When do you apply the ebrake when parking up or downhill?

I park my Tundra and my wife’s Highlander up/ downhill. She parks with front of her Highlander downhill and I my truck is always parked uphill. It was brought up to my attention that not using ebreak will mess with the transmission. When exactly should the break be engaged? After park or should it be done i neutral?

 

After park, before letting go of the foot brake.

 

Hold the brake, put in neutral, apply the e-brake, release the brake, put in park. Truck now resting on e-brake, not transmission. Not sure if damage can occur when not using the e-brake, but I do it anyway because my dad sense says so.

 

I set parking brake first. Release regular brake pedal to allow the truck to settle against the parking brake shoes then put into Park.

When leaving, right foot on regular brake, put in D or R, left foot release parking brake. My parking pawl will last forever.

 

I always apply e-brake, even when parking on level ground. Usually throw it in park and then e-brake, and then foot off brake pedal.

 

Always. I never, ever park without using the emergency brake as well. There’s literally no reason not to.

 

Not in your area, there isn't.

 

I live at the top of the hills right now and have lived in many other areas. What reason is there anywhere not to use it?

 

If you knew just how small a piece of metal the transmission rests on vs the E-brake you'd do it all the time - that is my habit - always use it. That way just in case it gets tapped while parked the stress goes to the brakes and not the trans pin. Luck all.

 

Nope. Don't use it at all.

 

As vehicles age and winter hits it's not uncommon for the parking brake mechanism to freeze. Often slush accumulates and as temperatures drop at night and your parking brake if not in good condition will not release the next morning. That's the only time I didn't use the parking brake. As I got older and could afford better vehicles it wasn't a problem. Now, I go south every winter snow doesn't follow me.

 

That's an excellent point. I'd never considered that but, like you I always stomp that parking brake pedal before putting it in park.

 

^^^THIS^^^

In truth, the parking pawl normally locks up with the output shaft teeth and is the failsafe against a parking brake failure, not the other way around. Here is a photo of a broken one. Though not of a 4Runner, but this is representative of a size for one. Notice it is broken and the size compared to the mechanic's thumbnail. The entire weight of your vehicle rests on that if that is all you use when parking.

 

What is this picture of?
Is this what it sits on when sitting on the transmission?

 

When applying the e-brake, or when it sits on the e-brake, should the truck still move back/forth? Or should there not really be any movement once you let go on the normal break?

 

When ebrake is on and you let go of the normal break, should it move at all? If so how much or how little movement

 

On a hill you will get some movement as the vehicle settles but not much. That's why I apply parking brakes before putting the transmission into park.

 

I wonder if that pawl is made with in mold injected metal?

 

I know my 21 parking brake wasn't even close to being adjusted when I bought my truck new. The first day I took up slack on the cables then as time permitted pulled the rear rotor/drums and did a by the book adjustment. Turns out the brake shoes were in fact adjusted properly from the factory but the cable slack was not. I haven't found a grade where my parking brakes don't hold. My driveway is 20-25% grade.

 

I use the parking brake everywhere, and with the same technique as others have share.

Stop, park, apply parking brake, release brake pedal.

Steep grades I always chock my wheels (turn steering to right lock facing downhill, turn steering wheel to left lock facing uphill)

 

^^^^^THIS^^^^^

 

I thought it looked like MIM as well given the porous look. It doesn't look machined. I don't know if they are normally MIM, machined or forged. I don't know the vehicle make or model either.

 

This is the reason why I search toyota forum to find solutions, how to repairs, or new ideas. Turning the front wheels into the curb, when parking, up or down hill, really does aided the parking brake. After reading and testing my vehicle with several of these solutions, I recommend; apply foot brake, apply parking brake, release foot brake and move selector to park. Vehicle has already settle and shouldn't move while resting on the parking brake and not the transmission

 

This is the proper way per car care nut.

 

I don't but it's a video about parking pawl or never do this to your automatic transmission

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULcSauSJrsY&ab_channel=TheCarCareNut

 

Here in central Florida, I could pretty much leave the tranny in neutral, with no parking brake, and the truck would STILL never budge.

I use it on the boat ramp, though. Even my smallish 3000lb boat will drag the truck backward down the ramp. I used to think the parking brake was some kind of foolproof thing, I got cured of that notion real quick.

 

My driveway is sloped and my truck will roll if I apply just the parking brake. Does that mean I need to adjust the cable?