How to tighten parking brake?

[JackLikesTrucks]

Seriously. In another thread I replaced all the parking brake cable and have new shoes, drums, hardware, etc. And all is exactly is it should be installed and star adjusters adjusted.

But the p brake goes to the floor just to hold the truck on a grade.

Is that normal? Cause if there's a bed load, uh bye-bye. She's not holding.

I'd like to have full-lockup of the wheels with half-down parking pedal.

Not half-lockup with full-down pedal.

Any ideas?

 

[Sprag-O]

The e-brake pedal has a ratcheting mechanism behind it... If it's ratcheted up as much cable as it can already, that means your adjusters weren't out far enough.

 

[Ranger4657]

myne did the same when i replaced the break shoes... but i just drove it around for a while and the adjusters adjusted and now its fine.

 

[JackLikesTrucks]

that means your adjusters weren't out far enough.

So if I just drive it back and forth enough in regular driving, it'll fix itself as 4657 suggests?

 

[Sprag-O]

Un-ratchet the ebrake cable...

back your adjusters as far out as you can and still barely get the drums on, then re-ratchet in the cable.

 

[JackLikesTrucks]

Here's the problem. On an '02, there is no ratcheting anything anywhere. The cable are a set length and there is no turnbuckle or any adjustment anywhere.

What I did do was ratchet out the star adjusters till the drum drags and thenpumped the brake and the ebrake a few tiime to "seat" the brakes to dead center when floating. When there was any extra play from centering, I tightenened up the adjsuters till they dragged slightly. Did this 2-3 times until there was no change either side, the cable was without slack.

 

[JackLikesTrucks]

Found the problem.

The driver side horizontal bar came out of its place against the shoes and fell to the bottom the drum area. No damage other than a bent bar. Had to get another one.

Put all the harware back to factory positions, on both sides, reset the star adjusters and the parking brake pedal now grabs at 1/3 the way down and is in hard lock on the brake at 1/2 the way down. Very pleased.

Thanks for all your helps. Glad the factory design still works when everything is right.