Stuck Brake Pedal

[fenrisx]

So for some reason my brake pedal gets stuck sometimes. It's only when the car has been sitting overnight when it's cold out. Usually by the 4th press it lets go. Tonight however (-5 windchill) it was stuck for about 2 minutes of me pressing. It will barely move at all.. therefore no stopping when in motion.

What could be the cause of this?

(2000 4Runner 3.4L V6 Auto 4x4 / Highlander)

[Scuba]

Flushed the brake fluid recently..? When that stuff gets old it can build moisture, and that could lead to freezing ( specially if it's -5.. Burrr)

[CJM]

I second brake fluid could be freezing. Could be sticking calipers or wheel cylinders as well. Or could be the e-brake isnt disengaging if your using it.

Or the master or brake boosters going.

[YotaFun]

I would do a flush first.
It is really recommended that you flush your brake fluid every 2 years, but honestly, no one really thinks about it.
And since your truck is a 2000, do you recall ever it being flushed or you taking it to be flushed.

When I did my tundra brake upgrade, I flushed the system and put DOT4 fluid in,
DOT3 is the standard fluid but I decided to upgrade a little, no real big notice, I guess more piece of mind, don't do DOT5, its rated for a different type of brake system usually found in formula 1 and such

[corax]

WD-40 all the brake pedal pivot points and the pushrod going through the brake booster (gonna have to pull the MC away from the booster a bit, leave the lines connected) - also spray some WD40 through the one way check valve in the brake booster's big rubber vaccum line

[MTL_4runner]

Flushed the brake fluid recently..? When that stuff gets old it can build moisture, and that could lead to freezing ( specially if it's -5.. Burrr)

X3

If the brake system works completely normal after the pedal is "unstuck" then it is almost assuredly moisture in the brake system. You'll need to bleed the entire system but it's not nearly as bad as it sounds. If you have access to compressed air at home, it gets even easier. You can also modify a deck sprayer to give you compressed air as well to bleed them yourself.

DIY Power Bleeder:
http://www.ultimateyota.com/index.ph...=26&topic=1726

[fenrisx]

No, the fluid hasn't been flushed to my knowledge.

I figured that it was just the fluid was either:
A. Really old.
or
B. Had moisture in it.

I called the Stealership about it when it happened the first few times at the end of last winter, and he told me it probably wasn't the fluid. That the fluid is 'good for the life of the car basically' and that they 'usually don't flush the fluid out.'

I'll have to get that fixed soon though. I do not have access to compressed air, and I've never bled my brakes before. I wish I would have done this before winter kicked in again! Argh.

[Seanz0rz]

I called the Stealership about it when it happened the first few times at the end of last winter, and he told me it probably wasn't the fluid. That the fluid is 'good for the life of the car basically' and that they 'usually don't flush the fluid out.'

sounds like their song on the fuel filter too. usually the fluid gets bled out during normal brake bleedings. so im guessing over 10 or so years yeah it probably gets replaced once. i flushed my system when i did my rear axle work, then again when i did the tundra swap. you would hurt nothing except spend a few bucks on good fluid. i would check the condition of your cap too, if its cracked you want to replace that as well.

[fenrisx]

Yeah. I just had a buddy do my brakes for me about a month ago. During that process a lot of fluid was drained and new added (over one small bottle of fluid). I was hoping that would have helped my problem, but alas it's the same.

Could the moisture have gotten in through a bad wheel cylinder? The passenger side wheel cylinder was bad, and the driver side not too much better. We replaced the passenger side before realizing the driver side wasn't that much better. At that point I was frustrated with the whole thing and just left it. (After replacing rotors/pads & shoes the brakes seemed worse than before. Even after adjusting the shoes and bleeding it seems there's too much play in the pedal. Someone told me you're supposed to bleed starting with the wheel furthest from the master cylinder, which we didn't do.)

[Scuba]

Someone told me you're supposed to bleed starting with the wheel furthest from the master cylinder, which we didn't do

Cant help with the other stuff so I erased it.

Correct on that. IDK if you 4Runner people have the LSPV (I would guess you do) But you would want to bleed (in this case flush) in this order

1. Passenger rear.
2. Drivers rear.
3. LSPV.
4. Passenger front.
5. Driver front.

Flush until you see new CLEAR fluid coming out..

I use something like this
http://www.amazon.com/OEM-25036-Blee.../dp/B000CMDP44
You can get it at autozone for 10-15
It has always worked for me, from brake bleeding to clutch line bleeding..

Try and flush when the weather is warm and not freezing..

Good luck !