Check parking break system - again

[emmetmc88]

Hi all

my electric hand brake is stuck on and thus won’t allow me to move the car. I get the warning symbol “check emergency break system”. This happened about 3 months ago and I had to get the acculator replaced. Worked perfectly until this morning.

I was pulling up to park and engaged the hand brake and it made the normal sound but got weaker and weaker until it just stopped, now I can’t disengage the handbrake .

Any ideas?

[2009joe]

8 hours ago, emmetmc88 said:

Hi all

my electric hand brake is stuck on and thus won’t allow me to move the car. I get the warning symbol “check emergency break system”. This happened about 3 months ago and I had to get the acculator replaced. Worked perfectly until this morning.

I was pulling up to park and engaged the hand brake and it made the normal sound but got weaker and weaker until it just stopped, now I can’t disengage the handbrake .

Any ideas?

if like u can disconnect the handbreak from the hub get you going until u get fixed but u might loose the epb center point and might need techstream to fis it again r dealer. is it the cable that gives bother and all tight with water and dirt or something if you pushed the epb switch off and held it in for 5 or more seconds to disconect it will it help . maybe if getting someone to hold in and turn off epb by holding in the switch and someone outside pushing the release on the caliber might work 

[Cessna]

There is a manual process for releasing the handbrake that involves removing a bung in the boot floor and using a tool supplied with the car to turn the mechanism by hand. Be warned though, the handbook advises approx 600 revolutions required, which takes approx 20 minutes.

[2009joe]

2 hours ago, Cessna said:

There is a manual process for releasing the handbrake that involves removing a bung in the boot floor and using a tool supplied with the car to turn the mechanism by hand. Be warned though, the handbook advises approx 600 revolutions required, which takes approx 20 minutes.

Would it not be more easy to just take off the rear wheel and pull out the pin that holds the hahdbreak wire and just make it secure the parts .u would still have breaks apart from the hahdbreak get uz about until fix problem 

[estate]

This is the instruction to release the handbrake, from the manual. 

[Konrad C]

Something is wrong and I suspect that something beyond the EPB unit or it's installation could be the cause, or the replacement faulty. I would check electrical connections, making sure they are sealed against moisture. Hopefully there is some form of warranty for the replacement. 
I have one of the earliest T27, first registered in 2009, which I have owned since September 2015. I was aware of the EPB system and any known issues, before I bought car. I avoid deep puddles and when I last serviced the brakes, made sure everything worked smoothly at the callipers. Yes there have been issues, but they were external and I resolved them. 
A good expert with the right equipment and experience with the Avensis EPB should track down what is the cause and fix it. 

 

[2009joe]

6 hours ago, Konrad C said:

Something is wrong and I suspect that something beyond the EPB unit or it's installation could be the cause, or the replacement faulty. I would check electrical connections, making sure they are sealed against moisture. Hopefully there is some form of warranty for the replacement. 
I have one of the earliest T27, first registered in 2009, which I have owned since September 2015. I was aware of the EPB system and any known issues, before I bought car. I avoid deep puddles and when I last serviced the brakes, made sure everything worked smoothly at the callipers. Yes there have been issues, but they were external and I resolved them. 
A good expert with the right equipment and experience with the Avensis EPB should track down what is the cause and fix it. 

 

i cant believe the price of these epc modules even the second hand ones on eBay its crazy.i was half thinking is it a better way maybe to wire in a timer releay that goes on for that few seconds enought to send 12v to the motor to pull handbreak on and turn voltage to motor to turn it off so u have to put it on yourself. i know the lights will come on in the dash but maybe mapping them out would be the only way why dont toyota put this motor into the inside of the car and drill two holes threw the bottom so it wont suffer with that problem .i might do that myself put the module in where the spare wheel is what you think Konrad .if this device suffers from water damage well this is the only way of fixing it i guess 

[yossarian247]

21 minutes ago, 2009joe said:

i cant believe the price of these epc modules even the second hand ones on ebay its crazy.i was half thinking is it a better way maybe to wire in a timer releay that goes on for that few seconds enought to send 12v to the motor to pull handbreak on and turn voltage to motor to turn it off so u have to put it on yourself. i know the lights will come on in the dash but maybe mapping them out would be the only way why dont toyota put this motor into the inside of the car and drill two holes threw the bottom so it wont suffer with that problem .i might do that myself put the module in where the spare wheel is what you think Konrad .if this device suffers from water damage well this is the only way of fixing it i guess 

For what it's worth, failure of EPB module on the Avensis isn't as common as its sometimes made out to be. The problem with any alternative DIY solution is that it will still need to be capable of passing an MOT, which anything other than a straightforward on/off button is unlikely to do. It would also count as a modification for insurance purposes. 

The price of replacement EPB modules has crept down over the years, and the price of secondhand units will continue to fall as more T27s reach old age and end up in breakers yards. 

[2009joe]

6 minutes ago, yossarian247 said:

For what it's worth, failure of EPB module on the Avensis isn't as common as its sometimes made out to be. The problem with any alternative DIY solution is that it will still need to be capable of passing an MOT, which anything other than a straightforward on/off button is unlikely to do. It would also count as a modification for insurance purposes. 

The price of replacement EPB modules has crept down over the years, and the price of secondhand units will continue to fall as more T27s reach old age and end up in breakers yards. 

suppose you are right still £600 quid for secondhand t27 one online .but im kina interested in the idea i have of trying to put the module in where the spare wheel space is where its dry just need to drill 2 holes and put in two rubber grommets i hope i have never looked at it yet but tbh any electric module in my book should not be outside the car where in contact with water 

[2009joe]

7 hours ago, Konrad C said:

Something is wrong and I suspect that something beyond the EPB unit or it's installation could be the cause, or the replacement faulty. I would check electrical connections, making sure they are sealed against moisture. Hopefully there is some form of warranty for the replacement. 
I have one of the earliest T27, first registered in 2009, which I have owned since September 2015. I was aware of the EPB system and any known issues, before I bought car. I avoid deep puddles and when I last serviced the brakes, made sure everything worked smoothly at the callipers. Yes there have been issues, but they were external and I resolved them. 
A good expert with the right equipment and experience with the Avensis EPB should track down what is the cause and fix it. 

 

another quick question Konrad when im suppose changing the place of the epb module to inside the car somewhere im wondering can it be dont to put the car handbrake into service mode and then when the epb is releaced then pull te Battery power then the epb will be off so can do the work then connect all back up again then put power to the Battery again would you still loose zero point in the epb. with my logic im thinking you should not as its just the reverse of sure when the handbrake going on and pulling the Battery what you think boss 

[yossarian247]

21 minutes ago, 2009joe said:

suppose you are right still £600 quid for secondhand t27 one online .but im kina interested in the idea i have of trying to put the module in where the spare wheel space is where its dry just need to drill 2 holes and put in two rubber grommets i hope i have never looked at it yet but tbh any electric module in my book should not be outside the car where in contact with water 

On eBay they're £565 new and about £300 used, so still not cheap but at least not the £1000+ dealer-only part that they were when I first bought our Avensis in late 2015!  I shouldn't tempt fate perhaps, but the EPB on our 2012 car is still the original and has never given a single issue in the 6 years we've owned it. The design was reckoned to have been improved in later T27s so they seem to rarely give trouble. I agree that anything containing sensitive electronics really should not be underneath a car though. 

[2009joe]

4 hours ago, yossarian247 said:

On ebay they're £565 new and about £300 used, so still not cheap but at least not the £1000+ dealer-only part that they were when I first bought our Avensis in late 2015!  I shouldn't tempt fate perhaps, but the EPB on our 2012 car is still the original and has never given a single issue in the 6 years we've owned it. The design was reckoned to have been improved in later T27s so they seem to rarely give trouble. I agree that anything containing sensitive electronics really should not be underneath a car though. 

thanks i must take a look at mine and well suppose if it dont give bother much and stay away from water should be ok .but with the mot tests here in the uk we have to wash under our cars so hope that dont cause bother i will still look see if its possible to move it to inside the car boot and i think 2 holes going threw bottom of car with 2 rubber grommets be handy maybe keep the water away from it better 

[yossarian247]

11 hours ago, 2009joe said:

thanks i must take a look at mine and well suppose if it dont give bother much and stay away from water should be ok .but with the mot tests here in the uk we have to wash under our cars so hope that dont cause bother i will still look see if its possible to move it to inside the car boot and i think 2 holes going threw bottom of car with 2 rubber grommets be handy maybe keep the water away from it better 

On a 2014 model I'd personally leave well alone. Perhaps in warm dry weather give the EPB unit a spray with some silicone grease to repel water, but I suspect moving it would cause more problems with calibration and the operation and free-movement of the cables.

Ours has been pressure washed underneath a few times, driven through flood water etc, it's now 9 years old with 91k on the clock and not one single problem with the EPB ever. 

[2009joe]

6 hours ago, yossarian247 said:

On a 2014 model I'd personally leave well alone. Perhaps in warm dry weather give the EPB unit a spray with some silicone grease to repel water, but I suspect moving it would cause more problems with calibration and the operation and free-movement of the cables.

Ours has been pressure washed underneath a few times, driven through flood water etc, it's now 9 years old with 91k on the clock and not one single problem with the EPB ever. 

Yep suppose you are right I will spray it with silicone spray over it hope dirt don't stick to it with that spray but well I guess you are light Toyota designed that I guess but thought maybe Toyota was going down the same Path as other brands making there cars 2 break more so they can charge more .il have a look at it when doing my servicing and see what's it like