2000 Dodge Caravan Rear wheels locked

2000 DODGE CARAVAN
71,000 MILES • 6 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC
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BUBBA2267
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I went to back out of my garage and the rear wheels
will not spin.The parking brake was not engaged,Jacked up the back and neither wheel will spin.Parking brake can be pushed down with much force and will release.There is no check engine light on.How can i remove the drums to check the brake shoes. Thank you
Jul 1, 2008 at 12:50 PM
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JALOPYPAPA
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Sounds like the emergency brake isn't really releasing. You might first check the cable just forward of the rear wheels, perhaps on the left side, where there's a linkage/ adjuster. It might be inside its own little plastic housing with a bottom that snaps out.

To manually contract the brake shoes in the drums, look at the bottom of the inboard side of the brake backing plates for a slot that may be covered with a plug. If there, it's for adjusting the brake shoes. With a flashlight, you'll see a toothed wheel, the adjusting star.

Get two screwdrivers, one medium and one small (or a brake adjusting tool and a small screwdriver). With the small screwdriver, push the self-adjuster on the outboard side of the star out, away from the star, so you can turn it with the bigger screwdriver or adjusting tool upward (I think). This will shorten a bolt that separates the bottom ends of the brake shoes. A third hand to hold the flashlight would come in handy about now, eh? You'll need to pull the brake drum off and find the source of the problem. The fact that it's both wheels, however, would seem to implicate the cable.
Jul 1, 2008 at 3:39 PM
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