Emergency Brake Emergency

[Mad Maxine]

Hi fellas--

I cannot get my emergency brake to work. The story goes like this:

The emergency brake worked fine when I got the truck last year. It worked fine in spite of both rear drums being full of gear oil and the rear shoes literally crumbling away in black goo. I replaced the rear hub seals and rebuilt the brakes. The hydraulic brakes work fine. But I have never since then been able to get the emergency brakes to hold. I've tightened up on the tensioner underneath the truck until you have to stand on the emergency brake pedal to get it to the first click, and they still don't hold. I can pull on the drum cables and feel them actuating the shoes in each drum to a positive stop....but they ain't stopping the truck from rolling on a slight incline. I'm pretty sure my shoes are adjusted out far enough...Anyway, I've never had so much trouble with a silly-ass parking brake before.



Any ideas?

 

[MTKirk]

Hi fellas--

I cannot get my emergency brake to work. The story goes like this:

The emergency brake worked fine when I got the truck last year. It worked fine in spite of both rear drums being full of gear oil and the rear shoes literally crumbling away in black goo. I replaced the rear hub seals and rebuilt the brakes. The hydraulic brakes work fine. But I have never since then been able to get the emergency brakes to hold. I've tightened up on the tensioner underneath the truck until you have to stand on the emergency brake pedal to get it to the first click, and they still don't hold. I can pull on the drum cables and feel them actuating the shoes in each drum to a positive stop....but they ain't stopping the truck from rolling on a slight incline. I'm pretty sure my shoes are adjusted out far enough...Anyway, I've never had so much trouble with a silly-ass parking brake before.



Any ideas?

Maybe your seals are leaking again. I have seen this happen many times when the rear end vent gets plugged. The pressure builds up and pushes gear oil out a brand new seal.

In any case; I suggest you pop your drums off, you should know shortly what's going on.

 

[madpogue]

First, narrow it down between the cables/pedal and the levers, etc. inside the drums. RELEASE the brake, then put a bit of white paint or masking tape on the CORES of the rear cables where they come out of the housings, where they come together on the driver's side of the frame. Then apply the parking brake, and see how far the cables have come out. They should move at least an inch. If not, then something's binding; maybe it's the front cable, or one or both rear cables is hanging up.

If you have enough cable movement, but it's still not holding the truck, then look inside. As mentioned, maybe another seal failure, or some other issue with rear brake adjusment/action.

Do you have the shorter shoe forward and the longer shoe aft on both sides?

 

[laserjock]

I think you are having the same problem a fellow was the other day. typ4 has said that a lot of the off shore brake shoes aren't formed correctly up where the lever would actuate them. I believe he said this is a symptom of that. The fix I think was building up that area with weld. You may be out of cable travel before the lever pushes the shoes out. With the brakes adjusted out to touch the drum, pull the drum and set the brake and watch to see if the cable is pulling the lever far enough to get it to push the shoes. Don't step on the brake pedal with the drum off.

 

[79jasper]

I'm going with the brake adjustment.
Many think they have them adjusted good, when really they aren't.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

 

[madpogue]

.... a lot of the off shore brake shoes aren't formed correctly.... The fix I think was building up that area with weld.

Why does that sound like a idea? I would think the _fix_ would be to install a set of shoes that isn't the cheapest one on the shelf (or in RA's listing, or whatever). It's your brakes, after all, and a set (well, a decent quality set) of rear shoes lasts, what, 80,000 miles?

 

[Mad Maxine]

I reckon I'll pull the drums and have a look-see and go from there.
I adjusted the shoes out 'till they were dragging...the auto-adjusters should take up the slack from there, no?

 

[cpdenton]

Jack it up, remove wheel, slide the drum halfway off where you can see the shoes move. This will give you a good idea.

As long as you don't have a deep groove wore on the drums.....

 

[Black dawg]

seen a few times where drums were turned excessively, and shoes didnt match the curve of the drums.....yet.

 

[crash-harris]

Set the e-brake in cab, then get out and under the truck. Look at the cable that runs from the pedal. You should have a bracket that tensions between the single front cable and connects it to the 2 rear cables. It'll most likely be too rusted to adjust without destroying it, but it's an easy first step in your diagnosis.

 

[Black dawg]

I reckon I'll pull the drums and have a look-see and go from there.
I adjusted the shoes out 'till they were dragging...the auto-adjusters should take up the slack from there, no?

the correct way is to tighten till tight, then back off to the desired drag. Just adjusting till they drag doesnt make sure that the shoes are centered. Another way that works is to pull on the e brake cable a couple times while adjusting to insure they centered

 

[Mad Maxine]

I think you are having the same problem a fellow was the other day. typ4 has said that a lot of the off shore brake shoes aren't formed correctly up where the lever would actuate them. I believe he said this is a symptom of that.

I'm making a new post in reference to this. This is EXACTLY the problem I had.

 

[Mad Maxine]

Why does that sound like a idea? I would think the _fix_ would be to install a set of shoes that isn't the cheapest one on the shelf (or in RA's listing, or whatever). It's your brakes, after all, and a set (well, a decent quality set) of rear shoes lasts, what, 80,000 miles?

No one (at least in Austin, Texas) has a choice of good, better or best. I tried to get Wagners or Bendix -- everyone told me it would be 4-7 days @ $115 a set, which I would have paid, but I had to get the gal on the road by tomorrow. I did find a set that were good for not a lot of money...I'm getting ready to post about it now.

 

[madpogue]

Yeah, with the juggernaut of the big FLAPS chains, premium parts are getting harder to find locally. Well then, you get to run the truck in the short term on the cheap Chinese stuff, then order a set of real shoes and install them when they come in. I'm sure RA has a premium set for considerably less than $115.

There's always the "portable parking brake" (4x4 block in the bed).....

 

[crash-harris]

There's always the "portable parking brake" (4x4 block in the bed).....

I once used a 4 barrel Quadrajet carb