Parking brake may not be right?

[mooch91]

Rebuilt passenger side parking brake after an event that I wrote about here over the weekend (stuck rotor). New brake shoes, new hardware, new rotor. Adjusted parking brake 10 clicks out at the wheel adjuster. No drag when wheel is off and caliper is removed.

Reinstall caliper and wheel. Nothing unusual noticed while driving, but when I lift the rear and rotate the passenger wheel in the forward direction, it temporarily "locks up" in its rotation and needs a healthy push to get it through. Don't think it's the caliper, because it does the same without the caliper in place. As soon as I remove the wheel, it rotates freely.

After a 20 minute drive, rotor on the passenger side was 80 degrees higher (190 degrees) than rotor on the driver side (110 degrees).

What's the possibility this is just the new parking brake shoes bedding in to the rotor? Any other thoughts? Thanks!

 

[MikeinNH67]

The wheel is what pushes the rotor in place. Does the rotor spin freely if you use a couple lug nuts to hold it in place with the wheel off? You may need to use washers to snug it up. It sounds like something is not in place correctly.

I did have one that clicked because the bent hold pin got straightened enough to rub against the back of the hub, it was hitting the wheel studs that stick out slightly.

 

[mooch91]

The wheel is what pushes the rotor in place. Does the rotor spin freely if you use a couple lug nuts to hold it in place with the wheel off? You may need to use washers to snug it up. It sounds like something is not in place correctly.

I did have one that clicked because the bent hold pin got straightened enough to rub against the back of the hub, it was hitting the wheel studs that stick out slightly.

It seems to be happening intermittently. It's not every revolution, and it's not the same point in the revolution. I suspect it's the shoes shifting (they do pivot side to side) and a high spot on the new shoes catching the new rotor. With no noise, no smoke, no vibration, I'm going to let it break in and run it for a while, and keep an eye on it.

 

[MikeinNH67]

The clicking I mentioned generally only happened going around corners in one direction.

 

[4R005]

A few years back I replaced the parking brake cable on the driver side when it rusted to the point of no operation. Bought new cable and new shoes since everything had to be disassembled to change out the cable. Well, new cable went on without problems. New shoes were another story. After the install, the rotor will not fit over the new shoes, even with the adjuster nut at its minimum setting.
Consulted FSM and it stated that new shoes needed to be sanded down to fit the drum on the rotor. To which I said @#$%^%& that ! and reinstalled the old set of shoes since they were still lots of meat left in them. Cos sanding the new shoes would have needed a few fitting operations. Installing the two washer keepers for the shoe each time would not be a lot of fun.
Did you sand off some shoe material prior to install.? Your higher temps means shoe is rubbing too much on the drum.

Tip: Install of the shoe washer keepers is a PITA and wears mightily on one's patience. Here's an easier way . With the two washers and spring sandwiched between, placed assembly in a vice ( w/half of assembly exposed ). I use two pieces of fishing line to tie assembly in this collapsed state ( @ 3 & 9 0'clock positions ) and slip it over the locking pin. Line up the tab at pin end w/ washer's detent and cut line. Zero skin knuckles.

 

[MikeinNH67]

[MENTION=770998]4R005[/MENTION], sand down the shoes sounds nuts, were those OEM? I did not have to sand down aftermarket shoes I installed. Your fishing line tip sounds like the small zip tie tip.

 

[mooch91]

OP checking back in.

Despite not seeing anything obviously wrong, I broke down and rebuilt the parking brake on this side again last weekend. Used same shoes, all new hardware.

About the only real change I made was to install the pins through a small washer behind the backing plate. The holes in the backing plate appeared to be slightly ovaled out with some rust, so I thought this might be allowing the shoes to move a bit when the springs were installed.

I haven't adjusted the shoes, so the parking brake is ineffective at the moment. The temperatures seem much better, though the driver's side seems to run about 50 degrees higher than the passenger side now (passenger side rebuilt with new rotor, driver's side original shoes with new rotor).

Not sure if I will adjust the shoes or leave it. The new parking brake has only about 12 "notches" until the brake locks up the rotor. If I adjust it until it locks and then back off 8 notches, there's only about 4 more to play with. The other side is considerably different, probably 20-25 notches until the rotor locks up, but I attribute that to being the old shoes.

So I don't think I solved the problem, but I have resolved the heat issue.

 

[mooch91]

Attaching some pictures to show how the rotor has heated up, how the parking brake pad was wearing, and the oval hole for the pin in the backing plate.

 

[MikeinNH67]

Interesting, looks mainly worn on the back side. That makes me wonder if the brake material on the shoes is not glued on correctly or if the rotor inside is not true.

 

[4R005]

[MENTION=770998]4R005[/MENTION], sand down the shoes sounds nuts, were those OEM? I did not have to sand down aftermarket shoes I installed. Your fishing line tip sounds like the small zip tie tip.

Shoes from RockAuto. I compared the metal stamping's sizes and they were identical except for the thicker brake material. Could not fit drum over the new shoes even with the adjuster nut fully collapsed. I have never heard of sanding down new shoes. A first for me here.

Never had much trouble mounting those washers/spring when the shoes are exposed like drum brakes of yester years. This set of parking brake shoes partially hidden behind the wheel hub tried my patience, hence the fishing line/zip tie mother of inventions. LOL

 

[mooch91]

Ongoing saga with my parking brake...

Reminder: I rebuilt the passenger side with new shoes, new hardware. Original shoes and hardware on the driver's side.

I've been running it for about a week with it adjusted fully OUT - meaning, no parking brake. The smell of "hot brakes" has gone away, but I have had no parking brake whatsoever.

Today I tried adjusting again:

The passenger side (the one I rebuilt), takes 12 clicks to "lock up" the rotor. I back it off 8 per the service manual.

The driver side (the one I did not rebuild), takes close to 30 clicks to "lock up" the rotor. I back it off 8 per the service manual.

Everything *seemed* to be ok when I put it all back together and spun the wheels by hand. Slight drag, but nothing I would have called unusual. Parking brake isn't great, but it held against idle in drive on a flat surface.

Took a 10-minute drive and took temps of the rotors:

The passenger side (the one I rebuilt) was near 300 degrees and the heat could be "smelled" once again.

The driver side (the one I did not rebuild) was about 120 degrees.

I can back off the passenger side a couple of clicks, but only a couple of clicks, before it's as far out as it will go.

Could the fact that I have new shoes on only one side be an issue? I would have thought the cable pull was independent, and the wheel adjustments were the same (8 clicks from locked up), so the one side wouldn't affect the other.

Possibility that high spots on the new shoes just need to wear down??? I'm sure I'm overthinking this, but I've never had a brake job seem as difficult as this one!

Thanks in advance.