I noticed while looking under the truck for something else recently that the parking brake cable on my 2010 1500 Crew 4x4 seems extra loose. I don't recall seeing it hanging down this far in the past.

I tested the brake and it does work. It engages and disengages (apparently) just fine when the parking brake lever is pressed to the floor. It at least engages enough to keep the truck from moving when in gear, though I didn't give it gas to see just how stout it is. Is this normal and I've just never paid attention? Or is something weird going on here? What could be wrong?

This isn't the greatest image, but I can add that the cable seems to sag at least 2-3" from if it were taut. It flops around easily when handled.



Thanks,
Rob

 

Mine is like that too, and sagging way more than yours. Some info I found refers to some rusted lever arms on the rear brakes which don't fully retract any more, haven't had a chance to check it out.

 

Good tip. Looks like that's my issue. My driver's side 'lever' doesn't seem to want to move backwards very far on its own. I'm able to tap it back but it is sticky. Guess it's time for some brake dissection to see how to resolve.

Rob

 

I'll have to see if mine can just be tapped back. I don't use the parking brake much so I'm guessing that 6 years of snow and muck haven't been kind to the little moving parts.

 

Tapping mine back wasn't a solution. The next time I applied the brake it stayed forward again. Something inside is obviously pretty corroded (because it doesn't seem likely that anything would be bent).

I was surprised how rusty the underside of my 2010 is at this point. The first 3-4 years it was holding up really well, with only light surface rust on uncoated metal. Now there is a lot of rust all over under there. Dammit.

 

I went out and banged both of them back which tightened up the cable. I don't use it much, so as long as it stays put until I use it that is fine. I've got a pair of the $15 parking brake shoes sitting in my shop, so maybe I'll pull it apart next week and see what can be lubed up to fix it long term.

 

I'm going to rip into it one of these days as well.

I did find a thread on another forum (which I'd probably get castigated for if I linked here) that talks about the same issue and a resolution. Look for thread showthread.php?t=119348 at the other Ram forum with a 'Z' at the end of the name.

Rob

 

Took things apart today to try to get to the little lever from the inside of the brakes. With moderate effort I couldn't get the rotor broken free so I decided to try another tact. I sprayed some WD-40 into the rubber boot of the lever and left it soak for a little while, then I used a slide hammer with visegrip end to grab on to the lever and knocked it back and forth for a while until it freed up. It now springs back fully when the parking brake is released. The cable is again taut and not slack.

I'm sure it would be better to have been able to actually take things apart, brush the corrosion off of all parts, then grease them up, but short of spending $250 to have a shop get it apart this was a good alternative. I'll just remember to spray more WD-40 or other lube into the boot at maybe every oil change to keep it free moving.

Rob

 

I think I picked up 3mpg on my trip down and back to Ames this weekend. I'm expecting to find some pretty worn out parking shoes when I take it apart.

 

Interesting. I'm sure that drag could have a real effect on MPG.

If you find a good way to get the rotors off let me know. Short of breaking out the BFH and destroying the rotor while hammering it loose I couldn't come up with a way. A rubber mallet and WD-40 on the hub didn't cut it. I've had other vehicles where the rotor had a threaded hole in it where you could run in a bolt and break the corrosion free, but nothing like that on this truck's rotor.

Of course, with 80K on my truck, it probably wouldn't hurt to just spend them money for new parts and do the whole brake job back there. Then it wouldn't matter if I used the BFH.

Rob