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I'm having trouble with my rear drum adjustments and parking brake.
I have adjusted the drums according to Haynes manual, slight drag but able to turn by hand, one side at a time. The parking brake is real tight, pedal only travels max 2". Pedal was even bent when I got the truck, I replaced the pedal assembly and that one bent within days due to being so tight. If I adjust out at all then I have no parking brake, pedal goes all the way down and I can push the truck myself.
If I leave the adjustment and deal with the tight parking pedal, I have a good parking brake, but the drums seem to be self adjusting quickly. They have gotten so tight that coming to a easy stop on dry pavement the rear locked up. I adjust back out then it happen again in a couple months.
The rear brakes are also showing way more wear than the front.
I like having a parking brake as its a manual.
I've almost completely rebuilt the braking systems. What I haven't done:
Hardline from master to RABS unit, RABS unit.
With the front tires chocked, set the rear axle on jack stands and remove both rear drums.
Set up your phone and take a video of the movement of the brake hardware when you push the parking brake pedal.
With the drums off, it should require very little effort to move the pedal.
Take pictures or a video of how the hardware is assembled in the rear drums, and post it here.
The easy way to adjust rear drum brakes on these trucks, is to go through the access hole in the backing plate, and use a small flat blade screw driver or brake adjustment tool, and tighten the star wheel until you feel resistance. Then back the star wheel off about three quarters of a rotation.
On either drum, working through the backing plate, rotate the cogs on the star wheel up, to tighten the brakes, and down to loosen them.
After adjustment, drive the truck a few miles, then see how warm the drums are. They shouldn't be smoking hot, but they should be heated up enough to tell they're in use.
If you're bending parking brake levers, don't push that hard. You probably have corroded parking brake cables.
With the front tires chocked, set the rear axle on jack stands and remove both rear drums.
Set up your phone and take a video of the movement of the brake hardware when you push the parking brake pedal.
With the drums off, it should require very little effort to move the pedal.
Take pictures or a video of how the hardware is assembled in the rear drums, and post it here.
The easy way to adjust rear drum brakes on these trucks, is to go through the access hole in the backing plate, and use a small flat blade screw driver or brake adjustment tool, and tighten the star wheel until you feel resistance. Then back the star wheel off about three quarters of a rotation.
On either drum, working through the backing plate, rotate the cogs on the star wheel up, to tighten the brakes, and down to loosen them.
After adjustment, drive the truck a few miles, then see how warm the drums are. They shouldn't be smoking hot, but they should be heated up enough to tell they're in use.
If you're bending parking brake levers, don't push that hard. You probably have corroded parking brake cables.
Thanks,
I've done just about all of that minus taking a video of the action and feeling the drums after a drive.
Parking brake cables are brand new so no corrosion there, as I mentioned in the initial post just about the whole braking system is new.
Make sure you chock both sides of both front wheels, and do this on level ground. Once you lift the rear axle, those chocks will be the only thing keeping the truck from moving.
In the last 20 years, I've known two people personally, who were crushed by equipment. Both were experienced mechanics/equipment operators.
Thanks,
I've done just about all of that minus taking a video of the action and feeling the drums after a drive.
Parking brake cables are brand new so no corrosion there, as I mentioned in the initial post just about the whole braking system is new.
Post pictures of how the hardware is assembled on the backing plate.
How is the spring assembly along the driver's side frame, where the parking brake cables meet. Is that all assembled correctly?
Make sure you chock both sides of both front wheels, and do this on level ground. Once you lift the rear axle, those chocks will be the only thing keeping the truck from moving.
In the last 20 years, I've known two people personally, who were crushed by equipment. Both were experienced mechanics/equipment operators.
Absolutely, I'm paranoid about that, I use chocks then put bricks against the chocks.
Post pictures of how the hardware is assembled on the backing plate.
How is the spring assembly along the driver's side frame, where the parking brake cables meet. Is that all assembled correctly?
Will do. When I did the initial work I took a picture of the hardware before and returned it as it was which also matched the pics in the Haynes manual.
There is no spring assembly, I believe previous generations had that though. From the pedal assembly it goes through the floor along the frame to a connector that joins the to the intermediate cable to the equalizer then to both drums. it is all assembled as I removed it and as per the Haynes manual, even compared it to others at the junkyard when I was there. I matched all the cable lengths to the old ones.
I know exactly what is going on. This one sure is a head scratcher isn't it? So what happens over time is, the brake shoes will ware down, and the e-brake will be eventually be pressed on harder and harder. Hoping to set the brake, people will press so hard that they'll bend the e-brake pedal. Once you see the e-brake pedal is bent, then you know it's not the only thing that bends when it's pressed down so hard.
What else bends is the bar that spreads the shoes open, that the cable is attached too. This right here is the root cause of the trouble. Had you taken a good, non bent bar off the shoes from the junkyard and compared it your bent ones, all would become clear. Thing is, they might be bent too haha making it even more tricky to spot!
After scratching my head like you're doing, going over the whole system, front to back over and over, I concluded the bar had to be bent so it couldn't spread the shoes far enough apart to hold the brakes. Once I took those off and smacked them back to shape with a 3lb hammer..........all was working as new again.
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Originally Posted by FORDF250HDXLT
Thanks to NumberDummy's diagram.Once everything is put together correctly and if you notice you still have no manual emergency brake,this is the big arm that becomes out of wack,when people keep pressing on the e-brake pedal too hard.
I know this through trial and error.I spent hours,after having everything replaced.I mean everything was wore and needed to be replaced anyway,the shoes,drums,all the e-brake cables,the shoe hardware.After all this though,I noticed the e-brake still wouldn't set with everything being brand new.These bent arms really fooled me for a few hours.That 3lb hammer put their proper curve back in them so when the pedal was pressed,the cables properly pulled to spread the shoes out against the drums and I had very nice emergency/parking braking.
Again though,this is after you follow everyone else advice about properly setting up the shoes and their hardware and only frig with this if needed.They got you covered so well with that part,I have nothing to add.......Well,since you have a nice pic of it,actually.If you happen to buy new hardware (yours all look fine.This is more for future searchers) this part,be mindful that it may need to be bent and tweaked (inward so that rides the wheel).Don't count on China parts being all set to go.
I know exactly what is going on. This one sure is a head scratcher isn't it? So what happens over time is, the brake shoes will ware down, and the e-brake will be eventually be pressed on harder and harder. Hoping to set the brake, people will press so hard that they'll bend the e-brake pedal. Once you see the e-brake pedal is bent, then you know it's not the only thing that bends when it's pressed down so hard.
What else bends is the bar that spreads the shoes open, that the cable is attached too. This right here is the root cause of the trouble. Had you taken a good, non bent bar off the shoes from the junkyard and compared it your bent ones, all would become clear. Thing is, they might be bent too haha making it even more tricky to spot!
After scratching my head like you're doing, going over the whole system, front to back over and over, I concluded the bar had to be bent so it couldn't spread the shoes far enough apart to hold the brakes. Once I took those off and smacked them back to shape with a 3lb hammer..........all was working as new again.
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Never thought of that, I will have to check those since that's the only hardware in the drum that I didn't replace.
Yeah, that's why it's tricky. You can't just see they're bent, but you know they have the be, once everything else is replaced, you have a properly adjusted shoe and a full e-brake, cable travel.
They're not supposed to be a ware item. They wouldn't ever be either, if people didn't press so hard and bend the e-brake pedal. I think these bend first obviously and then the e-brake pedal. So once you see that pedal is bent, then you kinda know these are too. Once these are bent, that's all she wrote. You can't do anything to get the full shoe spread you need, without bending them back.......I know cus I've spent hours just like you trying haha.
Yeah, that's why it's tricky. You can't just see they're bent, but you know they have the be, once everything else is replaced, you have a properly adjusted shoe and a full e-brake, cable travel.
They're not supposed to be a ware item. They wouldn't ever be either, if people didn't press so hard and bend the e-brake pedal. I think these bend first obviously and then the e-brake pedal. So once you see that pedal is bent, then you kinda know these are too. Once these are bent, that's all she wrote. You can't do anything to get the full shoe spread you need, without bending them back.......I know cus I've spent hours just like you trying haha.
Thanks, this will be the weekend project and I will report back
I know exactly what is going on. This one sure is a head scratcher isn't it? So what happens over time is, the brake shoes will ware down, and the e-brake will be eventually be pressed on harder and harder. Hoping to set the brake, people will press so hard that they'll bend the e-brake pedal. Once you see the e-brake pedal is bent, then you know it's not the only thing that bends when it's pressed down so hard.
What else bends is the bar that spreads the shoes open, that the cable is attached too. This right here is the root cause of the trouble. Had you taken a good, non bent bar off the shoes from the junkyard and compared it your bent ones, all would become clear. Thing is, they might be bent too haha making it even more tricky to spot!
After scratching my head like you're doing, going over the whole system, front to back over and over, I concluded the bar had to be bent so it couldn't spread the shoes far enough apart to hold the brakes. Once I took those off and smacked them back to shape with a 3lb hammer..........all was working as new again.
