F355 E-Brake nightmare

Out driving my '99 F355B this morning with friend in his '54 Vette. Exiting parking garage when he stops in front of me to switch cars. My car begins to roll slowly forward as he gets in and, thinking it might hit his Vette, he sets the E-brake. I never use it, so of course it froze the caliper tight. Now the car is stuck in the only exit lane of a huge parking garage and no one can get out. I had another guy bring over two go-jacks to raise the rear wheels off the ground, and managed to get the car turned around and pushed back into the garage into a handicapped parking space. It's Sunday, so finding a mechanic to help me is not an option. I have very limited mechanical skills, and not certain if cable has snapped or caliper is frozen shut or both. Can anyone give me some advice as far as what my next move should be? My friend has a good mechanic who works on his thirty-five Corvettes and some other muscle cars, but he has never worked on a Ferrari. He will meet me there at the garage tomorrow to try to solve this nightmare. I am not eager to have a towtruck destroy my car either, so hoping to find a way to fix it where it sits -- in a big parking space on a level floor indoors.

As always, I am most grateful for any advice that you might have.

 

There is no E-Brake I think - but perhaps US-Cars have E-Brakes ...
Did you push the button when slackening the brake?

 

Is the light still on, indicating that the parking brake is on? If so, it could be at the handle-end of things.

 

If it's like my F355 Spider 1997. When I engage the ebrake it falls to the floor as if it is broken. But, it's not. It's engaged. I have to push the button while pulling it all the back up and then down.See if that helps. You will know when the ebrake light goes off. If the ebrake light goes off but its still locked up then....?

 

It seems weird it would freeze on. It is normally spring loaded in the "off" setting. Are you sure you know how to disengage it? If you never use it then it's a bit strange. Pull up until tension, hit the release button and drop the whole thing with the button depressed.

Other than this, unless the cables are rusted tight I can't imagine it getting stuck on if it's a car you use.

I have only ever seen cars that were sitting for years outside with the e brake engaged get stuck from rust.

 

Light is still lit. When I pull the brake up now it offers no resistance. It's just locked tight.

 

Pulling up with button engaged has no effect.

 

Thats not how you disengage it. Refer to my post. It's possible it has been tightened so much now that it will take a lot of effort to disengage. If the light is on then the brake is applied.

 

To disengage, pull up the brake handle w/o pressing button (it will offer no resistance). Press the button and then lower the handle, release button. The will disengage. If it doesn't, then pull up and press the button and lower again. Engaging is just pulling up on the lever and then lower it back into position for safe keeping. I am sure you tried all this, but doesn't hurt to mention it.

 

Pull up on the handle
Push button in AND HOLD IT while you....
....lower handle

The E-Braking lock on is pretty unique.

 

You've never driven an older volkswagen?

 

Bosshog - please let me know your labor rate. Went back to garage and fiddled with it some more as you instructed. It disengaged.

 

Thats one hell of a park/hand brake you have if its holding the car fast. Most other 355 hand brakes i have come across are so dam weak. So weak that the car could acualy easly drive away with it on.

 

I had it maxed out and car wouldn't move forward or reverse

 

No.

The only way for the e-brake to lock on is for the release button mechanism to fail at the height of the engagement. It is a pretty simple system. Take the handle cover off and release the engagement if all heck breaks out.

... or reach under neath and cut the cable

 

Got it to disengage - car rolls freely. But the park light now won't turn off.

 

Thats mighty. Please keep us posted on your findings. I think the problem is that somthing has broken of in the drum section of the rear disk (like of the two shoe securing pins and springs) Thus jaming the drum action. Could be the edge of the shoe thats wedged somhow into the action of the drum within the disk.

 

Great job then The light is a minor problem now. Mind you remove the disk and inspect for damage. Atl east its free now.
What did you do?

 

Lubricated base of handbrake a bit and just carefully followed advice of post from Bosshog. Problem may be that I had brake stretched to absolute limit and it was sticking, or just poor technique trying to get it to disengage, or both. Now if i can justI get the light to turn off...

 

Please read your owners manual if you have it...really good info in that book.

 

My light stays on sometimes after I disengage the brake. Raise the lever 1/2 inch hold button in and lower it again and the light always goes off.

 

Man if this was only just down to a cable, then you have the best hand brake on a 355...ever. Or an engine that is as powerful as a sewing machine if it could not move the car with it engaged. Especialy when you said you had the car maxed out and it would not move. Which naturally led to my suggestion. That made sense.

 

I was in my driveway a week after getting the car, letting my F355 GTB warm up and talking to my neighbor. He goes 'your car is rolling backward'. I was able to open the door and jump in and stop the car. The driveway has a slight slope and then there is a good downhill after leaving the driveway. Since then I always carry a tire chock and put it behind the rear tire anytime I am on even the slightest grade if the car is in neutral with handbrake on. The e-brake has been adjusted many times and is still a PITA.

 

I'll trade ya ebrakes JudgeJOhn....

 

That's a good one. The first one is on the house....hahahaha

The C4 corvette has the exact same system and it's a very common thing to see. Your going to have to dig a bit and see why the light is not going off now.