i was just in china for two weeks and i had a horrible trip home. i got stuck in newark friday night and rented a car and drove home to cleveland. after a 60 hour trip home with no sleep, i greeted my xa at the cleveland airport. as i went to back out my xa wouldn't budge. i jacked up the rear end to see which wheel wouldn't turn and loosened the spline drive lugnuts, i shattered the spline lug key. by that time i was dead on my feet and called the wife to come get me. i returned sunday with a new lug key and bolt cutters. i cut the e-brake cable to the passenger rear brake drum and she freed up. now the question is, how much will it cost to get replaced?

 

Passenger side E-Brake cable lists for 55.70 plus tax.


Sucks to hear that your trip home didn't go exactly as planned. I have had this problem once before but I managed to free the cables without cutting them. Essentially they have a tendency to sieze up when moisture seeps into the cable in some certain areas.

 

Sieze up or freeze up? I see that both of you are from up north.

 

Hey there,
I just had this happen yesterday.

Set the e-brake, then we got hit with that snowstorm on 3/16. Went on vacation for a week without unsetting the brake and moving the car.

When I got back, I disengaged the e-brake, but the car wouldn't move. Jiggled the handbrake, pushed the footbrake, to no avail. (strangely enough the footbrake became very difficult to press)

I called AAA to get it towed on a flatbed to the dealer (didn't know only the rear brakes were locked). As they were dragging the car onto the bed, the wheel finally came free and started rotating.

Of course, at the dealer, the car was unloaded no problem, and all the wheels rotated freely. They had no clue about what happened. Well, in all fairness, one mechanic said that the e-brake could have frozen. But the temp was well above freezing both yesterday and this morning...
(can the line still seize when the temp is above freezing?)

At least I know I'm not alone in having this problem. Any ideas about what I could do if this happens again?!?!?

Thanks,
David

 

12-volt blow-dryer: $19.99.
Being able to unfreeze your cable, priceless.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=L&ai=Bb...1-ohBJBbxzQIk=

 

I wouldn't think that so, but I guess it could depend on how much moisture was in the line and how deep of a freeze that you had (if you had one) in the past day or two.