Parking brake
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Joined: Sep 2005
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Parking brake
I've never liked the idea of putting the weight of a truck on a parking paul.(i think thats the spelling) I just got a 97 and the parking brake just doesn't work. I set it and checked the cable and all seems to be well. The pedal also seems tight. I tried to ajust them with the whole slam on the brakes in reverse thing, and that didn't work. I found the holes on the backing plates of the drums, but I'm not sure which way to turn them to ajust them. I have a factory service manual and I can't find instructions to ajust the brake. Do I rotate the ajuster up or down?
-Phil
-Phil
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Joined: Sep 2002
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Just be cerain that corrosion hasn't frozen any linkage in the system, preventing actuation of the parking brake shoes. Remember that the service disc brakes for the rear wheels and the parking drum brakes are essentially independent of one another. In a perfect world, wear on the parking brake shoes should be almost nonexistent, as the rear parking brake drums are already stopped before the parking brake is applied.
Don't disregard the possibility that a sticking brake cable or corroded linkage has kept the parking brakes partially applied as you are driving. In those circumstances, the shoes could be badly worn.
Don't disregard the possibility that a sticking brake cable or corroded linkage has kept the parking brakes partially applied as you are driving. In those circumstances, the shoes could be badly worn.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 134
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From: North Attleboro, MA
Just to add to PaulC's comments, I found that on my Expy, the driver's side rear cable had completely rusted off. I was fortunate enough to only have to replace the cable. I also just replaced the rear brakes and parking brakes, shoes, springs, clips and all on my mother's Explorer. That was a beast of a job, one which I will not soon repeat. Both of her rear parking brake cables had frozen and the rubber housing had worn away and rust was prevalent througout the cables. Both rear cables had to be replaced. The "actuating lever" (not sure of the actual name) was also frozen, which I took apart and separated the two peices and took them to a wire wheel and some grease. At any rate, if you are going to attempt replacing the parking brake shoes yourself, find a friend that can help and be prepared to struggle.
Smitty
Smitty
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Joined: Aug 2001
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From: MA
On my 98, the brake linings on one side were completely seperated from the brake shoe. When adjusting the brake shoes you will notice the adjuster nut moving slightly towards the center of the access slot or moving toward the outer side of the slot. This will tell you if you are pushing together or expanding the brake shoes as you rotate the adjuster several turns in one direction. To adjust the brake shoes, I follow the method that a former mentor of mine taught me when I worked in a garage as a high school and college student: Rotate the adjuster to expand the brake shoes until the wheel cannot be rotated, then back off until you hear and feel virtually no drag when rotating the wheel in the forward direction.
