00 Silverado park brake freezing in cold weather

background:
* in August 100k+ miles had parking brake replaced at dealer. Replaced because park brake no longer held truck at slight incline.
* Very happy w/ repair until.....December
* December very cold weather hit NW (8degrees)
* Parking brake would release in cab but not release at drivers side wheel.
* once temps reached above freezing, brake would release.
* stopped using parking brake .... however I forgot one night and had to drive 5 miles w/ pb engaged on drivers side.
* happened at least 2 other times (kids/wife)
* took truck back to dealer and explained that I had owned car for 10 years w/ no issues in cold weather until their repair in August.
* they looked at it said that the pb pad looked ok and not to use the brake in cold weather (hadn't damaged it). claimed water was in the pb cable line and caused the problem.

question for this forum.

--> does their explanation make sense?
--> if so can water be removed?
--> should I insist that they take care of the problem?

my brother thought that perhaps there was a grease xert to lube that would help.

Thanks for the help.
Wags

Parking brake? Your Silverado came with a parking brake?

Bert

http://tinypic.com/ei2g51

the park brake does have a lot of issues and TSB/NHTSA doc's.

this usually is about no parking brake....


your problem is usually a bad cable..the cable on the frame rail driverside will chaffe wearing out the rubber coating when this is gone water will get in and freeze the inner movable wire..if this is not the case and the cable does move it could be the dog ear inside the rotor park brake drum was not lubed..

I'm a damm expert of this piece of crap..

Thanks for the help.

I will look at the cable and if it is not compromised it is going to the shop.

When I did my search on "parking brakes" I was amazed at all the negative that came up as I had never had any problems w/ the parking brake. Fuel guage yeah but never the park brake....

Parking brake? Your Silverado came with a parking brake?
http://tinypic.com/ei2g51

Yes, and like me, he probably ALWAYS uses it so that he doesn't blow the park pawl pivot shaft out the side of the transmission case, like this (crack difficult to see along the right rear):

http://www.wwdsltd.com/files/4L60ECaseCrack.jpg

All it takes is another car or truck lightly nerfing your vehicle while parked, probably not even scratching the bumper, but blowing the pivot out of the case.

I use mine all the time, on every vehicle I have, and don't have a problem. Using the brake prevents unnecessary load on the driveshaft, universals, transfer case, axles/ring/pinion, and transmission. I also follow the manufacturer's recommended lubrication schedules - Perhaps that's why there are no sticking problems?

I will, however, offer the disclaimer that it doesn't get that cold here. It didn't even make -10ºF last night:

http://www.wwdsltd.com/files/Weather20100103W.jpg