85 300D HELP! not rolling??? brakes stuck? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

snipsa · #1 12-20-2004, 02:24 PM

A friend just called with a problem. He was on the way to work got on the road o.k. and the car just kept slowing down no matter what he did with the pedal. (I dont know if the car was straining or not) He pulled into a parking lot and now the car will not move an inch but it tries to (lurching forward or reverse with accellerator pressure but wheels dont budge) In neutral it also wont budge. He does use the parking brake every night and says it still seems to apply and release o.k.
Could a stuck parking brake cause this? Could It be some bizarre transmission problem/failiure? I dont know if it rolls a small amount then locks or if it will roll just not with the effort he is giving it. I am not with him and he is not mechanically inclined so the car is stuck until I get off of work.

It just so happens the lot is 100ft from my driveway.

If it is the parking brake, what are the methods to release?
Any other ideas what happened? I would think the engine could overcome the parking brake but he says no go.

HE JUST CALLED AGAIN:

He was able to get the car to move forward a few feet under much engine effort. He says engine seems to run fine so I am guessing the engine is just trying to lug the vehicle with stuck brakes or something. How do you un-stick the brakes? This car is his daily driver so it's not frozen from sitting too long or anything. And apparently he uses the parking brake every time he parks and has never had any trouble before.

Thanks in advance for any help and I'll let you know what happens.

Ben

SamuraiJack · #2 12-20-2004, 02:41 PM

I would check the wheels to see if any one was hotter than the other. Pulling left or right would also be a bad sign. That could be a frozen brake piston. It may free up when it cools down, but is likely to occur again.

Good luck

boneheaddoctor · #3 12-20-2004, 02:46 PM

If its not a frozen or stuck E-brake cable or e-brake, it could be a swollen line.

if its a front wheel crack a bleader on the offending wheel, if it frees it then he needs new flex lines....in fact thats a good way to check the rears too. if that doesn't help at al then its e-brake issues.

If he parked the car with the Ebrake set and it did it the next moring its a frozen cable.....I was always taught to not use the ebrake in winter for that reason.

P.E.Haiges · #4 12-20-2004, 03:02 PM

snipsa,

Jack car up one wheel at a time and try turning the wheels to see which one is stuck.

P E H

boneheaddoctor · #5 12-20-2004, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P.E.Haiges

snipsa,

Jack car up one wheel at a time and try turning the wheels to see which one is stuck.

P E H

Right I should have written that as a first sentance...I just assumed he would do that first.

Eric Eliel · #6 12-20-2004, 04:52 PM

Parking brakes generally don't stick suddenly.

Stuck master cylinder (happened to me). To release you have to know whether its the front or back brake lines (try jacking up the car and turning the wheels like the others have said). Upon finding the correct line, release the brake pressure by backing off one of the brake fluid line nuts near the master cylinder. Have some towels nearby to catch that nasty brake fluid. If its the brakes you should be able to feel or hear some groaning from the brakes.

If the wheels all turn easily, its the automatic transmission. B2 piston problem.

snipsa · #7 12-21-2004, 08:51 PM

I drove it around for a while and could not get it to happen again. I told him to give me a call if it reappears. Does this sound normal for a stuck brake problem?

Thanks for the suggestions. I have never heard of a brake hose failing like this or a master cylinder for that matter. I'll be on the lookout when it happens again.

phantoms · #8 12-21-2004, 10:16 PM

Brake hoses failures of this kind are actually pretty common. What happens is they either swell or tear inside. The pressure of the fluid when the brakes are applied is more then enough to press by this, but the return pressure from the brakes is not enough to and the brakes stay applied. These type failures usually show themselves after some driving. When it does happen, quickly determine which wheel is the problem and loosen the bleeder for that wheel. If the fluid comes out under any pressure and the brake realeases on that wheel, then it's a good bet that's your problem.

JimmyL · #9 12-21-2004, 10:51 PM

While reading this thread I was just struck by the fact that we get such good usefull information from the folks here. No thread hijack intended, but there were such simple clear effective troubleshooting suggestions and potential causes I just thought I would point out the obvious.
I digress...

psfred · #10 12-21-2004, 11:02 PM

time for a set of new brake hoses and a fluid flush.

It's possible that it's something besides a hose acting as a one-way valve (the inner lining tears and forms a flap, fluid only goes one way! -- can keep you from having any brakes on one side, too), but rather unlikely.

Is the car more than ten years old? If so, just replace all the rubber brake lines and bleed, enough to flush clean fluid all the way through. Problem will go away. If not, you have a bad caliper, rebuild or replace.

Peter

mplafleur · #11 12-22-2004, 12:46 AM

I'm with Eric on this one. I believe it's the master cylinder. I had this happen on a 190E I had. I would have to get out and loosen a line (for the front brakes) from the master cylinder to relieve the pressure. The master cylinder was not releasing pressure in the line after you let your foot off the brake.

It would build up on me and got worse over a week or so. Replacing the master cylinder fixed it for me. I went through a lot of brake pad too. If it sat for a while, it would eventually bleed back.