1995 Blazer with hanging back right brake

So 1995 Blazer, 4x4, 160k with rear drum brakes. Haven't ever touched the brakes other than front pads, and recently I noticed the back right was sticking after releasing the brake and generally wouldn't release till roughly 1-2 seconds after I let off the brakes. I put new back shoes on it this past weekend, went thru the adjustment process and it does seem to stop better and is quieter, however the back right still seems to be hanging up. The brakes on this car have never given me any problems, I've owned it for roughly the last 70k miles and have never had a leak or had to add any fluid. Could it be possible that the return springs are just fatigued enough that when combined with a possibly sticky cylinder it doesn't immediately release, or is there more at play here. I'd prefer to not have to break open the system as I don't have an ABS capable scanner to do a proper bleed and this is my only vehicle and need it to get to work and such. Any suggestions as to where to start other than just throwing parts at it?

Are you sure you need a scanner to bleed the brakes?

So 1995 Blazer, 4x4, 160k with rear drum brakes. Haven't ever touched the brakes other than front pads, and recently I noticed the back right was sticking after releasing the brake and generally wouldn't release till roughly 1-2 seconds after I let off the brakes. I put new back shoes on it this past weekend, went thru the adjustment process and it does seem to stop better and is quieter, however the back right still seems to be hanging up. The brakes on this car have never given me any problems, I've owned it for roughly the last 70k miles and have never had a leak or had to add any fluid. Could it be possible that the return springs are just fatigued enough that when combined with a possibly sticky cylinder it doesn't immediately release, or is there more at play here. I'd prefer to not have to break open the system as I don't have an ABS capable scanner to do a proper bleed and this is my only vehicle and need it to get to work and such. Any suggestions as to where to start other than just throwing parts at it?

There is no easy wave a wand fix for it. :lol2:
You need to pull rear wheels and do a inspection.
Also check for grease or brake fluid on lining.
Let us know what you see in there.
Good Luck

I put new back shoes on it this past weekend, went thru the adjustment process and it does seem to stop better and is quieter, however the back right still seems to be hanging up.

I would bet that since he just put shoes on this past weekend he probably had a pretty good look at them.

With everything assembled and the right rear drum off have somebody push down on the brake pedal slowly and carefully! as soon as you see th shoes push put have them release the pedal. Do you see anything binding?

I would bet that since he just put shoes on this past weekend he probably had a pretty good look at them.

With everything assembled and the right rear drum off have somebody push down on the brake pedal slowly and carefully! as soon as you see Th shoes push put have them release the pedal. Do you see anything binding?


If it is still locking up he needs to have another good look at it.
And not only the wheel that is locking up but both sides.
One wheel may be sticking on or the other wheel is not be braking and causing the other wheel to lock up.

Things to look for is grease or brake fluid on the linings.
Bad brake lining.
Shoes installed wrong and return springs and brake cylinder apply pins and hardware.
Proper adjustment.
And full brake pedal after adjustment.
Stuck wheel cylinder on either side.
Make sure both wheel are applying and releasing brakes shoes even .
Check emg brake cables for sticking.

And the good book says if the anti lock system has air in it or has been opened up it requires a ABS capable scanner to bleed it.

So I finally had a chance to pull the drums back off and everything looks clean and as I would've expected from being less then a week old. No brake fluid or grease on shoes or the drum. I went ahead and bought a new spring kit from the local blue and yellow auto parts store and put new return springs, nails, hold down springs and the adjustment arm pivot bushing on the right side, put everything back together and took it for a test drive. Now I didn't take it out on pavement as thats 3.5 miles away, but on the gravel the back right doesn't seem to hang up as often....its still seems to have a little hang on it at times, but not everytime. I may notice something different on my way to work tomorrow, but for now that problem seems to be a little better, but still not fixed.

I compared the assembled brake units to the diagrams in the factory service manual and everything seems to be installed correctly. The pedal travel feels no different then before in terms of force or distance.

My questions are this:
When looking at the procedure listed in the manual for adjusting the parking brake, it says do that by adjusting the equalizer nut....which one is that?
And when road testing the blazer this evening, it seemed like when I stomped the brakes the ABS was making the pedal chatter a lot more then it had in the past. Again this may be due to me paying more attention and to being on gravel....but could this be some sort of sensor, the ABS light is not on, and it does come on during startup so its not burnt out.