i put the parking brake on for the first time since owning this truck (94 f150 xlt 4x4)... and it seems to be stuck. even though i can drive forward and reverse, it still feels like its holding on a bit. i wiggle the parking brake line, and i cant get the rear drum off even after using liquid wrench, a crow bar, and a hammer. is the brake holding the drum on? how can i disengage the parking brake without opening up the drum? can i cut it somewhere? the line doesnt seem tight as i can wiggle it a bit. there arent many hills here in mn so i dont even really need this parking brake.

 

Could be a few things. You have a parking brake cable running from each drum to an equalizer on the left frame rail. One or both of these cables could be sticking. There is a lever inside the drum, operated by the cable to apply the parking brake, that could be stuck.
You could try hammering around the drum and see if the drum then frees up (should rotate easily by hand). Hammer hard but not hard enough to break the drum.
However the best thing is to remove both drums and have a look. If the drums do not rotate easily then they are probably being held by the shoes. If this is the case then use the slot at the bottom of the back plate to back off the brake adjuster untill the drum is free.
After reassembly remember to adjust the brakes up.

 

To add to the above if you can back off the self adjuster it should give you the slack needed to remove the drum.

You'd need to anyway as the ridge on the drum from normal wear pattern of the shoes would stop the drum from coming off over the shoes.

If the self adjusters are not froze up it should be easy to turn them, use a fairly small screw driver to hold the self adjuster arm out away from the star wheel, use a brake spoon to rotate the star wheel while doing so.

You can not turn it the right direction, the direction you want to go, if you do not hold the arm clear of it, well you can but its working against you and not easy to do. And if not you'll often end up just rounding off the teeth on the star wheel where you can get a bite on it, then you're pretty much screwed at that point.

 

Try spraying some FluidFilm or wd40 on the parking cable where it links up on the drivers side frame. Then with a pair of pliers, try to push the cable into the outer sleeve. This may allow it to release. I just had to do this a few days ago. All the result of my better half driving 50kms home with the parking brake on. ("Oh honey, there's a big red light on in the dash of your truck.")

 

not sure what you mean by where it "links up". i sprayed wd40 on the bolt on the outside of the drum, and on most of the linkage and i yanked it all around and it definitely feels better but it still feels like its holding a tiny bit

 

trace back the cable that comes out of the lower part of the back of the drum back to the frame and you will find a place ware both cables meet up. At this point the inner cable is exposed and " links up " with the cable from the other side and the cable from the peddle inside the cab. At the point ware the inner cable comes out of the outer jacket spray WD40, PB blaster, or so on the inner cable and try to spray some inside the outer jacket here. Let it sit a min or two then try to " PUSH" the cable back to the drum with a pair of pliers. This should help free up your parking brake.

FYI be sure that your parking brake pedal is ALL THE WAY UP before you try to do this. You might need to pull the release and lift the pedal with you hand.

Hope it helps.

 

You may have to use two big screw drivers or pry bars & pry between the backing plate & drum & work it off a little at a time , it will come off ...Lew

 

On my '93, the parking brake line sheath rubbed on the shock, wore a hole in it, and the sheath kinked. I manually would straighten the line and it would release. To get the drums off, I cut the heads off the little spring pins, 2 of them, accessible on back side of the plate.