After a bit of searching on 4-crawler, pirate, yotatech and a little bit on here I have found a TON of information about bypassing the stock e-brake setup with line locks, transfer case ebrakes and even hokie ebrake cables re-routed to the brake pedal. I cannot imagine that the original toyota e-brake design was so flawed that so many people are wanting to find a work around for it. So what gives? What's the weak link with the stock setup? I went through my rear brakes yesterday and adjusted my star nut till the pads hit the drums and backed them off a hair. I adjusted the cable so that the brake handle gets 10 clicks before you have to start putting some arse into it. But still my stock ebrake sucks big time! I am not opposed to a xfer case brake but I would like to rule out all possibilities with the stock setup first. Does anyone else think that their stock ebrake sucks?

Both mine worked great, when they worked. My current one is all jammed up due to rust inside the drums, all the bellcranks are stuck.

I know it's hard to find replacement front cables as well, but I don't think that would motivate the upgrades.

i had the same issues with the stock e-brake on my '88. adjusted numerous times, changed out cables etc. with no improvements to its holding strength.not saying it didn't hold. just not as strong as i thought it should. i ended up ordering the t-case setup from allpro and never looked back. very simple install and held very well.

My stock ebrake sucked until I rebuilt the drums. Turns out it wasn't the ebrake that sucked, it was the brakes period. Works great now.

Never had any issues on my old Toyotas.. Have to get this one running then I'll do full brake job. It seems to work now, but I like to go through everything & replace anything worn (especially the brakes!) I'm thinking the disk brake conversion will be on my list of to do 's.

Not sure what the book calls for, but I always adjust my e brake so that it gets to max somewhere between 1\2 to 2\3 pull. When I set it, my wife complains that she can't get it to release. LOL

Mine always worked well also when the rear brakes were up to snuff. but I converted the rear cable assemble to the separate cables after swapping axles from a 2nd gen. didn't want to change over the backing plates.

I think most modified trucks have changed horse collar mounting or e brake mounts. So at that point may be easier to swap over. Or the rear disc brake conversation also would require t case e brake.

the flaw with the toyota parking brake assembly is that it is much too busy - there are too many pieces with too many movements, when a simpler mechansim works fine.

with that caveat, one of the biggest problems for parking brake systems is lack of use - most drivers don't use it enough, and the system suffers from infrequent use. i use the parking brake on all of my vehicles every time i park them. at the post office, at the gas station, at home, etc. using it frequently prevents corrosion of the workings, and keeps things in adjustment.

the parking brake on my 4runner functions correctly now that i've repaired and cleaned it, and it holds on very steep hills with the transmission in neutral.

The thing that I find strange is that there doesn't seem to be a common denominator with the ebrake. There are numerous threads on pirate where people clean them and all parts are in good working order and the brake still works for some and not for others. I cannot seem to find a common "weak link" in the system that gives me a direction to go to get mine to work right. Maybe tire size has something to do with it but once again, some guys on pirate say that even with their 35's and 37's their brake holds and some don't.

My whole brake system has been cleaned, all hardware replaced, adjusted properly and still barely holds on my driveway that is barey sloped.

Maybe different quality brake shoes?

I would guess that the brake shoes need to be replaced. Over time, the brake dust builds and starts to gum up everything in there. The auto adjusters rarely do their job after a few thousand miles, and the braking suffers overall. There could be a couple possibilities, the shoes/drums are glazed, ebrake cable stuck, or there's a bind somewhere in the hardware. If the cause is glazing, it won't matter how much force you put on the brakes. Without heat, they won't hold because the two mating surfaces are too smooth. Like rubbing two pieces of glass together, so to speak.

I'm wondering then if my brake shoes may be shot then. They look like they have a lot of life in them but if they are glazed then pad thickness means nothing. I'll replace the shoes and report back. Everything else moves freely so maybe it is the shoes.

Ive had to do emergency brake jobs (with no parts available) on the side of the road. Over sized tires will cause brakes to glaze easier.


Before you spend $$ You could try this.
Block the front wheels, Lift the whole back end of the truck. place on jack stands (leave the jack just touching, put the wheels under the frame (for safety.)

Put on a resperator or at least a good dust mask. (this is for your health.)

remove your drums.

Then lightly scuff the pads with some 80 grit paper till all the glaze is off.


bolt the drum on back words (3 lugs will be fine) Put in gear & hit it lightly with a old thin sharping stone, just enough to knock the glaze off. (be very care full not to hut the lug nuts or it can seriously hurt you.) clean with brake cleaner when done.

reasemble.

If it works, you will have a temproary fix & will know that you need new pads & drums

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If you chose to just get new pads, at least get the drums turned. or better yet, get new ones.