Poorly Working E-Brake

[Toya!]

Hey everyone, need more help with my turd gen.

E-brake doesnt really do much, basically can move freely with it pulled. I have adjusted the rear brakes, new shoes, greased the bell crank (zero rust and it moves freely), hand adjusted the actual lever and nothing has worked.

Comparing it to my friends 3rd gen, hers pulls really easily and will not let the rig budge when pulled. Mine feels really tight 4-6 clicks, and feels like a tenth of what my friends feels like. Not sure what to try next? It doesnt make sense that the cable is too tight but doesnt activate the shoes enough to hold. Any ideas?

 

[19963.4lsr5]

Have you adjusted the bell crank?

There is a procedure somewhere on here but the jist is to remove the springs and pull the arm until it’s tight and adjust the bolt for a 3/16” gap ish


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[96RedRunner]

FSM section BR-25

1. ADJUST BELLCRANK
(a) Lightly pull the bellcrank in direction ”A” until there is no
slack at part ”B”.
(b) In this condition, turn the adjusting bolt so that dimension
”C” will be 0.4 - 0.8 mm (0.016 - 0.031 in.).
(c) Lock the adjusting bolt with the lock nut.
(d) Connect the parking brake cable to the parking brake bell crank and install the clip.
(e) Install the 2 tension springs.

 

[19963.4lsr5]

FSM section BR-25

1. ADJUST BELLCRANK
(a) Lightly pull the bellcrank in direction ”A” until there is no
slack at part ”B”.
(b) In this condition, turn the adjusting bolt so that dimension
”C” will be 0.4 - 0.8 mm (0.016 - 0.031 in.).
(c) Lock the adjusting bolt with the lock nut.
(d) Connect the parking brake cable to the parking brake bell crank and install the clip.
(e) Install the 2 tension springs.

I need to recheck my clearance gap.

Thanks for posting this.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[JohnMc]

Adjusting the bellcrank helps ensure it's moving enough to ratchet the self-adjusting mechanism inside the drum. And that relies on everything being set up correctly there - the little pull cable, the little ratcheting arm, the screw mechanism itself.

And when you first install the drum, it's probably pretty loose inside, and it will take LOTS of handbrake pulls to slowly ratchet into adjustment. And then it takes somewhat regular use to keep it in adjustment.

 

[96RedRunner]

It a good idea to install new hardware kit if you have 100k mi or more. Good idea to check
bellcrank pivot pin and housing for wear, pin can freeze up in housing or bellcrank as I found on locker axle I purchased.
@Toya, you checked Dif fluid level lately? axle seal could be leaking.

 

[19963.4lsr5]

It a good idea to install new hardware kit if you have 100k mi or more. Good idea to check
bellcrank pivot pin and housing for wear, pin can freeze up in housing or bellcrank as I found on locker axle I purchased.
@Toya, you checked Dif fluid level lately? axle seal could be leaking.

All three 4Runners I bought had frozen bell cranks. I replaced them with Napa parts. If you use the ebrake they won’t lockup.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[96RedRunner]

All three 4Runners I bought had frozen bell cranks. I replaced them with Napa parts. If you use the ebrake they won’t lockup.

Living far from rust belt was able to clean up mine, feel for you folks in the belt.
True that on using E-brake got in the habit 15+- yrs ago.

 

[19963.4lsr5]

Living far from rust belt was able to clean up mine, feel for you folks in the belt.
True that on using E-brake got in the habit 15+- yrs ago.

One (96 and my user name) from Jersey, one from Philadelphia (97 limited thread) and my beloved 97 SR5 project from south central PA.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Toya!]

It a good idea to install new hardware kit if you have 100k mi or more. Good idea to check
bellcrank pivot pin and housing for wear, pin can freeze up in housing or bellcrank as I found on locker axle I purchased.
@Toya, you checked Dif fluid level lately? axle seal could be leaking.

Extremely late to my own party..whoops!

Lots of good advice here. I live in NM so my turd has zero rust on it. Bell cranks move freely and I even disassembled and greased them.

Rear drums had no leaks and auto adjusters moved correctly. Again, everything was lubed and double checked.

Rear drums and hand brake were adjusted to OEM using aforementioned manuals. That’s why I’m so confused what it could be. One think that did happen back when I first put my new shoes on was the passenger side tended to over adjust. Haven’t had any issues with it again and I use my ebrake whenever I park

 

[19963.4lsr5]

It’s interesting that you did the bellcrank adjustment and your ebrake still doesn’t hold. You’re basically pulling the arm up until the shoes touch the drum and then adjust the bolt so that the arm only drops 1/32 of an inch.

I remember I eyeballed my at 1/16” and my brakes hold. 7 or so klicks.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[96RedRunner]

[MENTION=699516]Toya![/MENTION], You've covered things well, I don't know your procedure for a brake job. Your only missing it by a little bit.
Keyboard diagnosing all I got is:
How many miles on the drums, You changed shoes did you have drums turned?
The coarse surface you get with new or fresh cut drums/rotors makes a difference with
bedding of shoes/pads which effects the outcome.

 

[Toya!]

[MENTION=699516]Toya![/MENTION], You've covered things well, I don't know your procedure for a brake job. Your only missing it by a little bit.
Keyboard diagnosing all I got is:
How many miles on the drums, You changed shoes did you have drums turned?
The coarse surface you get with new or fresh cut drums/rotors makes a difference with
bedding of shoes/pads which effects the outcome.

I inspected them as best I could, no ridges or grooves in them. Maybe it would be worth just getting new ones and reattempting. I actually have a new MC coming in this week so I was going to try and dial in the ebrake again. This seems like an easy process but I am wondering if I admit defeat and send it to a shop. I am just afraid I will get told they "work" and get stuck with a bill and half working parking brake.

 

[96RedRunner]

I inspected them as best I could, no ridges or grooves in them. Maybe it would be worth just getting new ones and reattempting. I actually have a new MC coming in this week so I was going to try and dial in the ebrake again. This seems like an easy process but I am wondering if I admit defeat and send it to a shop. I am just afraid I will get told they "work" and get stuck with a bill and half working parking brake.

Bet drums were highly polished and smooth as a baby's butt weren't they.
Did you hit them with sandpaper and brake cleaner? removes old brake material.
New ones would be wise use brake cleaner to remove oil that news ones have to prevent rust.
Scuff your current shoes with 80 grit sandpaper spray with brake cleaner.
You just need to learn the tricks.

 

[Unner]

Did you clean and grease the pivot pin mounted to the axle housing, on the driver side? Mine was full of dirt and sand last year and my parking brake wouldn't hold. I pulled it apart, cleaned up the metal parts, wiped down the plastic bushings and put it back together with a light coat of grease. Everything worked great after that.

 

[Toya!]

Did you clean and grease the pivot pin mounted to the axle housing, on the driver side? Mine was full of dirt and sand last year and my parking brake wouldn't hold. I pulled it apart, cleaned up the metal parts, wiped down the plastic bushings and put it back together with a light coat of grease. Everything worked great after that.

I didn't clean it nor grease, but I did inspect it while the ebrake was pulled. Didn't seem to be moving poorly. Might be worth greasing it though, thanks!!

Bet drums were highly polished and smooth as a baby's butt weren't they.
Did you hit them with sandpaper and brake cleaner? removes old brake material.
New ones would be wise use brake cleaner to remove oil that news ones have to prevent rust.
Scuff your current shoes with 80 grit sandpaper spray with brake cleaner.
You just need to learn the tricks.

Dang now I wish I would have checked that. I did spray them down with brake cleaner but never roughed them up. I will give this a shot as well when I throw in the MC!

 

[19963.4lsr5]

If you pull the springs off the bellcrank and pull the lever by hand you should hear the shoes rubbing the drum. If you hear that unless your cables are stretched it should work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[96RedRunner]

Cable stretch and/or binding of enclosed cable has crossed my mind over the years, as long
as I dotted my I's crossed my T's drum brakes never give me problems.
[MENTION=699516]Toya![/MENTION] Got the skills to do MC you have em to do brakes.

 

[Clickx]

self adjusters?