ebrake help?

[SwaintaN]

ive always had my thoughts but never really done anything about it.. sitting at the wifes work i decided to see what would happen

park the x on a hill, hold in brake, put in nuterual, set the ebrake all the way to the floor, let off the normal brake... it rolled backwards!!! it didnt stop till i pushed on break again.

where should I start to look?!?!

 

[Willard]

First make sure the back brakes are adjusted correctly. They do have auto adjusters but those can and will get rusted up and stop working.

Then I would look at the cables, they can get rusted and seized up to to where they just don't move, they can break as well.

 

[SwaintaN]

well there was a spring about 6 inches long on the ground about a week ago.... didnt think ne thing of it.. in a public parking lot... umm could that have been mine?!

 

[Willard]

Possibly, I'm trying to think if there are any exposed springs on the cables, I think there might be one. It wouldn't come from behind the drum, it can't get out from there.

 

[SwaintaN]

this one was sitting right about driver side, 2nd door where the crack in the door to body is... under the truck there...

 

[Anime]

The spring was probably the cable return spring, it's what pulls the brake shoes to the released position when you disengage the e-brake. It mounts directly to the outer frame rail on the drivers side, in front of the left rear tire.

It's pretty typical for the two rear e-brake cables to become seized in their metal housings due to rust, especially in snowy climates. Replacing both cables and the cable return spring with a nice new one usually does the trick. If the return spring is too wimpy though, the rear shoes will rub on the drum when driving.

 

[scrivyscriv]

You want that spring, yes, but more importantly to get your e-brake working you gotta adjust the shoe tension like Devilboy suggests.
Should just be a star-shaped wheel on the axle-side of your rear brakes, behind a rubber access port plug.
Stick a small straight-slot into the opening until you find the star wheel - using the screwdriver as a lever, push UP to retract the shoes, and push DOWN to expand them. Check the drum for rolling resistance as you adjust - you want it to have slight resistance, but not tight.
Someone correct me on the adjustment if you have a better description of how to do it!

FWIW, if you haven't changed your rear brakes in a while, this might be a good time to get in there and R&R them.

 

[mikeinri]

I would pull the drums and do a real inspection and cleaning (at a minimum). Sometimes, the parts inside wear. One of those parts is a cable guide. If the cable slips off of that, the ebrake won't work. As mentioned, the auto-adjusters can rust and freeze. The best thing is to pull them apart, clean them with a wire brush and parts cleaner, and lube with wheel bearing grease when you reinstall (this prevents rusting later).

Hope this helps.

Mike

 

[Tbars4]

...This is off my 91 X..I hope this helps identify the spring you had sen on the ground..

...The spring has been pulled down in this pic to show the adjustment bolt for the cable...

 

[SwaintaN]

lol yeah that is it, shoulda picked it up off the ground eh.