Rear Brake Issues?

[nc-grayson]

I'm going to preface this post by saying I am not even 100% sure I have rear brake issues, that's just the way I'm leaning.

Here's the deal. Did 231mm TBU about 3 months ago, and all went well. I bled all 4 corners a few times and got the pedal feel and stopping power I was anticipating, so I was stoked. Looking back now, I realize that I also noticed a decent drop in mpg and power sometime after the brakes. The 3rd gen isn't my DD so it's hard to nail down when I actually notice symptoms vs when they actually popped up.

I noticed after all the bleeding was done, that the drivers rear brake drum would squeak/squeal almost all of the time when stopping 1< mph, or basically it would squeal when creeping to a stop in traffic, stop and go type.

Anyways, yesterday there was a wreck at the bottom of the bridge to get onto the island I live on. I got a chance to play around with the truck during the waiting at the bridge. I noticed that if I put the trans in neutral on the down slope of the bridge, the truck would roll forward a few feet with momentum, and then stop itself, while still aimed downhill with momentum. No braking input from myself, the truck stoppd itself. The the light went on, DOH! I don't know why I didn't think about it earlier but some brakes are sticking...

So I figured the rears needed some work, and I've been planning on doing something to update both the rears anyways. I have to assume they are OEM because I don't know the history, 2000 SR5 with 156,000. BUT, I have no idea where to start on rear brakes. With all that's out there for the TBU, it's slim pickings for rear brake stuff.

I looked at the fronts, and I don't know what it would look like with a frozen caliper, but nothing looks out of the ordinary up there. So I'm assuming my problem is all in the rears. My e-brake is also basically useless fwiw.

Can anybody offer some advice on where to start? I've never once touched drum brakes. YouTube videos dont make it look too difficult, more like a PITA than anything. Do I replace everyhing in the rear drums? Do I service some parts in the rears? Can rear brakes even stick causing the truck to stop rolling downhill? Or am I looking at frozen caliper up front that I can't seem to notice is any different visually? I'm a brakes noob. I was proud of myself that I managed the TBU!

Sorry for long post, thank you for your help!

 

[St Runner]

Use your hands. Next time you take it for a drive, stop and put your hands on the rims. If you have brakes sticking that wheel will be distinctly hotter than all the other rims. Also check for oil on the inside of your rear tires, this indicates a leaking rear axle and will also effect your braking

 

[saurkraut]

What do you mean your e-brake is useless? Does it not hold the truck at all/slightly? Does the e-brake handle go up further than it should or all the way without holding? Every time you use the e-brake, it adjusts the rear shoes to make sure that when it is used it will hold the weight of the truck. Another problem could be that the e-brake cable is too tight and causing the shoes to drag on the drum all the time. Like mentioned, after driving for a bit, put your hand on the wheel and see if it's hot. If it is, the brakes are dragging and need to be adjusted away from the drum so that they only contact the drum surface when the brakes are applied or the e-brake cable is pulled. Rear brakes are easier to do than fronts. Unless there is broken hardware, you usually only need to replace the shoes, two for each wheel. The key is to make sure they are adjusted properly. After the work you did bleeding the brakes, it could have put more pressure on the rear brake cylinder causing them to drag slightly. A quick re-adjustment could fix that. If the e-brake handle travels all the way, and it still doesn't hold the truck, then there could be other issues going on and you would need to take the wheel and drum off to inspect. Also like mentioned, look for oil on the inside of the wheel and tire. This would indicate a bad axle seal and could contaminate the material on the brake shoes rendering them useless and potentially creating a fire hazard.