Why doesn't my truck "go" when I take my foot off the brake pedal like it's supposed to?

Do I have a sticky break pad/rotor or something?

Also, if you put the truck in REVERSE with the EMERGENCY BRAKE on, is it still supposed to reverse? mine does

 

Possibly a sticky calipers or rear wheel cylinders. Do you have to press on the throttle to make it move in reverse with the E-Brake applied? Maybe the E-Brake cable needs tightening.

 

I was going to take pictures of my new lights on but when I put it in reverse with the ebrake on, it would go in reverse and I didn't want to take pics of my brake light on.

I always hear a stupid noise from the brakes and I knew I had to change them soon but didn't want to waste the money because they are so expensive (the drum brakes)


How do I check to see if it's the rear wheel cylinders?

 

anyone?

 

Sounds like you have issues in the rear. Either take it to a competent shop and have them check it out, or you can remove the rear wheels, and then remove the drum (may need a hammer to get the drum off). Once the drum is off, you can see the wheel cylinder and see if it's leaking, and also what kind of shape the shoes are in.

 

I would recommend lubing and adjusting the back brakes.Also lube the bolts(slides) on the caliper(you have to take two out per side).Will help caliper work better

 

What about the reverse? Is the ebrake supposed to brake in reverse too?

 

yes. The e-brake is supposed to be able to hold the vehicle still in forward, reverse, parked on a hill... you get the idea.

 

What would cause my ebrake to not work when I'm in reverse, but works in neutral and drive?

 

Bear with me im going to explain this to you, in depth so you understand rear brakes. Motion combined with worn parts cause this. Here is the deal on old brakes. WHen you are going foreward the brakes shoes shift to a position that might be refered to as down, in other words the shoes move ever so slightly from that foreward drag. Actually the front pin that holds them in place drops down and the rear pin rises, that allows the shoes to travel so slightly. When you go in reverse, the front pin rises and the rear drops. Next thing to know over turned drums contact on the bottom of the shoe and the top of the shoe, with no contact on the shoe center. Finally the shift of the shoes from the pins allowing movement that allows the emergency brake lever to drop down, in direction when in reverse, allowing the tension on the bar that expands the brake to loosen so slightly, and that can relax the shoe tension slightly, which results in reverse vehicle creep. Self adjusters adjust thihter when you back up from this movement which causes the paw attached to the bar to tighten the brakes. Back to worn or over turned drums. If the drums have been turned beyond limits contact surface area becomes on the top and the bottom of the shoe, without full contact at the centers. The good news is you may be able to get the brakes tighter by backing up and appying the brakes several times hard and get it to adjust more so it keeps the truck from moving when e. brake is on and you go into reverse. Bad news is when we have this situation we need to rebuild rear brakes, which includes drum checks for size and condition. A new rebuild with poor drums will result in poor shoe wear in combination with cracks in the center of the shoe area from dis-proportunate shoe contact, which is the result of overheat on the areas that are actually contacting.