# nx ebrake problems



## 1992nx2000 (Jan 6, 2005)

my back right tire locked up, now its only happened when im in lots of snow, but it recently just locked right up.i noticed whenever i drive 1-10ft after i take the ebrke off i hear a click on the ebrake like it just turned off, thats on ashphalt...and i noticed the anti lock light wont turn off...any ideas? my friend said it could be the cold and not to use the ebrake in the winter


----------



## unisonsentra (Nov 22, 2004)

*sorry*

sorry to hear that, cant really help, but the light is on because the abs is disabled causing the brake to lock up.


----------



## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

1992nx2000 said:


> my back right tire locked up, now its only happened when im in lots of snow, but it recently just locked right up.i noticed whenever i drive 1-10ft after i take the ebrke off i hear a click on the ebrake like it just turned off, thats on ashphalt...and i noticed the anti lock light wont turn off...any ideas? my friend said it could be the cold and not to use the ebrake in the winter


Cold weather should not cause the emergency brake to stick like that.

Jack the rear end of your car up, put it on jack stands, chock the front wheels, disengage the handbrake, and rotate rear wheels by hand. Make sure both the driver's side and passenger side rear wheels turn with similar amounts of force. Have a friend engage the e-brake and/or the hydraulic brake (foot brake) as you turn that wheel and listen for any strange noises. Disengage the e-brake and/or hydraulic brake and check to make sure it isn't sticking.

If any of your calipers are sticking, the procedure above should tell you. You should also be able to get a better idea of where the noises are coming from, and when they happen.


----------



## Johnny-wonk (Jan 28, 2003)

It seems to be a normal problem on some B chasis cars when its cold out. Just dont use the hand brake in the winter if you are scared that might happen.


----------



## Bonesmugglar (Jan 14, 2004)

my cars doing the same, my teachers suspects it the caliper holding up, i am going to replace it tomarrow


----------



## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

Johnny-wonk said:


> It seems to be a normal problem on some B chasis cars when its cold out. Just dont use the hand brake in the winter if you are scared that might happen.


If the calipers are seizing, "don't use the handbrake" isn't going to cut it. Both the mechanical and hydraulic rear brakes on our cars use the same pistons and calipers.


----------



## Johnny-wonk (Jan 28, 2003)

ReVerm said:


> If the calipers are seizing, "don't use the handbrake" isn't going to cut it. Both the mechanical and hydraulic rear brakes on our cars use the same pistons and calipers.


You quoted me but didnt read what I said. Dont use the handbrake during *winter* if you are scared about this happening is what I said...

This happens alot. But it only happens to our cars during the cold. So instead of using the parking brake when its cold...just put it in gear if you have this problem (I never have *knocks on wood*). Also I dont think its the caliper it self from what I have read. But im to lazy to search for the threads that deal with this issue.


----------



## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

Johnny-wonk said:


> You quoted me but didnt read what I said. Dont use the handbrake during *winter* if you are scared about this happening is what I said...


I did read what you said. My point is that ignoring the issue is not a very good solution.

I am strongly opposed to people parking their cars without using the handbrake (which puts significant wear on the clutch and 1st gear synchros) as well as the mentality which causes people to neglect problems with something as important as the mechanical emergency brake in their passenger car. It doesn't matter what the weather is like or what season it is. Not having a mechanical backup for when your hydraulic brakes fail is dangerous.

BTW: The three most common causes for the problem described here are: a sticky caliper piston, lack of lubrication in the emergency brake cable, and the brake pads freezing onto the discs. The first two can be avoided with preventative maintenance, and the last one happens on many cars with rear disc brakes. It's not just B14s there.


----------



## 1992nx2000 (Jan 6, 2005)

wow thanks guys, had a buddy tell me what to do, the caliper was seized, just got a screwdriver to tap it loose...until i bring her to the shop on monday. but ya i figured parking it in gear isnt good for it, i dont want that to go


----------



## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

1992nx2000 said:


> wow thanks guys, had a buddy tell me what to do, the caliper was seized, just got a screwdriver to tap it loose...until i bring her to the shop on monday. but ya i figured parking it in gear isnt good for it, i dont want that to go


For cold weather use, I've found that pre-lubricating the caliper piston with high-temp grease (as opposed to brake fluid like the Haynes manual and many mechanics seem to reccomend) helps prevent sticking. The grease doesn't get past the piston seal so it won't interfere with the operation of the caliper, and it keeps the inside of the boot and the piston seal well lubricated, so nothing gets stuck. Give that a try if you decide to rebuild your own calipers in the future.


----------



## Johnny-wonk (Jan 28, 2003)

ReVerm said:


> I did read what you said. My point is that ignoring the issue is not a very good solution.
> 
> I am strongly opposed to people parking their cars without using the handbrake (which puts significant wear on the clutch and 1st gear synchros) as well as the mentality which causes people to neglect problems with something as important as the mechanical emergency brake in their passenger car. It doesn't matter what the weather is like or what season it is. Not having a mechanical backup for when your hydraulic brakes fail is dangerous.


Its not ignoring the Issue. Its avoiding having to deal with it when you wake up and its cold. 

Driving your car and dropping the clutch from High RPM's puts WAY more stress on a clutch and drivetrain than leaving it in gear when its cold would. NIssan trannys arent the greatest. But I have NEVER heard of somebody messing up first gear by leaving it in gear...

And ovcoarse you should fix the problem. Its a problem! But its an annoying problem that a person could avoid until they are ready to address it by just putting there car in gear. Who said anything about ignoring it?


----------



## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

Johnny-wonk said:


> Its not ignoring the Issue. Its avoiding having to deal with it when you wake up and its cold.


To some people, there's no difference between the two. You know someone's going to see your post and think it's ok to just not use their handbrake every winter.



Johnny-wonk said:


> Driving your car and dropping the clutch from High RPM's puts WAY more stress on a clutch and drivetrain than leaving it in gear when its cold would. NIssan trannys arent the greatest. But I have NEVER heard of somebody messing up first gear by leaving it in gear...


The logic you're trying to use here is extremely flawed. First you're trying to say it's ok because it puts less wear on the drivetrain than dumping the clutch from high revs. All this says is that dumping the clutch from high revs will put a lot of stress on your clutch (which is true). However, this says nothing about the amount or kind of wear that parking the car in gear without the parking brake causes.

Then you go to say that because you've never heard of someone screwing up their drivetrain that way, it isn't a common problem and is something you don't have to worry about. I don't think I need to explain to you why this is absolute nonsense.

I can understand why you've never heard of this happening though, and I can explain part of it. Leaving your car in 1st gear and putting static load on it while it's parked causes a different wear pattern on the clutch disc than the occasional drag race or excessive clutch slippage during daily driving. 

A clutch disc which has been worn down by static loads while parked ends up with uneven spot wear similar to that on an overheated clutch disc (discolored spots on the disc). This results in slippage at weird times (which results in weirdities like jolting while gently accelerating in low gears), which makes drivers misdiagnose the problem. Mechanics apparently tend to miss this, because unlike the usual spot wear caused by overheating and such, there is little discoloration or scouring of the clutch surface. The former mechanic I lived with last year said that it is actually a lot more common than people think. It's just that very few people take notice.


----------



## Zac (Mar 10, 2004)

1992nx2000 said:


> my back right tire locked up, now its only happened when im in lots of snow, but it recently just locked right up.i noticed whenever i drive 1-10ft after i take the ebrke off i hear a click on the ebrake like it just turned off, thats on ashphalt...and i noticed the anti lock light wont turn off...any ideas? my friend said it could be the cold and not to use the ebrake in the winter


Where do you live and how cold is it? I think the most basic start is bleeding your brake system.


----------



## Johnny-wonk (Jan 28, 2003)

ReVerm said:


> To some people, there's no difference between the two. You know someone's going to see your post and think it's ok to just not use their handbrake every winter.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Agreed. I myself never leave my car in gear, and have never had the rear brake freezing up problem. But if I did. It wouldnt hurt anything to leave it in gear over night if I knew I didnt have time to mess with a frozen/sticky caliper in the morning on my way to work. I was NOT saying by any means that you should leave your car in gear all the time and just ignore the problem. 


Anyway 1992NX2000 I hope you get your problem fixed.

http://www.sr20forum.com/showthread.php?t=64777&highlight=Siezed+brake
http://www.sr20forum.com/showthread.php?t=96010&highlight=Siezed+brake

^^^Here are some threads to help you out


----------



## 1992nx2000 (Jan 6, 2005)

wow u guys know your stuff, and that info on the cluth wear was interesting. u learn something new every day! but shes still goin to the shop on monday, might replace the back claipers cause they are old. and the sand and salt getting in the brakes is pissing me off, i clean them on warm nights where water dosnt freeze...shes got alot of problems im fixin here and there..


----------

