Parking Brake not working after storage - could this be a low battery? Anyone else?

[accaptain777]

This may have been addressed previously, but I'm not running across a thread for it. I had hip replacement and haven't ridden my 2018 F3-S in about a month and a half. The first time I started it (thinking I'd let the battery charge) the parking brake released and I was able to roll it forward out of my garage. I then reapplied the parking brake, which worked. However, when I went to release it to roll it back into my garage, it wouldn't release. I tried multiple things, and I ended up having to back it up in gear with the parking brake on. I wasn't recovered enough to mess with it, but I did start the Spyder off and on during recovery that month, each time trying the brake switch, which did nothing. Yesterday, I removed the parking brake cover and released the spring and cable, allowing it to roll. I tried the switch with no tension, but again ,no movement of the cable. I took the side plastics off, and I can now see the parking brake motor. When I hit the switch, I hear a faint noise coming from it, but of course, no movement of the cable. If my battery is down in voltage, even with me starting it occasionally, could this cause the parking brake failure? Anyone experienced this situation?

 

[Mrmikey]

If my battery is down in voltage, even with me starting it occasionally, could this cause the parking brake failure? Anyone experienced this situation?

Just my thoughts for what it's worth.
Starting it 'occasionally' is probably doing more harm than good as far as the battery goes and possibly other areas as well. I can't give you any numbers, but I'd guess that you're draining more out of the battery than is being replenished every time you start it. Somewhat of a guess, but I'd bet a half hour ± drive would be required to fully recharge the battery, if not more.
If you are worried about the battery, invest in a maintainer.
Not to mention that by not getting the engine up to full temperature for a while, you may be causing an accumulation of condensation in spots where there's not supposed to be any, namely the oil sump. Not enough heat to evaporate the little bit of moisture that will collect will cause a build up, that's why short drives are harder on an engine that a couple of hundred miles of trip.
From what I've read, a low battery may prevent the brake from releasing, altho I've never experienced it myself. I'd guess that with nothing attached, the motor should turn easily, even with a low battery... maybe? Hopefully, someone else with more experience will chime in.
When I park mine in the garage, I don't set the brake at all, but instead, I chock the wheels. I figure, why leave a strain on something when it's not required...just my thought?!
I hear you with the hip, had mine done quite a few years ago, then my left knee, and 1-1/2 years ago, my right. Never tried going thru a metal detector. LOL.

 

[accaptain777]

Just my thoughts for what it's worth.
Just my thoughts for what it's worth.
Starting it 'occasionally' is probably doing more harm than good as far as the battery goes and possibly other areas as well. I can't give you any numbers, but I'd guess that you're draining more out of the battery than is being replenished every time you start it. Somewhat of a guess, but I'd bet a half hour ± drive would be required to fully recharge the battery, if not more.
If you are worried about the battery, invest in a maintainer.
Not to mention that by not getting the engine up to full temperature for a while, you may be causing an accumulation of condensation in spots where there's not supposed to be any, namely the oil sump. Not enough heat to evaporate the little bit of moisture that will collect will cause a build up, that's why short drives are harder on an engine that a couple of hundred miles of trip.
From what I've read, a low battery may prevent the brake from releasing, altho I've never experienced it myself. I'd guess that with nothing attached, the motor should turn easily, even with a low battery... maybe? Hopefully, someone else with more experience will chime in.
When I park mine in the garage, I don't set the brake at all, but instead, I chock the wheels. I figure, why leave a strain on something when it's not required...just my thought?!
I hear you with the hip, had mine done quite a few years ago, then my left knee, and 1-1/2 years ago, my right. Never tried going thru a metal detector. LOL.

You're right, I was probably not running it long enough to get a good charge. I'm picking up a tender today and I will get the battery charged back up to see if it will release. I appreciate your response, I think I'll take the recommendation and chock mine as well when parking in the garage from now on. Yeah, I don't know how well I'll fair against the metal detector! I did pretty well with my hip recovery, I'm told knees are much worse to have done. Thanks again!

 

[Mikey]

If you're the kind of person that takes out his bike once a week and goes for a good ride, say 150 miles, and you started with a good full charge the beginning of the season, that battery should not need to be on a charger/maintainer 'til you put it up for the season. If the battery starts to roll over slower than usual, that's the first sign of a battery going South! Too many people get on here and complain that they have their bike on a charger all the time, how came their battery be dead?! Doing that won't give you any idea on what's going on with your battery, you jump on it, take it out, and take a ride, then get to the gas station, shut it off and you cannot start it again!! Before you hook it up to life support, do a load test and see if it's worth the effort! Your e-brake issue may be battery issue, bad ground, stuck cable. Take the cable off the motor end and see how it works back and forth?! You have to start from one end and work your way forward! Good luck!!

 

[accaptain777]

If you're the kind of person that takes out his bike once a week and goes for a good ride, say 150 miles, and you started with a good full charge the beginning of the season, that battery should not need to be on a charger/maintainer 'til you put it up for the season. If the battery starts to roll over slower than usual, that's the first sign of a battery going South! Too many people get on here and complain that they have their bike on a charger all the time, how came their battery be dead?! Doing that won't give you any idea on what's going on with your battery, you jump on it, take it out, and take a ride, then get to the gas station, shut it off and you cannot start it again!! Before you hook it up to life support, do a load test and see if it's worth the effort! Your e-brake issue may be battery issue, bad ground, stuck cable. Take the cable off the motor end and see how it works back and forth?! You have to start from one end and work your way forward! Good luck!

Thanks for the tips. I actually didn't ride it too far before my surgery. I'm usually just riding it to and from work and that is about 4 miles round-trip. I will occasionally ride it 20-30 miles on the weekend. I'll get this battery tested, and do some more testing on the brakes as well to see what's going on.

 

[JayBros]

Four miles round trip to work is among the worst things you can do to your Spyder. It doesn't get up to operating temperature in that distance. The temperature gauge only measures the temperature of the coolant, not the whole engine-transmission system.

 

[Peter Aawen]

Thanks for the tips. I actually didn't ride it too far before my surgery. I'm usually just riding it to and from work and that is about 4 miles round-trip. I will occasionally ride it 20-30 miles on the weekend. I'll get this battery tested, and do some more testing on the brakes as well to see what's going on.

Four miles round trip to work is among the worst things you can do to your Spyder. It doesn't get up to operating temperature in that distance. The temperature gauge only measures the temperature of the coolant, not the whole engine-transmission system.

Jay's said it, and I hafta agree!

If you do load test your current battery (Ha! Didja see how I slipped 'current' in there, electrickery current, didja see it, huh? Didja?? ) then remember that Spyders are EXTREMELY power hungry, and if your battery voltage drops anything much below 12 volts under starting load, it's going to be struggling to manage the load of starting your Spyder, and those Parking Brake issues might be the least of your worries very soon!

Many places/people who will do a load test for you are either old school and learnt on less power hungry machines, or they're possibly newbies with all the gear and little idea who're just going by someone's pointer or pen mark scribed on the test device's gauge, a gauge that was probably designed for less power hungry machines anyway, so they might say that their tester says your battery is fine with little real understanding, and just cos it shows as low as 10.5 volts being 'OK', it's not necessarily the case here!! While that sorta voltage might be fine for another vehicle, especially an old school carby engined vehicle with very little in the way of electronics on board, it's just not anywhere near enough juice for a Spyder!! Your Spyder NEEDS a battery that'll reliably deliver at least 12 volts for the entire starting cycle - the second the voltage drops anything much below that 12 volts, something will be either failing to start properly, or it'll be triggering a sensor &/or code, warning, error!!

And as Mikey & Jay have mentioned, you REALLY aren't being kind to your battery OR to your Spyder - you really need to start finding some good excuses to ride at least an hour or so twice or maybe three times a week!! Bugga work; the 'honey, do...' list; surgery; recovery from surgery; whatever, you know you want to...

Just Sayin'

 

[accaptain777]

I've done a few tests, I checked battery voltage and it's at 13.2 volts. I still need to put it under load to test. I also tested power from the parking brake switch to the motor and I get a little over 12 volts each way I manipulate the switch, so I know the power is getting to the parking brake motor. I removed the motor and with it hooked up off the Spyder, the gear will not move and I hear a faint hum like it is bound up. If I had to guess, this is probably going to be a bad parking brake motor.

 

[accaptain777]

Four miles round trip to work is among the worst things you can do to your Spyder. It doesn't get up to operating temperature in that distance. The temperature gauge only measures the temperature of the coolant, not the whole engine-transmission system.

Well shoot... I enjoy riding it to work, even if it's just two miles there and back at the end of the day. If it hurts the Spyder riding short distances, couldn't the same be said for driving my car to work? It never gets up to operating temperature either! I might need to start walking or riding a bicycle to work. lol

 

[racoon]

Well shoot... I enjoy riding it to work, even if it's just two miles there and back at the end of the day. If it hurts the Spyder riding short distances, couldn't the same be said for driving my car to work? It never gets up to operating temperature either! I might need to start walking or riding a bicycle to work. lol

Take the long way home.

 

[Mrmikey]

......couldn't the same be said for driving my car to work?

Most definitely. That scenario is called severe use in the owners manual and requires more frequent oil changes.

 

[CloverHillCrawler]

Take the long way home.

That's what I did when I worked that close to home. Direct route in the morning, and decompression while going through Gambrill park on the way home. Sometimes I would purposely miss my turn home and keep going to hit the twisties around Cunningham Falls on 77.

 

[Peter Aawen]

Well shoot... I enjoy riding it to work, even if it's just two miles there and back at the end of the day. If it hurts the Spyder riding short distances, couldn't the same be said for driving my car to work? It never gets up to operating temperature either! I might need to start walking or riding a bicycle to work. lol

It hurts any ICE vehicle to do nothing but multiple short runs, and I guess you could start "...walking or riding a bicycle to work", that'd certainly be better for YOU; and at 2 miles, if you haven't got any other issues making you any slower, then it shouldn't take you a heap more than about a half an hour or so!?! Push to reach/better that time a little, and that walking bit could be your cardio for the week. Add some bricks or other heavy gear to a back-pack, and it could also be your weight bearing exercise for the week...

OR, as mentioned earlier:

"... you really need to start finding some good excuses to ride at least an hour or so twice or maybe three times a week!! " - that'd be better for you AND for your Spyder, and a whole lot more fun besides!! And if you have any twisties nearby, maybe some mountains &/or anywhere you can push the Spyder a little, enough to necessitate you moving around a bit on the Spyder as you carve the curves, it could also be your weekly cardio and a good 'muscle loading' ride for you as well!!

Go on, DO IT!! You know you want to!

 

[Mikey]

Well shoot... I enjoy riding it to work, even if it's just two miles there and back at the end of the day. If it hurts the Spyder riding short distances, couldn't the same be said for driving my car to work? It never gets up to operating temperature either! I might need to start walking or riding a bicycle to work. lol

It would be better for you than the bike!