|
Re: cant stop
If it has drum brakes in the rear, the most common cause is misadjustment of the rear linings, which makes for too much brake pedal travel and decreased brake feel....when they use drum rear with an auto tranny the problem is compounded, because the non-servo type drum brakes used on newer cars only adjust up reliably when the parking brake is used...which nobody does with an auto tranny, generally.
When you pull the e-brake lever, does it feel like it's actually doing anything, or can you top it out without really straining yourself? This is usually a pretty good indication that the rear are way out of adustment and not doing anything back there...
Here's what I do first if you suspect this. Find a gentle slope in a parking lot or your driveway, whatever. Allow the car to begin rolling, then jack the brake lever hard. The rear wheels should lock and skid. If not, you are not adjusted worth a damn...now hold the detent button on the lever in, and do this repeatedly, pumping the e-brake lever over and over, you need to pull it as far and as hard as you can each time. If the adjuster hardware is not seized up and useless, after several applications (could be anywhere from a dozen to several dozen times) you'll feel the lever's travel decreasing and the rear brakes getting stronger a bit each time...keep doing this until you feel no further improvement. Then take a drive and see how the brakes feel to you. There should be a definite improvement, shorter pedal travel and a lot stronger braking action.
If you detect no problem with adjustment, and don't feel any of this will help, then the car needs to be checked for glazed linings, seized hardware, booster problem, etc...
Worn out and contaminated brake fluid will give you reduced pedal feel and lazy brakes also, but usually only in extreme cases..
|