Not sure if this is normal or not as this is my first winter with the truck.

I have a 2007 ford ranger sport 4x4 manual transmission. When i park my truck on my driveway( a slight incline), I leave it in first and e-brake engaged. Since we just had a snowstorm i left the truck in 4x4 when i parked it.

About 4 hours later I start the truck, take it out of first, release the e-brake and expect it to roll back as it usually does. This time it just stays in one spot and when i put the truck in reverse i had to give it quite a bit of gas before i heard a slight crack noise as if it broke free and than it was fine.

Thoughts?

 

Wirelessly posted (Android)

Sounds like it froze.

 

It has happened before in the summer, exact same situation.

 

hopnestly it sounds like to me that your ebrake didnt release. Every single one of our vehicles is a manual and this has happened to my family numerous times. I even used to have one that the brakes would stick which was bs. But most of the time ill pull the ebrake and itll pop down and say its off but yet the brakes havent popped back to their normal position that they should be. Then when you go, you basically force them open. Thats why when it gets super cold or ESPECIALLY snow, I try to park somewhere that I can just leave it in first with no parking break.

 

Rear brake shoes are sticking to the drums, common enough in the cold or when its been wet for a while (rust). They'll knock free and start working again quickly, but depending on conditions it can happen in as quick as a few hours. Whenever possible - especially in the cold - avoid using the e-brake if its safe to do so. Throw a block under the wheels if you think they're going to stick again. LR

 

Thanks for the advice, I'll see what happens if i don't use the e-brake.

 

Had the same problem, it was the E brake sticking

 

Sorry, I just realized that you're from Winterpeg and I had to have a chuckle, thought it was just standard practice out there not to use your e-brake during the winter

Basically, whats causing it is your brakes heat up from use while driving around and they retain a bit of moisture. When you stop and apply the e-brake that moisture freezes the brake shoes to the drums, not a major issue but you just have to torque gently on the them with the engine and they'll pop free, but if you wait a bit before applying your e-brake (to let your brakes cool down first) then they shouldn't stick as much, but sometimes its just inevitable - especially if its been hovering around thaw temps with slushy conditions and it gets really cold out overnight. Thats why I say its better not to use it if safe to do so.

I used to have an issue with that with my rig whenever I parked out there for the night, come in from driving all day and set the parking brakes and go to sleep, wake up to frozen brakes. I also had to learn to stop for a while (about 15 min to let the tires cool off) then roll forward a bit because if I just parked for the night the heat from the tires would thaw a small patch of ice under them and they would sink about 1/2" into the ice, effectively leaving me stuck in the morning. Cars aren't nearly as heavy so its not an issue with them usually, but its just to illustrate why its a good idea to let the vehicle cool off first before shutting it all down and walking away from it for the night, especially in cold climates. Parking in a heated garage also takes care of a good bit of that lol. LR