HANDBRAKE STUCK ON ??

[gonzosquidgy]

Hi all, tried to set off in my Wife's Boxster this morning and it appears the handbrake is locked on solid.
I tried full throttle but the wheels appear to be locked on, I washed the car over the weekend and just thought that the water had jammed the wheels (as has happened before)
Before I start to strip everything to pieces, do you think the handbrake cable has snapped or could it be something more serious??
Off to work now so unable to do anything at the moment. She will have to sit on the drive looking sorry.
I have also considered calling the RAC as it is, sort of, a breakdown as I'm not able to budge the car.
Unfortunately it is also blocking my other 911 on the drive so can't even use that.
Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks, John

 

[Motorhead]

Hi John,

It sounds as though it's more likely to be due to your weekend wash than brake cable failure. I'd have thought that cable failure would lead to the reverse happening, unless the cables/mechanism are seriously gummed up.

You could try jacking each side in turn to confirm whether or not both brakes are locked on. Of course, it could be that the footbrakes are binding-up too if you've not taken the car for a run after washing the car.

A call to the RAC could be worth a punt - you've got nothing to lose and it may save you from getting your hands dirty..!

Jeff

 

[Glyn]

Normal after washing that they get a bit stuck but just trying to pull away as normal breaks the binding.
As has been said - If the cable had snapped then the handbrake would be off, If it was OK before washing and nothing changed inbetween this can only be surface rust binding the disks up,
You say you gave it full throttle - does that mean throttle and select gear and release the clutch? - If so and that didnt break the binding i would be doubtfull its a brake problem and more likely to be a gear selection issue (two gears selected at the same time locks the wheels)

 

[gonzosquidgy]

Thanks for that.
Yes, you're right. RAC came out and freed the seized wheels in a couple of seconds (doh!)
I couldn't free them at all this morning but must have been a bit too "ham-fisted"
The brakes have seized before after washing the car but always managed to jolt the car forward.
I also now have a noisy tappet but been told that an oil top-up may quieten that down (I hope)
This is all because I'm now selling the car and it doesn't want to leave us. Been 100% reliable for the 2 years we've owned it.

Thanks again

John

 

[dereksharpuk]

It is vital that, after washing a Porsche, one drives around the block to dry out the brakes. Try driving with a little brake applied, not so difficult with PDK.

If you park the car after driving through rain, the problem is less severe as the discs are normally warm, so they dry naturally.