'98 4Runner RF Break Locks and Won't Release

1998 4Runner SR5

4x4

ABS



To give everybody some background on the situation, at the beginning of the year I was driving down an icy, sloped street and applied my breaks to slow down. Everything seemed fine until the right side of the vehicle traveled over a dry section of pavement. It was at that moment I discovered the right front tire was not rotating, even after I released the break pedal. The tire ended up skidding across the pavement, causing the vehicle to pivot around. After talking it over with a few people, I reached the conclusion that perhaps one of the caliper pistons had seized. I proceeded to replace the front breaks, calipers and all. This apparently did not solve the problem, and a couple of days later, driving down a similar street, the problem arose again.



Thinking that perhaps it had something to do with the ABS, I removed the fuse and drove around. Still the break locks up and stays locked after I release the pedal. I tried to get the break to lock up on a flat surface, but was not successful. This leads me to believe the problem is related to angle of the vehicle.



Thinking I perhaps had a faulty break hose, I replaced that over the weekend. The problem still is there

Now, it may be time to take it in for repair. Sometimes we people have to break down and pay for professional help. Sometimes, the only way to drive happily is by taking the weight off of our own shoulders.

The truck pulls to the right? The LEFT front brake may not be working.
Ice may have formed in the brake line/hose. There may a dent,or kink, in a brake line.
One way to determine if brake fluid is moving freely to the caliper, is to loosen the caliber bleed screw, as someone depresses the brake pedal, observe the brake fluid coming from the brake bleed screw. It should come out in a nice little stream during the brake pedal stroke. If it doesn’t, there is an obstruction. Replace the brake fluid in the whole brake sysem…the vehicle is 11 years old.