Chevrolet Repair: rear differential, parking brake cable, chevy sport

Question
Just Happened
1992 4x4 Chevy Sport
Truck rolls fine forward but when I try to reverse the drivers side rear wheel locks up.
Even in 4x4 the wheel just locks up.
Any clues?

Answer
Hi Al,
Brakes or bearings either one could lock in one direction. It would depend on how the brakes are having a problem, or how the rollers are stacked up in the bearing.
A one way clutch in a transmission or torque converter works the same way. The rollers are free in one direction, but try to reverse the rotation and they wedge.
Of course they are intended to, but I have seen bearings do it.
I have also seen where a parking brake cable cought on something while 4X4 ing, and jerked the shoe hard enough thatthe lever cought on the shoe web.
That truck would only roll in foreward.

Actually, most vehicles, when you apply the parking brake, if you don't stand on it, will hold better in one direction than the other.

I'd jack that thing up, and see how tight the stuff is. Not hard to pull off the drums and look.

I sincerely doubt it is going to be a bearing or gear in the differential, cause that housing is going to turn, and the axle will turn with it.

Van