08 grand caravan with 195k+ miles. Braking system locked up while reversing out of the garage. brake pedal and gas pedal stiff. would not go forward either. turned van off and back on, worked fine. put the van back in reverse (executing a turn around), same problems. Problem resolved on its own after a few minutes of idle run time.
I can think of three possibilities, but if you’re not going to do the work yourself, you need to get it to your mechanic and have them fix this right away. They should spot the problem in short order.
Are they simple fixes? I’m a mechanic in the national guard, so I’ve got a little bit of experience. Major overhauls at home are out of the question though.
If it has drums in the rear, it could be frozen up self adjusters. It could be stuck calipers, or sticking slides on disc brakes. Rubber brake lines could be restricted internally. If you remove the wheels and give a thorough inspection your bound to find something. Pads should have even wear on each side, caliper pins and slides should move freely. If you put the car in the air, all wheels should turn if you apply brakes and then release brakes, all wheels should turn, if not something is binding.
Thanks, tcmichnorth! I can usually handle brake work at home, or at the base after hours. I’m hopin it’s something related to that.