Brake Issues. Please help!

[A-dog]

Hey everyone. A few days ago, I did the tundra brake upgrade to the front, and rebuilt the rears. I did not turn the rear drums, as they were smooth and free of gouges and grooves. I am having three problems. By the way, it is a 2002 Sport Edition. I used Wagner Thermo Quiet pads and shoes, and stoptech slotted rotors with the stainless steel brake line upgrade.

Problem #1: The rear rums do not seem to have much power. I scuffed the surface thoroughly with light sand paper when I rebuilt the drums. I have also re-adjusted the barrel nut on the drums to ensure proper tightness. Even still, with the ebrake engaged, the car will still creep forward when it is in "drive".

Problem #2: The passenger side rear drum had thick fluid in it. I cleaned it, drove a few days, and checked it again. It is still there. I do not see any fluid coming from the slave cylinder. Based on the smell, I think it may be a busted axel bearing. Any thoughts?

Problem #3: The brake pedal needs to be pressed down a bit more now o get the same braking power as before I did the upgrades. For example, I need to push down the brake pedal about half way to get firm brake force, where as before it would feel firm appox a quarter of the way pressed down. Braking is smooth, and does not pull to either side. Is this an issue?

Thank you all in advance for your help!

 

[Dephcon]

Here is my recent experience with something similar, so take it for what it is.

Basically my issue turned out to be the rear brakes not being adjusted correctly. I had to twiddle the adjuster a few more turns via the adjustment slot on the back of the dust shield. Just enough to hear the shoes touching the drums. This fixed the pedal engagement height and stopping power.

For your Problem#2, I think your axle seal is done. If the axle oil gets on your brake shoes, they become contaminated and need to be replaced. If this has happened, it could be a reason your rear brakes are not working as they should.

 

[SpidermanGeek]

For your Problem#2, I think your axle seal is done. If the axle oil gets on your brake shoes, they become contaminated and need to be replaced. If this has happened, it could be a reason your rear brakes are not working as they should.

 

[cashmoney]

Sounds like an axle seal is leaking which is what's probably causing your lack of rear brake feel since it's oil on the friction surface.

 

[A-dog]

Thanks for everyone's help. I think that job is beyond my skill, so Ill take it in to get fixed. Is it really necessary to replace the shoes due to this axel grease contamination? It will be a bummer since I just put the new shoes on 2 days ago.

 

[Rock_Rat]

By the way, it is a 2002 Sport Edition. I used Wagner Thermo Quiet pads and shoes, and stoptech slotted rotors with the stainless steel brake line upgrade.

Problem #1: The rear rums do not seem to have much power. I scuffed the surface thoroughly with light sand paper when I rebuilt the drums. I have also re-adjusted the barrel nut on the drums to ensure proper tightness. Even still, with the ebrake engaged, the car will still creep forward when it is in "drive".

Thank you all in advance for your help!

I used the Thermo Quiet pads up front but strictly OEM shoes in the rear. Did you lube the three main points before you closed everything up? Like mine, you have an auto adjuster. I went by "feel". The drum needs to be somewhat snug but you should be able to remove it by hand. You then need to drive or preferably "roll" in reverse with your feet off both pedals several times with the emergency brake button depressed to get the auto adjuster to ratchet. Pull up and release about 20 to 30 times and you'll feel the rear brakes getting tighter. My eBrake engages in about 6-7 clicks.

You shouldn't let your fluid drop below the fill mark in your reservoir

I did a write up on my brake change but it's pretty basic as you know. Here's a link: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/3rd-g...ou-do-your-3rd-gen-today-724.html#post2030784

 

[nissanh]

You can also adjust the rear brakes by simply pulling the park brake several times.

 

[A-dog]

My ebrake got a bit loose after the brake job, so I took the drums off and tightened the adjuster till the drum was making contact with the shoes when I spun it. It feels better now. It engages right around 6 clicks. I think I need to figure out this drive in reverse thing to tighten up the drums. So you just put the car in reverse, hold down the ebrake button with the ebrake handle in the full down position, then pump the ebrake with the button held down? I never heard of this. Thanks!

 

[nevada]

My ebrake got a bit loose after the brake job, so I took the drums off and tightened the adjuster till the drum was making contact with the shoes when I spun it. It feels better now. It engages right around 6 clicks. I think I need to figure out this drive in reverse thing to tighten up the drums. So you just put the car in reverse, hold down the ebrake button with the ebrake handle in the full down position, then pump the ebrake with the button held down? I never heard of this. Thanks!

if everything is working properly, simply driving normally and applying the brakes will keep them adjusted correctly.

however this is not a replacement for properly adjusting them originally.

 

[gamefreakgc]

My ebrake got a bit loose after the brake job, so I took the drums off and tightened the adjuster till the drum was making contact with the shoes when I spun it. It feels better now. It engages right around 6 clicks. I think I need to figure out this drive in reverse thing to tighten up the drums. So you just put the car in reverse, hold down the ebrake button with the ebrake handle in the full down position, then pump the ebrake with the button held down? I never heard of this. Thanks!

Yeah, that's it. Then do it in drive too. I had to adjust my rear brakes on the drum though, just pull the rubber plug (if it has one) and use a screwdriver to adjust and tighten. You don't want the pads to drag but you don't want a gap either, or they won't engage unless you mash on the pedal.

But first things first, you need to fix that axle seal leak. It'll ruin your new pads since they will get saturated with oil and never grip. It's not hard, you've pretty much done it already. Four bolts on the housing and remove the ABS sensor if you have it and the axle just slides out. Only tricky part is seating the new seal. If you search you'll find a nice photo write-up on how to do it.

 

[A-dog]

I have been noticing a pretty significant "clunk" coming from that drum when I come to a stop, then release the brake pedal to continue driving. Searching around here, I have noticed that this seems to be due to the axle grease messing with the shoe/drum interface. Will it kill me to drive this for another week or so before I am able to take this in? The write-up that I saw on how to replace an axle seal seemed like it may be quite a bit beyond my amateur mechanic skills...

 

[Kevin Deshler]

Rear brakes on the runner are terrible. I want to convert to disk