy was going to hook up a rope and tow the ls behind his truck! bad idea. if it brake is sticking while you're driving it, it will stick while being towed.
pay to get it towed home. buy a parking brake hardware kit and replace all the rusty **** on your car. adjust hte parking brake and carry on with your life.

 

Okay, I took care of it.

Yes, the car was a Michigan car since new, so a lot of the more intricate parts under the car are very rusty, though all the main stuff is surprisingly solid and only slightly rusted.

I ended up jacking up the car, getting a large screwdriver, wrapping it around each cable and pulling really hard. I was able to get it un-stuck, though there is still a little vibration. I have been meaning to change the mount, but my custom exhaust piping is in the way, so I need to get that taken care of. I don't have much time to wait around the exhaust shop, so that's why I haven't changed the mount yet.

 

I always use the parking brake.
The transmission is not designed to hold the car properly. Yes i know it can with no problem but it is not the primary way of holding the car in place.

Those little teeth on the parking paul hold stress on the engine , mounts , transmission , driveshaft and diff. Compared to just the wheel hubs with the use of the parking brake. Also it causes engine mounts to wear faster as it crushes one and takes load off the other one.