Brakes "sticky"

[dansew]

When I slow to a stop, and apply the brakes, the brakes feel like my foot is still on the brake pedal, when I apply a little power. It usually loosens up within a few feet.

'97 fourrunner, with front disc brakes.

Any Ideas before I put on my overalls ?

PS, Been driving cars since 1944, and never had a symptom like this.

[kball]

Do you think it's the front brakes sticking? Maybe a caliper sticking. Does it pull to one side as you apply the brakes?

If it's the rear check and see if there's any sign of an oil leak on the back side of the rear wheels. If the axle seals leak it will let diff fluid into the rear drums and they can get sticky.

[jetwhine]

dansew,

I would think that if any of the brakes were sticking it would be the drum brakes in the back. Over time with that set up water can get in behind the drum and cause corrosion on all the moving parts and cause sticking. It might be a good idea to take the drums off and give it a good look at, and lube the moving parts. The ratio between front pads and rear drums are about 3 to one and even longer. So with that ratio the rear brakes don't get the attention that the fronts do. When you do a front brake pad replacement you should take the rear drums off and do the lube so it does not cause problems.

[dansew]

Originally Posted by jetwhine

dansew,

I would think that if any of the brakes were sticking it would be the drum brakes in the back. Over time with that set up water can get in behind the drum and cause corrosion on all the moving parts and cause sticking. It might be a good idea to take the drums off and give it a good look at, and lube the moving parts. The ratio between front pads and rear drums are about 3 to one and even longer. So with that ratio the rear brakes don't get the attention that the fronts do. When you do a front brake pad replacement you should take the rear drums off and do the lube so it does not cause problems.

Many thanks to you both, I will put on my overalls now

[jetwhine]

dansew,

Let us know what you find.

[dansew]

Originally Posted by jetwhine

dansew,

Let us know what you find.

You were right, jetwhine, it was the rear wheels, but I didn't even have to get my hands dirty, I looked in the shop manual, and learned that the self adjusting brakes are adjusted by pumping the emergency brake, used to be backing and stopping was the action that adjusted the brakes.

I very seldom use the emergency, and I guess the rear brake shoes had too much gap between the lining and the drum, that they grabbed at very slow speed.

Any way that's my guess, because when I pumped the emergency brake handle about twenty times, the grabbing stopped.

Thanks, guys

[jetwhine]

dansew,

I'm glad that you fixed your problem. May you have many more miles of trouble free driving.

[dansew]

Originally Posted by jetwhine

dansew,

I'm glad that you fixed your problem. May you have many more miles of trouble free driving.

Well, the update of it is that the problem has continued since my last post, I removed the left rear brake drum, and there is a slight axle seal leak, which was enough to cause the oily brake shoes to stick.

Information from old posts on this forum, has educated me to the fact that there is a breather for the differential located on top of the left axle housing, and if it gets stopped up, pressure from friction heat in the differential will cause lubricant to be forced out the axle seals.

I cleared the breather, cleaned off the brake linings, and the symptoms are getting better as I drive, still sticky, but seems to not be quite as bad.

I hope this will solve the problem, because replacing all the seals and bearing on just one side was quoted anywhere from 900 to 1200 dollars.

The photos in the other post showed lubricant splattered all over the inside of the tire, evidently my leak was not that severe, because there is no outward sign of a leak.

One other thing, I couldn't find any mention of that breather in the shop manual.

[kball]

Replace that breather and hope that does it. Sometimes once the axle lube gets into the bearing it will kill it. Sometimes people get away with a small leak. Here's a write up for the breather.

http://www.4runners.org/writeups/typerdiff/index.html

Here's a write up for the axle seals.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-ge...d-3rd-gen.html