The thing is, I use it quite a bit. I am PROBLY one of the only people that DO use the E brake all the time. When ever I'm on a hill, in the driveway, etc.. I always use the E brake. A lot less pressure on the trans if you use it correctly. Use the E brake BEFORE you put the car in park, not after. And before you put it in drive, RELEASE the E brake while holding down your brake pedal, then put it into gear. I try and tell my wife n kids to use it when the situation arrives. That's why I'm a little puzzled why it stuck. The only explanation I have is I set it pushed it in a little more than normal. Tomorrow before my Nightly Cruz (more GM drive cycles) to get the damn PCM to read enough codes..lol..

 

Meh, I have never seen a park pawl fail from not using the e-brake. They are designed to hold the weight of the car.

 

this is why i never use mine

 

The problem with that though is (if on an incline) the weight of the vehicle can/will prevent the transmission from being shifted out of the park position. I use the parking brake the same way described by MJClemm.

Is the mechanism under the dash releasing? If it is try pulling down on the front cable under the vehicle to make sure it is not binding. Do the same for the rear cables. Then inspect the levers on the rear brakes making sure they are resting against the stops. If they are see if the brake is still binding. If it isn't you need to lubricate the cables (dry graphite) or replace them. If it is still binding you need to inspect the parking brake components and replace as needed. If the levers are at rest you should be able to remove the rotors, but if the rotor doesn't want to come off you need to (as previously suggested) use a BFH and tap around the rotor to (hopefully) release the shoes from the rotor.

 

What, if you're 100 years old and can't move the shifter? I've parked on 20% grade before with no problem.

 

Age has nothing to do with it. It's actually quite common for vehicles to become stuck in park because the parking brake is not used. It's not a problem at first, but over time the pawl gets a groove worn in it because (when you don't use the parking brake to hold the vehicle in place) it has pressure applied to it (by the weight of the vehicle) and presses it against the locking mechanism in the transmission. When you shift out of park you have metal to metal contact which (over time) creates the groove. Once the groove becomes deep enough it (combined with the pressure from the weight of the vehicle) prevent the vehicle from being shifted out of the park position. Rocking the vehicle is often required to get it out of park. I realize and respect the fact that you are a GM Tech, but if you confer with mechanics (transmission specialists in particular) that have been working in the industry for a few years I'm sure several will tell you of this happening.

 

I just asked the 30 year trans veteran and he says it is an non-issue on anything made in the last 20 years.

 

maybe try takeing it apart(the brake assy) and clean and lube it well...

Or try douching the whole brake cable with wd 40 or lithium grease(spray)...saturate the heck out of it...

 

I am currently using Liquid wrench thru the cable and near the brake rotor where the parts meet. I haven't tried to move the car just yet as I am replacing a few engine parts for my Emmisions test.. Il get back to this soon.. Mjclemm...

 

I had this exact same problem happen to me a few years ago. The problem with mine is that the cable had seized up inside the steel tube that it runs through near the backside of the hub. I had to disconnect the cable and use some penetrating oil and clear out all the rust and junk that had accumulated in there. The rubber boot near where the cable connects was completely worn out and had a hole in it, so basically road salt, sand, rust, etc had been able to get inside. After about 20 minutes of working the cable back and forth through the steel tube, it was moving freely again and the parking brake was working as normal.