Passenger rear wheel locked up - totally random!

Hey guys,

So my roommate has a 2005 v6 6speed 4x4 truck. NOT TRD (so no rear locker), just the 'base' model w/SR5 package.
The truck is in great condition. I've ridden in it, and driven it. No issues at all. Not even weird bearing vibrations/noises. It only has like 60k on it.

Last night we went to a DIY car wash. He had some old plastidip on the wheels and bought a can of brake cleaner to get it off (the only possible weird thing here). He sprayed the brake cleaner pretty liberally, but quickly sprayed it off.

We drive the truck back home. No issues. He goes to leave for work this morning - 5 mins later "Hey...my truck won't move. Can you take a look?"

I try to move it. It's like the e-brake is on. Nope...not on. I pull it, light comes on, let it go, light goes off. Truck won't move. I try rocking it forward and backward thinking it's a stuck drum. Nothing. If you try to force it, the passenger rear wheel just drags.

I don't want to break anything, so I stop and jack up the rear. In neutral with e-brake off, the passenger rear wheel moves a tiny bit. And it moves with the drum, so the drum isn't stuck. I go to move the driver's rear wheel, and it moves about twice as much, but is also kinda locked. When I jiggle the driver's wheel, the driveshaft turns in accordance, and the passenger wheel moves half as much.

My first assumption here is that something is jammed in the diff.

 

Pull the wheel and try to remove the brake drum. I'd guess something is preventing the shoe from releasing.

Was it parked with the e-brake on? That could be the issue even though the light turns off when you release it. The cables are known to get rusty as seize up.

 

Thanks for the reply. I been messing with the drum for about 3 hours now. Pulled the wheel off, drum is stuck on. I removed the rubber grommet for the access window on the back of the plate. I can't get the adjuster to turn (yes, I am pressing on the lever at the same time).
I'm pretty much at a loss now.
I put the wheel back on, and tried rock it a lot more. If I give it anymore gas, something is gonna snap.
I think a brake shoe came un-lined or something.

The truck is stuck in an odd part of the parking lot. Can't even get the thing towed... crazy.

 

Tap the back side of the backing plate with a hammer. This happens to me from time to time, more often in the winter. Most likely the water from the car wash got in the drums, and there was some left when the truck was parked. superficial corrosion is binding the brake. I usually tap three or four times and then see some brake dust fall out as the shoes release. You'll need the park brake released from the cab for this to work, so make sure it is in gear and block the wheel so it doesn't roll away or over you!

 

I got the drum off and got it freed up.
Not sure if the brake shoe seized overnight or the e-brake isn't backing off.
I had to do it in an alleyway, so we'll let a few day's worth of driving it see if it comes back.

thanks for the replies. This really caught me off guard as I've never seen something like that before.

 

Bolt size is M8 x 1.25 btw. Should get one at least 40mm.

 

A gentleman and a scholar