For the longest time I did not have an emergency brake lever that worked. Well not too long ago I bought a new one and installed it. The rear brakes became very very tight so I loosened them up. And now a week later that are tight again. And then again I loosened them up and again a week later they became tight. I mean so tight that it makes it very difficult for my car to take off on a hill. You can really feel it drag. Can someone please diagnose this for me. I have a 5 spd and kinda need the e-brake but if this keeps up I am going to have to disconnect it. Any help will be greatly appreciated
Help on drum brakes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Thread starter dustang90
- Start date
Try pulling the self adjuster cables out of there. You will just have to adjust the brakes every few months manually if you do that. I cant see how the e-brake is affecting the prob you are having.
try adjusting them correctly and pull the e-brake about a dozen or so times, then check again to see if that tightened them. Its very hard for anyone to know what is going on exactly without being there and looking at it. Good luck.
try adjusting them correctly and pull the e-brake about a dozen or so times, then check again to see if that tightened them. Its very hard for anyone to know what is going on exactly without being there and looking at it. Good luck.
No the adjusters are where they supposed to be because they have not been changed since I bought the car 3 years ago and it had an emergency brake. The e-brake broke and just didn't have the time to fix the problem so I didn't have one for about 1 and half years. I guy I know said that maybe not being used the the mechanism that engages the brakes when the lever is pulled could be sort of siezed up from not being used and said to spray rust inhibiting lubricator in there and let is soak. I just did that and will know within a week if it works or not. Thanks for the replies. If this doesn't work I am just going to go and let a mechanic look at it.
if it was me i would just go ahead and put all pads,adjusters ,springs ,wheel cylenders on so you know it is all new and you wont have any other problems
sounds to me like since you didnt have the e brake hooked up for a year something hooked to it has sceeced up and needs new so replace it all at once and be done with it
sounds to me like since you didnt have the e brake hooked up for a year something hooked to it has sceeced up and needs new so replace it all at once and be done with it
With rear drum brakes, the ebrake has a ratchet type self adjuster. If you remove the center console you will see the ratchet pawl on the front LH side of the ebrake handle. Use a screwdriver to lift the pawl and the ebrake will release all the tension on the cables.
If you have been doing a lot of backing up and using the brakes at the same time , you could experience dragging rear brakes. The rear brakes self-adjuster is supposed to work every time you back up & use the brakes.
If you have been doing a lot of backing up and using the brakes at the same time , you could experience dragging rear brakes. The rear brakes self-adjuster is supposed to work every time you back up & use the brakes.
BlackGT89
Member
Someway you need to determine if the brakes are adjusting themselves up too tight or if the E-brake cable is not releasing properly (isolate the problem, so to speak). Some morning when all the brake parts are nice and cool jack the car up and put the axle housing on jack stands so the wheels will turn freely. Pull the emergency brake and release it a few times with everything off (don't hit the brake pedal). Then crank the car up and slowly run through a few gears so the wheels spin up a bit. Then press in the clutch or drop it in neutral and let them spin down and see if they come to a quick stop by themselves. If your Traction Lok is worn like mine one wheel may stop spinning before the other one so make a note of that. Sometime after you've driven around for a while see if one drum is hotter than the other to help isolate the problem. You should probably replace your return springs if it's been a while since that's been done. That will make the brakes drag also. Make sure your brake pedal is returning to its full rest position so that they don't drag from being partially applied that way either (there is a threaded rod behind the master cylinder to adjust that). Check to see if one shoe is wearing faster than the others. Look for clues of any kind. Is the exhaust close enough to the E-brake cable to cook it and cause it to seize ? If the shoes have been dragging and have gotten hot they probably are crystalized and need to be replaced anyway (after you find the problem). Good luck.
So far it is doing fine. I sprayed rust inhibiting lubricant in there just incase anything was siezed up. So far after one day everything is fine. I will know by the weekend if it tightens up again. For some reason it takes a week to tighten up. If it does then I am probably going to have to take it to someone and have them look at it.
Hey dude, how are you loosening the brakes? The self adjusters at the bottom of each brake assembly(in my experience and if I remember correctly) will turn everytime you step on the brake until the shoes are equal distances from the drums. It does it with levers and cables...if the cable is off the guide, or if the shoes are pulled askew to one side, it will tighten also. I would suggest as someone did before that you overhaul the rear brakes. Change the springs, adjusters, cylinders, shoes, and even drums if you have the spare cash. The parts are not too expensive, and you sound like you are mechanically inclined. My 2 cents.
Guys I was in a jam today and did something i wish I didn't but had to. My brakes locked up completely. I couldn't go forward at all. It was as if someone was pressing the brake pedal constantly. So I tried loosening them up(AGAIN) and they wouldn't. Then I tried disconnecting the e-brake cables but there was WAY too much tension. So I did what I had to do......... I had to cut the equalizer cable!!! Now they brakes are not tight at all. I think I will completely overhaul the rear brakes and start all over. MAN, I did not want to do that. But it was either cut them are not be able to go anywhere
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