parking brake

[rphenry]

Hey all:
My parking brake on my '83 is driving me nuts; it will not keep the truck from rolling backwards but it will keep it from rolling forwards. (it will stall the engine if it is set and try and go forward but reverse is like its not even there.) Just wondering what yall think about this.

 

[dremu]

Hey all:
My parking brake on my '83 is driving me nuts; it will not keep the truck from rolling backwards but it will keep it from rolling forwards. (it will stall the engine if it is set and try and go forward but reverse is like its not even there.) Just wondering what yall think about this.

Parking brake sets the (rear) drums.

I would check the condition of the shoes, and adjust the start adjuster. If the shoes are unevenly worn but still have meat, you could swap them front to rear. I'd clean the adjuster REALLY well in this instance as they tend to rust up.

-- A

 

[Leper]

Not uncommon. It has been my experience that they all hold better going forward.

 

[goldwing2000]

If the shoes are unevenly worn but still have meat, you could swap them front to rear.

Bad advice. Primary and secondary shoes have different length linings. Reversing them is definitely not advised.

Making sure the star-wheel adjusters are free and adjusted properly is good advice, though.

 

[dremu]

Bad advice. Primary and secondary shoes have different length linings. Reversing them is definitely not advised.

Making sure the star-wheel adjusters are free and adjusted properly is good advice, though.

Fark! Are they different? I thought they were interchangeable.

Notice that two of my three have rear disc

-- A

 

[goldwing2000]

LoL...

Yeah, they're different. Any duo-servo drum brake system has different length shoe linings.
A fixed-anchored drum system will sometimes have the same length linings but you won't find those on a heavy application. Just FWD cars and old motorcycles, mostly.

 

[dyeager535]

My 14SF when I got it always locked up the brakes, made all sorts of weird noises. Took the drums off, PO had put rear shoes on one side, fronts on the other. And yes, ground the heck out of stuff to make them fit wrong.

Anyways, for the original poster: how does your e-brake *pedal* feel? Does it go full travel with little effort, or does it actually tighten up enough that you can't push it further? (within reason, don't want to break anything)

The adjustment for the e-brake is in the cables. Either style there is a nut you tighten that increases cable tension. Under the truck, about midway or 3/4 down the frame. You don't want e-brake to start dragging with only slight pedal movement, but you don't want it to hit the floor either, or you aren't getting enoguh pad movement.

They do work better one direction than the other, but if the truck rolls with the brake applied and no engine torque, the e-brake mechanism is working incorrectly, period.

 

[goldwing2000]

Werd. Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[rphenry]

the pedal tightens up significantly and will resist pushing. The rear end is a 14BFF. I *might* have some adjustment in the adjuster nut left, but i believe i have it adjusted to just shy of catching when parking brake is not applied.