Parking brake travel with new shoes

[Jspafford]

I just did a whole brake job Friday on the B2. The brakes work great now, but there is one small issue.

Before, when the rear brakes barely worked, my E-brake pedal would only go to the first...maybe second click before it stopped.

Now that I've changed the shoes, it goes all the way to the floor. It holds, but not as good as it should, and with such excessive travel it worries me.

I know it's not the cable, because it was fine up until I did the brake job.

The only attaching point I used was at the top of the shoe, did I miss something or somewhere else I need to attach the bracket inside the drum?

Something worth noting.. before I had the shoes backwards, the smaller one toward the front and the bigger one towards the rear. I put them in correctly this time.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

The shorter shoe does go on the front, the longer on the rear.

 

[Jspafford]

Well Sheeeit.

Would that cause a longer ebrake pedal travel?

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Only one way to find out

 

[frankserrano]

i don't know why, but the e-brake on my ranger hasn't worked since i've had the truck. when i did the rear shoes a couple weeks, the e-brake hardware was in the way and i figured that since it didn't work anyways, might as well take it out

 

[Jspafford]

Only one way to find out

Damn, I hate doing the same job twice.

Any reason the smaller pad is supposed to be in the front?

I just assumed the 'primary' was the larger one... Guess we know what happens when someone ass-umes.

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

The primary brake shoe is installed facing the front of the vehicle which is also the first to be activated and press against the brake drum. The primary shoe also tends to be slightly shorter than the secondary shoe. When activated, the primary (front) shoe helps apply the secondary (rear) shoe. When both shoes are pressing against the drum, the amplification of forces is called "servo action."

 

[mjonesjr]

Have you tried adjusting the parking brake? That may keep you from having you to redo the brake job.

 

[Jspafford]

The primary brake shoe is installed facing the front of the vehicle which is also the first to be activated and press against the brake drum. The primary shoe also tends to be slightly shorter than the secondary shoe. When activated, the primary (front) shoe helps apply the secondary (rear) shoe. When both shoes are pressing against the drum, the amplification of forces is called "servo action."

Well, I just redid the back.

I took the shoes off and put the shoe with the smaller pad towards the front and the shoe with the larger pad on the back. I have them adjusted so that I can hear them grabbing when moving slowly...if anything adjusted a bit too much and here is my result.

Parking brake engages on the first click, it is impossible to even get it to the second. Great!!

Now the not so good. My brake pedal travels farther now. It doesn't seem like I have as good of stopping power as I did. It feels just like before I did the Brake Job and it was primarily the front brakes?

I am so tempted to go buy another set of shoes, and put all 4 of the big shoes on and throw the small ones away.. This is total BS!

 

[mjonesjr]

Have you made sure you are getting fluid through your lines?

Did you replace the brake cylinders as well when you did the brakes?

 

[Jspafford]

Yeah, I bled all the old fluid out on Friday when i originally did the brake job. I replaced one of the wheel cylinders because the bleeder broke, but I bled them all the way around.

The brakes were 100% better than I ever remember from Friday until tonight, now that I put it back together the right way, they suck again!

 

[mjonesjr]

Sounds like you might still have some air in the lines. You might want to replace the other wheel cylinder as well.