Can you pull the E-brake while driving?
 

Just wondering if locking up the rear wheels would mess up something in the differential..

As long as you don't lock up the rear wheels you'll be fine. Curious though, why would you want to do this?

Sometimes I drive with the parking brake on because I forget to release it. It drives normally but with some slight resistance. That's the give-away that it's on.

No problems as of yet.

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On locking up the wheels, I have done that as well.I once power slided around a corner so I didn't have to drive a mile to the next U turn and I was late for someone.

THEN AGAIN MY REAR DIFF WAS ALREADY BAD SOOOOOOOO..... who knows really.

"I rent a lot of cars, 'cause I go on the road, and when I drive a rental car, I don't know what's going on with them, right. So a lot of times I'll drive for like ten miles with the emergency brake on. That doesn't say a lot for me, but it really doesn't say a lot for the emergency brake. It's really not an emergency brake, it's an emergency 'make the car smell funny' lever."


...seriously though, don't try it. I know a kid who decided to pull the E-brake in his Eclipse GSX at 60 miles an hour. He lost control, spun out, hit a tree, and was in a coma for close to 6 months.

I agree.

Elaborating on my post, the corner was riddled with gravel, and I wasn't going very fast. 20-25mph tops.

Mitch Hedburg FTW
Seriously,Dont pull the E-brake while driving.From what I understand it doesnt do much good for the center diff.

one good reason for pulling it slightly, you are speeding, a cop enters the highway behind you and you dont want to light up the rears, pull up someone on the ebreak to slow down.

Not that I would ever do that or anything.

Greg

if the rear wheels lock, it may upset the center diff, but since the car is assumed to be coming to a stop, its not a big deal. If you apply power and the e brake then your asking for trouble.
The E brake on subarus is an honest E brake. The brake has its own shoes, hardware, and cables. Other cars that use the service brake hardware are known as parking brakes. Proper way to use the e brake to top the car is to hold the release handle button, it gives you much better control. Also alot more fun in snow and gravel.
Just a little trivia.

nipper

The TCU uses many inputs to determine AWD clutch application among which is throttle position. I never really tested my car when it still had the 4EAT.

Anyone explain why the e-brake doesn't lock up all 4 wheels using a 5MT?

the 5 speed still has a center diff and a viscous coupling, basically the same thing as a the auto (in theory) minus the puter. The center allows differnce in axle speed between front and rear axles. I have never had an E barke in a awd subaru that was capable of locking the axle they were mounted on, but then again i never tried it either. I had to do it once on a gl with the e brake on the front wheels. Very LONG time to slow the car down, was easier to downshift and dump the D/r into low (drivetrain vs telephone pole, ill go for drivetrain sacrifice every time)
If the brake is being used as an emergency device, in the seconds it takes to stop the car, there won't be any damage. Now power the car with it on all sorts of fun and expensive things can happen.

I say it's a great BIG NO-NO. DO NOT LOCK UP YOUR WHEELS WITH THE E BRAKE WHILE MOVING! You'll probally take the clutches and turn them into grease after 2 or 3 times of that. I did it ONE time in the snow and my AWD didn't work the same since. I'll never do that to this tranny though now that I know better(of course I should have before).

I usually "test" the e-brake in the SVX about once a month on dry road. The road has to be dry to do this so that the rear wheels do not lock up.

Why do I "test" the e-brake? I might have to use it someday to stop the SVX and I want to know how good it is. I also don't want a bunch of rust sitting inside the drum wheer the shoes make contact.

The SVX has a great e-brake brake! The SVX will actually slow down the SVX quicker than other cars I have tried this on. I do this "test" on all my cars once in a while.

We used to have a 91 Legacy that was driven alot with the e-brake on, oh maybe about 30 or 60 thousand miles. The brake shoes actually worn down in that car and needed to be replaced. When I bought the new shoes from Liberty Subaru, Oradel NJ, Russ the parts manager tells me, "I have never sold that part since I have been working here." The shoes will last forever if the brake does not get used.

Take care too,
John

Yeah, it'd be a shame if you hurt that center diff. It'd overheat and damage the flux capacitor, too. :rolleyes:

I think you are probably right about the e-brake, though. I don't think it would do any immediate harm to the transfer clutch, but prolonged abuse probably would.

Older Subys didn't have this arrangement. On the '86 GL the parking brake set the front wheels. I recall one mechanic who didn't believe this until demonstrated. Don't know when they changed over to the separate drum, but that's what my '90 Legacys had.

And what y'all are calling an "emergency" brake should actually be considered a PARKING brake. If you feel it needs testing, stop the car on a moderate incline, set the brake, put the car into neutral and see if it'll hold.

Deliberately pulling the brake while driving is just asking for trouble.

dcb