brakes question
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Junior User
Joined: Feb 2010
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brakes question
I just noticed yesterday backing down a friends steep gravel driveway the front wheels will lock up as if the front brakes are overpowering the rear... I adjusted the rear and still the same...is there a way to adjust the front??? This is an 89..
Tuned
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 380
Likes: 12
From: somewhere in Colorado
Think of it in extremes. If you were backing down an extremely steep driveway where you were almost to the point of flipping backwards, there is hardly any weight on the front end and it will slide no matter what.
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,182
Likes: 12
From: Gateway to the West
Could not have said it better, boulderbronco. There is also no point to trying to adjust the rear any further. If you back up with enough frequency and use your parking brake on a regular basis, the rear adjusts itself appropriately.
The Southernmost Mod
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 6,902
Likes: 20
From: Caracas, Venezuela
Hmmm... now that's a tip I didn't know, so if all the linkages in the parking brake are working ok yet the brake barely engages that would mean the rear brake shoes need replacement, right? I use the parking brake everytime I park and I back up fairly enough.
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 9,182
Likes: 12
From: Gateway to the West
Yep. Either that or you have lost a spring inside the drum. When you engage the parking brake the cable pulls the rear shoe in each drum against the drum. Assuming everything is assembled properly, this also engages the ratcheting pawl on the star wheel (adjuster between the two shoes at the bottom of the assembly). Backing up and applying the brakes has a similar effect. If the brake shoes have worn enough the ratcheting pawl will push the star wheel and spread the gap at the bottom of the shoes. If the shoes are as close to the drum as possible the pawl ratchets over the star wheel leaving the gap as it is. This simple self-adjusting mechanism has been in use for decades on must drum brake systems. Its not a good method for getting the initial setting when replacing shoes, but if you suspect your drum brakes aren't optimally adjusted, backing up a few times can sometimes help. Regular use of the parking brake keeps even that from being necessary on vehicles equipped with rear drum brakes.
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 8,908
Likes: 1
From: Algona, Washington
This is good info, i knew about the front being more used than the rear but i didn't know the self adjusting info. Now if i roll backwards and hit the park brake will that allow my park brake to actually work? Mine will tighten down but it really doesn't keep the truck from rolling. Though one time i left it on on accident and it did make it harder to drive, it just didn't keep it from rolling when in neutral or drive under the motors power.
GJ
GJ
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