car starts but wont move - handbrake prob?

chickey

Hi my car (O1 hyundai accent) has been out of action for last few weeks on drive. just tried moving it and while it starts fine when i went to take off no movement forward or reverse - handbrake off. It reaches biting point but no movement. Has something seized up? any ideas what i should check or do? tried putting in neutral with engine and handbrake off and pushing but didnt budge.

any advice appreciated.:)

Pkiernan

Although you must be very careful, can you get the front wheels off the ground (with a jack for example) a little? Then engage 1st gear (no accelerator) and have someone check if the wheels are moving? This assumes that your car is front wheel drive (which it most likely is).

E39MSport

Sounds like your brakes are seized. Don't use any lubricant. I think the only way to resolve it is to find the offending wheel (maybe raise the front of the vehicle and try to spin the wheels - do the same for rear if no joy there) and apply some brute force to free it. I think I recall someone with the same problem getting a lump hammer to the tyre to apply some gentle persuasion.

If that fails then you might need to apply heat between the disk and caliper. Make sure to take care of brake lines etc. If its a drum then whack it with a hammer taking care not to damage the drum itself.

Good luck.

peasant

Pkiernan wrote: »

get the front wheels off the ground (with a jack for example) a little? Then engage 1st gear (no accelerator) and have someone check if the wheels are moving?

E39MSport wrote: »

apply heat between the disk and caliper.

don't do any of the above ...too dangerous.

If your car was parked for so long with the handbrake on, the brake pads have most likely stuck to the brake drum or disk.

First, try moving the car a bit less gingerly, trying forward and backward. You won't break anything, the worst that can happen is that you draw a black streak across your drive from the blocked wheel(s)

If that doesn't do it try standing on the towbar/back bumper/ in the boot if necessary and rock it up and down

If that still doesn't free the brakes, time to call a mechanic

10-10-20

I've had that a couple of times.
It's either a frozen hand-brake cable (water gets into the cover around the cable) or the caliper is frozen.
If you suspect frozen cables (noticable by the way the handbrake is slack) then run the engine for 15 mins to heat the exhaust and free up the cables - it might take longer though.
To identify if the brake is seized, I'd get somebody to start to try drive the car and then watch to see if you can see a locked/immovable wheel.
You could also try apply full force to the brake peddle and release and try drive, then repeat a number of times. This might free up the pad without having to resort to brute-force!

samhail

that happened to one of our cars once. turns out the handbrake was frozen stuck on.
what peasant suggested did it for me. put the car in 1st then try to go forward, then reverse and go back etc... thats what you meant peasant - right ?

E39MSport

peasant wrote: »

don't do any of the above ...too dangerous.

booooo, nothing a bucket of water couldn't sort.... I've had all sorts go on fire trying to get siezed nuts off shockers etc.

Spose your right though in terms of advice.

peasant

samhail wrote: »

put the car in 1st then try to go forward, then reverse and go back etc... thats what you meant peasant - right ?

yepp

chickey

thanks jacked it up and put it in first but no movement front front wheels - car is front wheel drive

peasant

chickey wrote: »

thanks jacked it up and put it in first but no movement front front wheels - car is front wheel drive

now that is strange

firstly, I wouldn't have thought that the handbrake on the accent works on the front wheels ...so it's likely that the main brakes may have seized.

But if they are indeed seized and you jack up the car and put it in first, the engine should stall.


How did you jack it up? Both wheels off the ground? Was the engine actually running while you put it into gear or did you try turn the wheels with the engine off and the gearbox in 1st ?

Anan1

I would have thought the handbrake would work on the rear wheels on that car?

peasant

Anan1 wrote: »

I would have thought the handbrake would work on the rear wheels on that car?

So would I ...which makes jacking up the front pointless on top of dangerous

Anan1

I'd still just try to drive it off, it'll either move, stall, or drag the rear wheels. All at the OP's own risk, though.:)

chickey

chickey wrote: »

thanks jacked it up and put it in first but no movement front front wheels - car is front wheel drive

took off front wheel on drivers side and opened caliper. got back in business. thanks all