As the title says, I'm having some parking brake troubles.

At first, I replaced the rear shoes, springs, and drum/rotor. Then I adjusted the star adjusters until the brakes locked, then backed them off until they turned freely. So at this point, I know both those systems are working.

I then went and adjusted the tensioner until the nut was all the way tight, and still the car will roll.

Also, pushing down the parking brake pedal doesn't feel difficult or tight at all, and it doesn't return all the way to top unless you use your foot to pull it.

Has anyone experienced this and know what causes it, or do I just have to start replacing cables one by one until it works?

Thanks for any insight!

 

Check all the cables. Are they moving freely? If you don't use the parking brake all the time they can freeze.

Also, take the truck out and use the self adjusters to adjust the rear brakes. Back it up, step hard on the brakes. Go forward, stop hard, and keep repeating. You should feel the pedal coming up. The new shoes and drums need to wear in to each other.

 

Check the cable coming out of the floor under the truck where it spits off to the two control cables. There should be a spring there that keeps things taut.

 

You probably did it too loose. They're not supposed to spin freely. You should be able to turn the wheel and hear/feel the the pads brushing.

 

Thanks for all the responses!

I checked the cables. They seem to all move freely, however I noticed when pushing in the e-brake, the left rear cable does not seem to move.

I think it's because there is way too much slack in the cables, especially in the unlocked position. Can anyone confirm if that's normal? I also don't see the spring you are talking about?

I will go back and turn them until they grind a little, but after seeing this I don't think that's the main source of the problem.


Unlocked

Locked

Locked

 

Take a look at where the left and right park brake cables connect. Post a pic.

The cables themselves are seated in the backing plates???

 

I was under the impression that 3rd pic is where they connected? The really long one is from the rear right, and the shorter cable that attaches to it with the metal bracket is rear left (the one that is currently not moving/actuating the lever).

Yes, both cables are attached to the rear metal parking brake levers (behind hub), and both levers move with screw driver action.

 

Something is broken there. That rubber snubber should be dead verticle and snug to the body when brake is released, and like a guitar string when brake applied.

 

Here's what you should have

 

Awesome! Thanks so much for the pics! That helps a lot.

Is that resting or locked position?

Either way, it's clear that one, or both, of the cables have stretched beyond repair.