Emergency Brake Won't Disengage

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

Booyah does his brake drum have a slack adjuster set up inside to where he might be able to loosen them a little?
Chess do you have your bus parked on a hill/slope? Nose either up hill or down hill ward direction?
Best advice is to have another adult around to help free them most of the time even if your a novice and only not needed if your are skilled and have the right tools and wheel chocks with you.
If your parked on a hill let us know there might be another option

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger bus 223

Booyah does his brake drum have a slack adjuster set up inside to where he might be able to loosen them a little?
Chess do you have your bus parked on a hill/slope? Nose either up hill or down hill ward direction?
Best advice is to have another adult around to help free them most of the time even if your a novice and only not needed if your are skilled and have the right tools and wheel chocks with you.
If your parked on a hill let us know there might be another option

Many of these brakes are adjusted by turning the knob/handle of the parking brake lever.

[Chess]

Originally Posted by Mountain Gnome

The first time my brakes did this (in my pickup truck after sitting for over a year with the e-brake engaged) it was not the cable and linkage, but the shoes inside the drum that were stuck. I had to cut the drum off.


If your e-brake pedal does not return to the "up" position when you pull the release handle, either (a) the return spring on the pedal arm is broke or missing, or (b) the linkage and/or the pedal arm pivot is likely stuck. I don't remember you saying if you tried pulling it up by "hand". I guess you had to pull the regular (hydrollic) pedal back up by "hand" (or the tip of your foot)? If the e-brake drum is on the tranny output shaft (as mentioned by Booyah) then the two are not related, and there is another problem.


I have air brakes, and have moved my bus twice in 6 months (rain) and both times the e-brakes were rusted stuck (rain). First I tried applying the regular brake pedal over and over, since the same brake shoes are used for the e-brake and regular brakes, and I hoped to loosen them this way. Then I had to put it in drive, and (after warming the motor) I had to momentarily gun it in forward, over and over, rocking the bus forward and back, giving it fuel at the moment it rocks forward, letting off as it wants to rack back, for at least 60 seconds. Then I did it in reverse for another 30 seconds (tricky because the house was only 4 feet behind me, and I was juicing my Cummins diesel up to 2000 RMP). Then back to forward. Eventually, something goes "pop" rather loudly in the back and I am free. Then I engage and disengage the e-brake over and over, and the regular brakes over and over.


What this means to you is that if all else fails, it may be the shoes (inside the drum - it is like a big bowl) that are stuck, and that is where you can get tricky. The drums on my 1999 BlueBird are open, so if the shoes stick, you can get to them, but it lets in more water, so the brakes work like crap in the rain, and they can get rusted stuck easier.

I'm not sure if that will work as I drove forward only about a foot before feeling like it wasn't a good idea to keep driving till I knew more. I suppose the first thing I'll try is rocking her back and forth. (I've never driven her before, the guy I got her from put her in storage and I had a friend drive her to the gas station to fill with diesel and get additives before overwintering) If you have a picture of your drums I'd love to see it! I will be looking for a hole in my drum to see if I an look at it and maybe spray with PB blaster (or any other better rust cutter?)

[Chess]

Originally Posted by o1marc

The transmission is bolted to the back side of the motor. Call a dealer with your VIN# and they will be able to tell you what everything in the bus is. On these larger vehicles they utilize a single drum brake on the tail shaft of the transmission, not on the wheels like they are integrated in a car.

Call what dealer? I got my bus from a sheriff deputy. There dealers for skoolies? Or do I call the bluebird company and ask? Ugh that would involve speaking to a human creature, I think I'll just wait till I can get back to my bus and crawl around in the dirt under her and look at the transmission;)

[Chess]

Originally Posted by Brad_SwiftFur

Many of these brakes are adjusted by turning the knob/handle of the parking brake lever.

Swell, how exactly does one do that?

[Chess]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger bus 223

Booyah does his brake drum have a slack adjuster set up inside to where he might be able to loosen them a little?
Chess do you have your bus parked on a hill/slope? Nose either up hill or down hill ward direction?
Best advice is to have another adult around to help free them most of the time even if your a novice and only not needed if your are skilled and have the right tools and wheel chocks with you.
If your parked on a hill let us know there might be another option

Hmm, the parking area may be slightly sloped from one side of the bus to the other not from nose to tail. I don't have to many folks that can stand being around me for more than a minute (I'm a bit of a b-word to most). I will see if I can find someone to help me out with this and know a few folks that know more about trucks than I. What tools do I need? My apartment pantry and under my buses bed are filled with them, I just have to learn. I've been using logs for chocks instead of the plastic ones, for this endeavor is it necessary to invest in 'real' chocks over the hillbilly variety?
Out of sheer curiosity what is the advise for parked on a hill?

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Chess

Call what dealer? I got my bus from a sheriff deputy. There dealers for skoolies? Or do I call the bluebird company and ask? Ugh that would involve speaking to a human creature, I think I'll just wait till I can get back to my bus and crawl around in the dirt under her and look at the transmission;)

A Bluebird dealer. You can get the answer in a 5 minute phone call, or you can crawl around in the dirt to find the tag missing from your trans.

[Chess]

Originally Posted by o1marc

A Bluebird dealer. You can get the answer in a 5 minute phone call, or you can crawl around in the dirt to find the tag missing from your trans.

Hahaha, thanks bro. I suppose if I get a round to it I'll call before heading out to my bus. If I spend the majority of the five minutes on hold it'd be worth it. It'll be good preparation for dealing with humans again. (I've been working online since getting my bus but have a phobia of driving it so I applied to the local school district and have an interview this week.)

[Native]

Originally Posted by Chess

Now that will be easy, my kids have lots of sidewalk chalk. Maybe they can make a mural while I try to find my cables I should probably include pictures of that in my follow up posts too?
(since there is no tone in typing I have to say I'm in was at tending good humor here)

Yeah, EastCoastCB caugh my grammar mistake performed whilst correcting another. Compounding mistakes I suppose.


However, I was at a car show this weekend and there was a truck painted with chalkboard paint and everyone was invited to take up the chalk and write a message or doodle. I am sure your kids would have enjoyed it!


Hmmm, perhaps that is where I got the notion of chalk in the first place.

[Booyah45828]

I don't think that there is an adjuster internally. The proper way to adjust it up is by the bell crank. The adjustment on the handle is to remove slack in the cable. When installed and used properly, there isn't really any need to adjust it aside from cable stretch. The shoes and drum should never wear.

I wouldn't use any chemicals on it. That could cause the shoes to swell making the problem worse.

Whatever you do, be safe. Have someone in the seat, have the wheels chocked and the bus secure. Getting ran over is something easily done when working underneath.

All busses sold come from dealers. There is likely a bluebird dealer within 100 miles of you.

If the linkage and everything else is functioning, and the shoes are rusted to the drum, I usually just whack the drum with a sledge. The shock will break the rust free allowing the shoes to retract.

That's assuming it's the parking drum in the first place. Your service brakes are more likely to get water on them and seize up then the park brake.

[Sleddgracer]

I learned when I first started driving, NEVER leave the parking break on overnight in freezing weather, or even if the vehicle is going to be parked for a few days

[Mountain Gnome]

Originally Posted by Sleddgracer

I learned when I first started driving, NEVER leave the parking break on overnight in freezing weather, or even if the vehicle is going to be parked for a few days

My Allison tranny does not have "park." Nothing keeps the bus from rolling when parked except the e-brake. Funny, the pull handle says "not a parking brake" but it is the only shiny newish looking thing on the dash, so I'm assuming it was replaced with a part from/for another bus.


I included some pics of my rear wheel drum brakes, as you asked. Not sure if it helps. I said the drum was like a bowl, but saying it is like a large stew-pot is a better analogy. It spins with my wheel. On your system, it spins with the drive shaft. The two shoes pivot around points to the left, and are held together with the spring. They do not spin with the drum. The surfaces of the shoes are round, and are pressed up against the inside of the drum. At the other side of the drum (not shown) the actuator pushes them apart from each-other against the inner surface of the drum, causing friction that slows (or prevents) the spinning of the drum. You will not be able to see your shoes without removing the drum (and likely the driveshaft first).


Wish me luck on painting today - warmer and (well G.D.!) sunny with no wind...

Oh ... and the orchids started blooming in my mon's front yard. In a few days there will be a hundred or more...started from a single bulb...

[Willie_McCoy]

Originally Posted by Chess

Call what dealer? I got my bus from a sheriff deputy. There dealers for skoolies? Or do I call the bluebird company and ask? Ugh that would involve speaking to a human creature, I think I'll just wait till I can get back to my bus and crawl around in the dirt under her and look at the transmission;)

What is the VIN? If its a Bluebird you can do a lookup of the build sheet here:

https://vantage.blue-bird.com/Portal...?srcaud=Portal

That will tell you the serial number of your transmission and you can look it up on Allison's site here:

https://www.allisontransmission.com/...y-transmission

You might be able to find the transmission serial number on the data plate at the front of the bus as well. Usually inside above the drivers area.

[Chess]

Thank you for those links! Now I know I have an AT 545 although I really thought the guy I bought the bus said it was a 2000 so I'm glad I checked. Maybe I am just thinkin of the TC 2000 body type?
Anyway wish me luck and shoot prayers my way when I head out there later today.
At the worst case scenario. Is it safe to have my bus towed with the emergency/park brake stuck? I have to move it before the end of the month from the campground it is in storage at.

[Kubla]

You would have to remove the drive shaft or tow it with the rear wheels off the ground

[Rovobay]

good luck and don't forget that sledge hammer! give her a little tappy tap taparoo!

[Chess]

Originally Posted by Kubla

You would have to remove the drive shaft or tow it with the rear wheels off the ground

So is that the kind of thing a tow truck driver would do? Does AAA typically have tow trucks that can put an RV fully off the ground?

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Originally Posted by Kubla

You would have to remove the drive shaft or tow it with the rear wheels off the ground

Originally Posted by Chess

So is that the kind of thing a tow truck driver would do? Does AAA typically have tow trucks that can put an RV fully off the ground?

Tow truck drivers will either remove the driveshaft, or pull the axle shafts. If it's air brakes, they'll usually "cage" the brakes too (this involves running a special bolt and nut into the brake chamber to release the parking brake). And yes, many of these big wreckers can easily lift the rear end, but they will chain the axle to the frame so it doesn't drop out.

[Chess]

Originally Posted by Rovobay

good luck and don't forget that sledge hammer! give her a little tappy tap taparoo!

Thanks, I needed it. Didn't solve my problem yet but at least now I know what my bellhousing, lever arm, drum, drivetrain and transmission look like

[Chess]

Originally Posted by Brad_SwiftFur

Tow truck drivers will either remove the driveshaft, or pull the axle shafts. If it's air brakes, they'll usually "cage" the brakes too (this involves running a special bolt and nut into the brake chamber to release the parking brake). And yes, many of these big wreckers can easily lift the rear end, but they will chain the axle to the frame so it doesn't drop out.

From what I have learned from y'all and the links on this thread I am positive I don't have air brakes. I'm also wishing I had a buddy that's a tow truck driver right about now, lol