So my parking brake was sticking, and I traced the problem to the levers on the inside of the rear wheels. You pull the handbrake, it pulls the cable and then it pulls these levers that engage the brakes. When you release the handbrake, the cable releases and then these little levers go back in, disengaging the brake. Well the little levers were not real easing back in, and the cable was bunching up because of the extra slack. I realized the the little black boots were packed with dirt/salt?/mud and leading to corrosion. I decided to just cut the boots off, wash it out really good, then spray with lubricant. It looks like it is two different types of metal there where the lever mounts to the bracket, which causes that particular type of corrosion (forget the name), and that rubber boots like that often cause rust/corrosion rather than prevent. I have been working the handbrake back and forth trying to free it up and its getting better. Just wondering if anyone else has cut the boots off and any other thoughts on this.
parking brake rubber boots on inside of rear wheels
- Thread starter studawg
- Start date
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That happened to my 80 and it's the exact system as the 100. However, instead of cutting the boot off, I just slid the boot, used wd-40 to break the corrosion, filled it with u-joint lube and and slid the boot back on. I believe replacement parts for replacement for the bell crank were fairly reasonable (less than $30).
As I recall, the boots also help keep sand/mud/water/stuff out of the rear brake drum. Although they likely contribute to the corrosion by keeping some moisture in the lever, it's probably worth replacing them with new when you replace the parts.
Keep the boots [or replace them]. Also replace the pins. You can replace the arms or simply remove all signs of corrosion with a wire wheel and paint them with your favorite rust resistant finish. POR15 is mine.
Levers on both sides were locked up tight on mine. Cleaned them up as described here and they've been fine ever since.
Levers on both sides were locked up tight on mine. Cleaned them up as described here and they've been fine ever since.
I think you'd be dealing with a stuck parking brake a lot sooner. Since you cut the boots, just get new ones, they're only a few dollars.