Emergency Brake Adjustment Question

[Grug]

If you want to adjust the emergency brake and the cables seem to have no more room for tightening, does that mean the cables have been stretched too far? Or does it mean that I have to adjust the back brake shoes out a little bit?

Or does the possition of the back brake shoes have nothing to do with emergency brake adjustment.

[zanegrey]

u prolly have some other problem...
and the rear brakes are prolly gone..

[G.A.S.]

Two seperate issues there. One has nothing to do with the other in one respect, so the adjustment of the shoes have nothing to do with the adjustment of the emergency brake cable.
The very first move is to adjust the shoe to the drum and that is that.
Now, on the cable, about the center of the truck or so, (follow the cable from the backing plate.) there will be one cable with a plate and then two cables that attatch to that. The one cable, (coming from the front of the truck) is threaded with a locking nut. Backing off this nut frees up the cables leading to the rear strut assembly for the brakeing itself.
Assemble properly, the rear emergency mechanical parts and install the drum's.
Go back to the adjusting plate and cables and adjust untill it pulls evenly on both cables without applying the emergency break section of the breaking system.
Go try the peddel.
Need adjustment?
Adjust the plate/ cable adjustment.
the end.
Make sure your cables are not frozen/rusted in the caseings. If they are, replace them.
Here is the therroy on emergency cables..... IF YOU DONT USE THEM EVERY DAY,....... DONT USE THEM AT ALL.

[Grug]

Ok, I'll have a look at my set up and see how things look. Gonna' crawl under this weekend.

I use my e-brake everyday and I have the truck rust-proofed every year so I don't think the cables would be seized. The brake's effectiveness has gotten progressively worse over the last few months so that's why I thought it might be a brake adjustment issue. I had the drums off last summer and the pads seemed to be in pretty good shape. Currently, the e-brake won't hold the truck still on the slightest grade.

Thanks for the advice...wish me luck!

[G.A.S.]

Your reply tells a story.
Here is what I would do.
Make sure the shoes are in 3/4 good shape. 1/2 is acceptable but after that no more adjustments.
Make sure one side of your wheel cylinder is not stuck/frozen. check this with shoes on. use a punch and press on the wheel cylinders piston. You should be able to freely move both sides, if not, replace and continue.
anyways, adjust your shoes just so you can get the drums snug. Watch for a ring /grove in the outter edge of the drum, If you adjust to that edge your shoes will not be adjusted properly.
with the drum on and flat to the axel adjust the shoe by the self adjuster untill you can just slightly hear a contact while spinning the axel/drum assembly. Wiggel the drum arround to make sure everything is seeted in place and re-check adjustment.
Now adjust the emergency cable adjustment. Make sure your peddel is up all the way up/disenguaged and make the proper adjustment.

If in the long run you can say.......
I have new and properly adjusted rear shoes and everything in the rear breaking system is functioning properly.
and My cable is adjusted to the max but is in working condition, your cable is stretched and needs replacing.