locked up brakes, can't get it home.

I have a 1970 Jeep cj5 and when you press on the brake it does not move. Is it just the pads are stuck against the drum or is there a lever that releases the brakes. Thanks for any info.

 

The people i'm buying it from says it ran when they put it there, and the plates say 1993. So yeah for a little while.

 

Will it roll? Or is just the pedal frozen?

 

Can you rock it back and forth a little? Might be some rust holding one of the wheels. PB Blaster or WD 40 sprayed on some of the visible parts just to get rolling might help free it up enough to get it home. Then you can take your time and pull the wheels, hubs and get to work doing it the right way.

 

Spray some penetrating oil onto the brake pedal pivot(under the floor next to the frame rail) and see if that looses up the pedal. I'm assuming that the pedal is not depressing due to rust on the cross shaft.

 

If pedal is not moving, then Willysnut's reply should loosen the mechanicals, as it is fitted with a grease fitting to keep lubed. A large return spring pulls the pedal back off the floor, so make sure that is present, and then try moving it in both directions. On the actual pedal shaft under the floorboard/firewall is a rubber grommet/bushing to soften the stop when the pedal returns to normal (non-depressed position). If the pedal gets moving, or seems to stay depressed even partially, then at least one of the wheel cylinders is frozen in the outward position due to rust or other contaminants. I'd try bleeding the brakes a bit to relieve some of pressure in wheel cylinders, and you should be able to get it rolling enough to put on trailer, or flat tow, but it would not be driveable until wheel cylinders and master cylinder replacement as previously suggested. If it won't roll after bleeding, then you'll have to pull wheels and drums and manually depress the wheel cylinders, but still not driveable. Get her rolling, then brake job, then get drive her like she was meant to be driven!!!

 

i'll have to try that, thanks.

 

you said buying it from... is it at your place now, are you trying to get it home, or are you trying to gauge what's wrong with it?

to get it home just rip out all of the shoes and springs, but keep track of the springs. i had to do tis on the last cj i drug home. it took forever to complete, but it wasn;t going anywhere without doing that. this was in '03 and the cj had been sitting since '94 so maybe that's what you're facing.

if it's at your place and you're trying to find out what's wrong go with what everyone else said.