Newbie Question/Brakes, Wheel Bearings? (1 Viewer)

[winning303]

Hey guys, long time follower, first time poster.

First a little about myself. I am 17 and live in colorado. I have the same story as many, always wanted a landcruiser and then realized my gilfriend's dad had one rotting in his driveway for the las seven years. It was becoming a pain for him so i gave him a buck and took it off his hands.

It has been a relatively easy rig to get going but i recently noticed a problem once i finally got everything up and running to the point of driving. When i got it out on the road, there was a lot of resistance from rolling. It feels like what a car does when you drive with the handbrake on (dont act like you've never done it )

At first i was thinking it was the wheel bearings needing a re-pack, but they are not making any noise so i was wondering if maybe the long sit in the driveway it had could have caused things in the parking brake assembly to freeze up and maybe not allow it to disengage.

It is also worth mentioning it makes a nice moaning noise every rotation of the driveshaft and the resistance increases and decreases as a warped brake would. (Quickly on and off)

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Regards

 

[lostmarbles]

Not sure I should talk to a criminal. (A buck!!!!)

I'd lift each wheel in turn and try to spin it to find out where the drag is.

At the same time (when each wheel is in the air) you can grip the top and bottom of each tyre and attempt to wobble the wheel about the vertical axis to check for wheel-bearing play.

 

[edwjmcgrath]

If it's been sitting for 7 years, stuff gets rusty and you can expect to have brake issues somewhere.
That's not something to mess around with. If the engine stops running, you'll be stuck on the side of the road, but you'll be alive. If the brakes fail, you can die or kill someone.

I think that you should pull each wheel and check for the free operation of all calipers and brake cylinders and check for fluid leaks. Check the thickness of the shoes/pads. Definitely drain and replace the brake fluid. The problem you see could be the E brake, could be a stuck caliper, a stuck wheel cylinder, or it could be a wheel bearing.

If you're not experienced working on brakes, you may find a deal like they have at my Toyota dealer here. For $35, they will do an oil change with filter, chassis lube, and they do a "35 point checkup" which includes pulling all of the wheels and drums and checking the brakes, wheel bearings, TRE's, etc. They are trying to sell you on doing the service, but if you just take their report and say "thank you" and do the work yourself, this is a great deal. I can barely buy the oil and filter for that price. It's worth it just to have them take off the drums that are undoubtedly rusted onto the shafts by now.

 

[pavieSD]

Agreed with edwjmcgrath. My guess is you have a drum brake pad that is rubbing on the front or rear. If the drum itself is out of round, it could be rubbing on every half revolution. Or you need to back off one or more brake pads. If they are rusted, this will mean new cylinders (2 per wheel). Best way to diagnose would be to pull the drums on each wheel, and visually confirm they are working when the brake pedal is pushed.

 

[Glacierskier]

Hey guys, long time follower, first time poster.

...I am 17 and live in colorado. I have the same story as many, always wanted a landcruiser and then realized my gilfriend's dad had one rotting in his driveway for the las seven years. It was becoming a pain for him so i gave him a buck and took it off his hands...

I have lived a long and full life up here in the Rockies... I've heard a lot of tales... But dating a girl just to get Dad's FJ40 is awesome!

 

[lostmarbles]

I have lived a long and full life up here in the Rockies... I've heard a lot of tales... But dating a girl just to get Dad's FJ40 is awesome!

Some dude wanting to date my daughter is one thing.

But setting covetous eyes on my cruiser is an entirely different matter



(Reminder to self.... Must get a shotgun.)

 

[Glacierskier]

Some dude wanting to date my daughter is one thing.

But setting covetous eyes on my cruiser is an entirely different matter



(Reminder to self.... Must get a shotgun.)

I recommend anything pump action. That noise is for more intimidating than just about anything else

 

[winning303]

I recommend the Remington 870, it is quite choice.

Yeah, it was a sneaky operation, but I have no regrets, obviously

So I lifted each wheel and found that the rear right wheel rotated about half way and then stuck, couldn't even move it back to where it was free. I bled the whole system about a month ago to get it working at all (it had no pressure when I got it) so I'm not sure if it's a hydraulic problem, the drum feels pretty damn warped. I'll probably take advantage of the nice weather and crack it open tomorrow. I'll get back to you guys with pictures seeing that this is my first advendure into a drum brake.

Also, there was no vertical play in any of the wheels and the ones that were free spun just fine.

Regards

 

[fj404life]

Dont mess around with brakes...go through the entire system if your gonna drive it on the road.
Before you mess with anything else dial in your steering and brakes. Then give it a tune up and enjoy!!!
What years your new rig? Post some pics! Welcome to the madness!

 

[winning303]

So i cracked open the back right drum and found that the upper shoe has ridiculously uneven wear between the forward side and the rearward side of the shoe. the lower shoe had even wear. I had a buddy push the brakes a few times and saw that only the right cylinder was pushing (which would explain the uneven wear on the top shoe)

One thing i dont get is why the lower shoe wear would be even.

I am also wondering if you guys think ill need a new cylinder or if it is packed up and a few whacks with a mallet might do it some good.
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[edwjmcgrath]

First hit yourself in the head with a mallet for asking that question.

If the brake cylinder is stuck, you need to replace or rebuild it. And replace the unevenly worn shoes.
And turn the drums. And while you're at it make sure that the adjusting screws are running freely.

And the uneven wear might be because the shoes arent running freely on the backing plate. It doesn't help that the hold down clips are both missing and the springs are installed incorrectly.

 

[Mongoose317]

[Q UOTE="winning303"]So i cracked open the back right drum and found that the upper shoe has ridiculously uneven wear between the forward side and the rearward side of the shoe. the lower shoe had even wear. I had a buddy push the brakes a few times and saw that only the right cylinder was pushing (which would explain the uneven wear on the top shoe)

One thing i dont get is why the lower shoe wear would be even.

I am also wondering if you guys think ill need a new cylinder or if it is packed up and a few whacks with a mallet might do it some good.

[/QUOTE]

If its been sitting that long, it would not be surprising if you have moisture in the brake system and even a stuck wheel cylinder or two. I would just go through the brake system. When I picked up my 1977 FJ40 it had been sitting for a few years and two wheel cylinders were rusted stuck from moisture.

 

[winning303]

Dont mess around with brakes...go through the entire system if your gonna drive it on the road.
Before you mess with anything else dial in your steering and brakes. Then give it a tune up and enjoy!!!
What years your new rig? Post some pics! Welcome to the madness!

The rig's a '67. picked it up with a chevy 350 small in it, twin straight pipes, racing cams, rochester four barrel. dont know what this guy was thinking putting all that in, but hey, for a buck, no complaints

Otherwise, two inch lift, 31" wide climbers.

The cancer isn't too bad, pretty much confined to the quarter panels where there are a couple nice holes.

I would like to put up a couple pics of it but, being a total newb, cant figure out why it wont let me. any suggestions?

Regards

 

[Pighead]

I believe you need 10 post before you can include pics...there's an instruction manual around here somewhere.

 

[winning303]

I believe you need 10 post before you can include pics...there's an instruction manual around here somewhere.

I think im going to go to bed before i make myself look like even more of a total newbie.

Looks like i got some work cut out for me. Seeing that the hold down clips are just gone and everything is nice and messed up, i think im going to take your guys' advice and not screw up the one thing that will keep me from smashing into someone and just go for a whole brake system overhaul. Im sure i'll run into something and come back with some questions. Thans guys.

Regards

 

[4x4Poet]

The rig's a '67...

I think the following Cruiser parts, repair, and restoration vendor provides some pertinent info about pre-1970 FJ brakes:

marksoffroad.net/FAQ

 

[winning303]

So looking at the situation, im thinking I want to replace the shoes/drums/cylinders/springs on both sides in the rear. I found a guy on craigslist who did a front disc conversion and is selling everything he replaced. Can I replace the rear sets with stuff from the front? He also said to name the price, what might be a good price? Thanks.

Regards