2004 LS V8 - "Service Parking Brake" message and parking brake stuck in "on" position

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lsintoronto

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Firstly, Happy 4th of July (weekend)!

2004 LS V8 - "Service Parking Brake" message in display, brake lever/switch with yellow light on, and parking brake stuck in "on" position so cannot really move car without dragging brakes. I just finished changing the pads and compressing the caliper piston back to fit the new pads - that seemed to go ok.

Once I put it all back together the "Service Parking Brake" light came on and stayed on. Pulled the battery to reset but that didn't help.

Any idea to turn the brakes off manually? Anything else to look for to diagnose the issue? Did a search but results didn't really fit my scenario where parking brake remain on and can't be turned off.

Thanks!
 
lsintoronto said:
... I just finished changing the pads and compressing the caliper piston back to fit the new pads - that seemed to go ok...
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Did you use the brake tool that screws the piston back in (rotates it while pushing it in), or did you just push it back in? If you just pushed it back in, then there's your problem. Also, did you have the notch in the piston lined up with the tab on the pad?
 
joegr said:
Did you use the brake tool that screws the piston back in (rotates it while pushing it in), or did you just push it back in? If you just pushed it back in, then there's your problem. Also, did you have the notch in the piston lined up with the tab on the pad?
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Thanks - yes, I used a disc brake tool that fits the notches to turn it back in per the Deneau site instructions and lined up the pad/notch. Everything went well.

This is the rear passenger side wheel that the light came on after I got the parts back together.
 
Thanks - I have several search result threads open but I seem to have missed that one. So without a spare module (assuming that's the issue) there's no way to manually disengage the parking brake?
 
lsintoronto said:
Thanks - I have several search result threads open but I seem to have missed that one. So without a spare module (assuming that's the issue) there's no way to manually disengage the parking brake?
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Not sure if this will help but, when I did my rear pads, I actually had to open the bleeder screws because it was a real bear to turn the piston back in otherwise. Once I did that, they were very easy to turn.
 
That happened to me once. Turning off the car and then back on reset the brake. Try disconnecting the battery.....
 
Robot said:
Not sure if this will help but, when I did my rear pads, I actually had to open the bleeder screws because it was a real bear to turn the piston back in otherwise. Once I did that, they were very easy to turn.
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I was able to turn the piston back in with the caliper tool so likely not an issue there. If caliper was seized I assume this would not have been possible.
 
LS4me said:
That happened to me once. Turning off the car and then back on reset the brake. Try disconnecting the battery.....
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I tried that a couple time but no success. I'll do it tomorrow followed by the EPB reset procedure which I did not do in immediate sequence today.
 
joegr said:
Apparently, a dealer's scan tool can do this, assuming that the actuator is not stuck.

A little info on the system: (you may have seen it already)
http://deneau.info/ls/s6x~us~en~file=s6x65003.htm~gen~ref.htm
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I was reading through that earlier and it is looking like a dealer trip is inevitable on Monday morning. Was hoping I could drive it in versus flat-bedding it.

I don't hear the actuator working or even trying so could be that or the module isn't sending the signal.
 
Any way you could try pulling on the cable? I've been having some EPB issues myself, but it's caliper related (RR).
 
M4rk said:
Any way you could try pulling on the cable? I've been having some EPB issues myself, but it's caliper related (RR).
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Going to remove the wheel and see whether anything can be done to at least get it moving again. Not sure I can release the cable if it's engaged (will be too tight) and the other side which I didn't touch is definitely engaged now. I'll need to try and get the system disengaged - both wheels.
 
lsintoronto said:
Going to remove the wheel and see whether anything can be done to at least get it moving again. Not sure I can release the cable if it's engaged (will be too tight) and the other side which I didn't touch is definitely engaged now. I'll need to try and get the system disengaged - both wheels.
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The EPB should disengage when the battery is disconnected. IIRC you have to have power for them to be engaged.
 
Robot said:
The EPB should disengage when the battery is disconnected. IIRC you have to have power for them to be engaged.
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Unfortuately that's not happening. I tried the battery disconnect and EPB reset procedure a few times with no success.
 
Robot said:
The EPB should disengage when the battery is disconnected. IIRC you have to have power for them to be engaged.
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No, where did you get that from? If there were true, leaving the parking brake on would run the battery down, and a dead battery would mean parking brake failure. The electronic parking brake works like the mechanical pull handle one. It's just that instead of you pulling the handle, there is an electric motor that pulls the parking brake cable. It runs in one direction to apply the parking brake, and runs in the other direction to release it. It has to be powered to apply or release the brake. Unpowered, and the brake stays in which ever state it last was (applied or released). It's just like how your windows don't all fall down when you disconnect the battery.
 
Thanks for the replies - I pulled the calipers and pressed/turned the pistons back in (driver side was easy as EPB was not engaged fully on that side while passenger side required more elbow grease to get the caliper off without damaging rotor/pads) which relaxed the pressure on the passenger side cable, reinstalled calipers, pulled high voltage fuse for EBP, and was able to drive the car again. I still have the "Service Parking Brake" message which is expected and have no parking brake but at least I can drive the car (brakes not dragging anymore) to the dealer this week versus towing it.
 
joegr said:
No, where did you get that from? If there were true, leaving the parking brake on would run the battery down, and a dead battery would mean parking brake failure. The electronic parking brake works like the mechanical pull handle one. It's just that instead of you pulling the handle, there is an electric motor that pulls the parking brake cable. It runs in one direction to apply the parking brake, and runs in the other direction to release it. It has to be powered to apply or release the brake. Unpowered, and the brake stays in which ever state it last was (applied or released). It's just like how your windows don't all fall down when you disconnect the battery.
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I thought the system checks itself whenever power is taken away and then reapplied multiple times in a row. That's what it sounds like anyway. I just remember mine disengaging when my battery was going bad and it not working until I got a good battery.
 
It has something to do with the module. Like my old thread joe linked to, I was lucky enough to have two modules.

I keep both in my trunk now in case this ever happens again - I can switch back and forth. Pathetic, but looks like Ford couldn't get the module 100% either times. (I have an original module, and a "revised - A" module)
 
Here's more of a simple way of thinking about it. Did you make sure the caliper pins were greased well and slid fairly easy? Could just be a stuck caliper. Fairly common on rear brakes.
 
Maybe its just my car but I couldn't get the pistons to relax at all without opening the bleeder screws. I just figured it had something to do with the brake assist system. Like I said, once I opened the bleeders, the pistons went in almost too easy and the cable was really relaxed too.
 
Robot said:
Maybe its just my car but I couldn't get the pistons to relax at all without opening the bleeder screws. I just figured it had something to do with the brake assist system. Like I said, once I opened the bleeders, the pistons went in almost too easy and the cable was really relaxed too.
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Not just your car.
With disc brakes, there are check valves (either in the master cylinder or ABS) that hold slight pressure on all the calipers all the time, to keep the pads from getting pushed too far back. If you push hard enough, you can still force the fluid back past the check valves. That said, I always open the bleeders for two reasons.
1. It is certainly easier to push or screw the pistons back in with the bleeders open.
2. I don't at all like the idea of forcing the possibly dirty fluid from the calipers back up and into the ABS and master cylinder.
 
joegr said:
Not just your car.
With disc brakes, there are check valves (either in the master cylinder or ABS) that hold slight pressure on all the calipers all the time, to keep the pads from getting pushed too far back. If you push hard enough, you can still force the fluid back past the check valves. That said, I always open the bleeders for two reasons.
1. It is certainly easier to push or screw the pistons back in with the bleeders open.
2. I don't at all like the idea of forcing the possibly dirty fluid from the calipers back up and into the ABS and master cylinder.
Click to expand...
Number 2 is definitely a wise practice.
 
Finally fixed my parking brake issue with a new caliper. No more sticking.
 
M4rk said:
Finally fixed my parking brake issue with a new caliper. No more sticking.
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Glad you solved your issue! Unlike many other cars out there, the LS uses much more rear braking so, if you tend to drive with a lot of spirit, pad wear will be more equal to the front. I guess that's part of the reason they feel more in control while maneuvering under heavy braking. That also means we have to pay more attention to the rears too.
 
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