Rear brake adjustment issues

[WallyWest]

I've read all the threads on this, Durks guide, etc....

I had replaced the bell cranks earlier in the year, the originals were toast. Put new shoes on it as well as everything in there was so far out of adjustment the old shoes were unevenly worn.

Noticed recently that the e-brake, in spite of having good resistance when engaging it, really didn't do anything. Meaning if I was rolling at just a few mph and pulled the e-brake it barely did a thing. Certainly didn't stop the truck. Maybe in a few hundred feet, on level ground, but that's about it.

So today I adjusted them again. Took the adjusters apart, cleaned the threads real good, lubricated them so they spun nice and easy. Adjusted the bell cranks again. Put it back together and the wheels spun freely by hand. I pulled the e-brake up three clicks and the wheels wouldn't spin. Great.

Drove it and it's the same story. This e-brake might do the job as a parking brake, but as a backup emergency brake I'm not liking my chances. The resistance feels right, I can pull it up all the way but it gets progressively tighter and near the top it's pretty tight. I figure ok, even if they aren't adjusted out quite to where they should be the adjusters should work now, so I just worked the handle back and forth many times. No change.

So is this typical and I'm just expecting too much out of the e-brake, or is there some other problem?

 

[diverscale]

I've read all the threads on this, Durks guide, etc....

I had replaced the bell cranks earlier in the year, the originals were toast. Put new shoes on it as well as everything in there was so far out of adjustment the old shoes were unevenly worn.

Noticed recently that the e-brake, in spite of having good resistance when engaging it, really didn't do anything. Meaning if I was rolling at just a few mph and pulled the e-brake it barely did a thing. Certainly didn't stop the truck. Maybe in a few hundred feet, on level ground, but that's about it.

So today I adjusted them again. Took the adjusters apart, cleaned the threads real good, lubricated them so they spun nice and easy. Adjusted the bell cranks again. Put it back together and the wheels spun freely by hand. I pulled the e-brake up three clicks and the wheels wouldn't spin. Great.

Drove it and it's the same story. This e-brake might do the job as a parking brake, but as a backup emergency brake I'm not liking my chances. The resistance feels right, I can pull it up all the way but it gets progressively tighter and near the top it's pretty tight. I figure ok, even if they aren't adjusted out quite to where they should be the adjusters should work now, so I just worked the handle back and forth many times. No change.

So is this typical and I'm just expecting too much out of the e-brake, or is there some other problem?

My new, properly adjusted rear brakes don't e-brake real hard really, it's not like they can lock the wheel while going 50 mph. It would work as an emergency brake in a non-emergency situation.

Adjust your brakes so you begin to hear the friction between the drum and the pads, then back off 2-3 clicks or until it turns about freely.

But before, you have to adjust the bellcrank, with its cable disconnected, to be 1millimeter far from the back plate, so the automatic adjustement functions properly.

 

[nevada]

I've read all the threads on this, Durks guide, etc....

I had replaced the bell cranks earlier in the year, the originals were toast. Put new shoes on it as well as everything in there was so far out of adjustment the old shoes were unevenly worn.

Noticed recently that the e-brake, in spite of having good resistance when engaging it, really didn't do anything. Meaning if I was rolling at just a few mph and pulled the e-brake it barely did a thing. Certainly didn't stop the truck. Maybe in a few hundred feet, on level ground, but that's about it.

So today I adjusted them again. Took the adjusters apart, cleaned the threads real good, lubricated them so they spun nice and easy. Adjusted the bell cranks again. Put it back together and the wheels spun freely by hand. I pulled the e-brake up three clicks and the wheels wouldn't spin. Great.

Drove it and it's the same story. This e-brake might do the job as a parking brake, but as a backup emergency brake I'm not liking my chances. The resistance feels right, I can pull it up all the way but it gets progressively tighter and near the top it's pretty tight. I figure ok, even if they aren't adjusted out quite to where they should be the adjusters should work now, so I just worked the handle back and forth many times. No change.

So is this typical and I'm just expecting too much out of the e-brake, or is there some other problem?

i suspect the rear brakes are still out of adjustment.
this must be done first, before making any other adjustments.

truly the best way it to turn the adjuster until it is tight. then using a pick, or other appropriate tool, back the adjuster off a few clicks, until you can turn the tire, with the slightest bit of resistance.

the reason for turning the adjuster until its tight, is to center the shoes. if the shoes are not centered, its very difficult to get the adjustment correct.

another way, is to adjust the star wheel, then get in and pump the brakes a few times. then do the star wheel again. repeat as necessary. its tedious and annoying, but will also work for centering the shoes.

 

[NHRunner]

I see no mention here of the automatic adjustment. If the adjusters are moving nicely then repeatedly pulling the parking brake lever should bring it all into adjustment. If you listen carefully you can hear it ratcheting (if it works).

I also had the same problems you did. For me, it was because the cable itself was beginning to freeze in its protective sleeve. It's rare that the cable itself freezes, but when I removed it I couldn't make the line move at all inside the sleeve. So maybe it would be worth checking your cable moves correctly if the auto adjust isn't working right.

 

[WallyWest]

I see no mention here of the automatic adjustment. If the adjusters are moving nicely then repeatedly pulling the parking brake lever should bring it all into adjustment. If you listen carefully you can hear it ratcheting (if it works).

I also had the same problems you did. For me, it was because the cable itself was beginning to freeze in its protective sleeve. It's rare that the cable itself freezes, but when I removed it I couldn't make the line move at all inside the sleeve. So maybe it would be worth checking your cable moves correctly if the auto adjust isn't working right.

You might be right. Like I said, the bell cranks are brand new and move freely. They're installed and adjusted properly. The mechanism inside the brakes isn't frozen up or anything, and it makes good contact with the teeth of the adjuster. When I'm spinning it manually I can hear a distinct click-click-click. But when I work the lever on the console I don't hear anything happening back there. I've verified with the drum off that the bell cranks do move when the lever is pulled, and if I set the parking brake with the wheels off the ground it does apply the brakes enough to lock the wheels.

Either it's perfectly fine and adjusted properly, or the auto adjusters aren't working. I'm sure that if the shoes aren't adjusted out quite as far as they should be that they're really close, so just working the lever should do the trick, but it doesn't. And I can't see any reason at the brakes themselves why that would be, so I guess the cable is the only thing left.

 

[I_bRAD]

This e-brake might do the job as a parking brake, but as a backup emergency brake I'm not liking my chances.

That's because it is a parking brake and not an emergency brake! If it holds a stationary truck on a hill you're good to go.