Parking Brake Trouble

[Angelo]

I started off with the parking brake not working to hold my FJ from rolling. After treating the cable with WD-40 I got it to work, partially. When engaged it would only stop the truck from rolling forward but not backwards.
After changing the shoes I have the same problem, just less travel in the cable. I know my cable is good because it compresses the cable spring completely. All the parts seem to be there and the shoes I took out wore evenly.
Since all the parts 'look' to be undamaged and working properly, I can only presume the issue is subtle.
Has anyone here addressed this issue successfully?

 

[Mike Shull]

I started off with the parking brake not working to hold my FJ from rolling. After treating the cable with WD-40 I got it to work, partially. When engaged it would only stop the truck from rolling forward but not backwards.
After changing the shoes I have the same problem, just less travel in the cable. I know my cable is good because it compresses the cable spring completely. All the parts seem to be there and the shoes I took out wore evenly.
Since all the parts 'look' to be undamaged and working properly, I can only presume the issue is subtle.
Has anyone here addressed this issue successfully?

View attachment 3760891

View attachment 3760894

My dad claims that his drum parking brake only worked for the first 6 months to a year. When I acquired it from him 15 years later I disassembled everything, cleaned it and installed all new pieces. It held for less than a year.

The failure with mine was caused by gear oil leaking through the output shaft seal and I never could get that shaft to seal. Others may have had better luck but I ended up putting my parking brake on the rear axle and switching my lever to the floor to create more leverage.

 

[Angelo]

My dad claims that his drum parking brake only worked for the first 6 months to a year. When I acquired it from him 15 years later I disassembled everything, cleaned it and installed all new pieces. It held for less than a year.

The failure with mine was caused by gear oil leaking through the output shaft seal and I never could get that shaft to seal. Others may have had better luck but I ended up putting my parking brake on the rear axle and switching my lever to the floor to create more leverage.

Thanks Mike. My seal holds, my shoes were dry.
I appreciate the feedback.

 

[Living in the Past]

WD40 is a solvent. I would suggest using white grease for the cable. It this was the speedometer cable WD40 would ruin it in a very short time because it always rotating while driving. Many years ago when I worked resident air conditioning I replacing many of fan motors the home owners oiled their motors with WD40.

 

[peesalot]

Given your adjuster is all the way expanded you may have a worn out drum. They arent the best but the drum ebrakes work. mine held even when old, oiled shoes. Curious how many clicks you are getting on dash handle when pulled ? FWIW it should be hard to get drum on with expander all the way out. If your drum slides on easliy with setting as in pic your drum is toast. With the shoes set fully expanded, the drum should barely, if at all, slide over shoes. And/or, your cable isnt getting full pull. Mine has 8 notches showing on rod when tight.

 

[Angelo]

Given your adjuster is all the way expanded you may have a worn out drum. They arent the best but the drum ebrakes work. mine held even when old, oiled shoes. Curious how many clicks you are getting on dash handle when pulled ? FWIW it should be hard to get drum on with expander all the way out. If your drum slides on easliy with setting as in pic your drum is toast. With the shoes set fully expanded, the drum should barely, if at all, slide over shoes. And/or, your cable isnt getting full pull. Mine has 8 notches showing on rod when tight.

the shoes are new. that particular picture was taken before I adjusted the shoes to put the drum back on. yes, the drum barely fits. taking pictures with an iPhone doesn't work through rubber gloves
I don't have a dash handle; I have a lever in the center. after adjusted and back together I have about 4-5 clicks, where I use to have much more.
The brake holds well enough to stall the engine, if I let out the clutch in 1st gear. However, when I put it in reverence and feather out the clutch, it's like it isn't even engaged.

 

[Pighead]

These transfer case mounted parking brakes seem to hold better from rolling forward than back wards, don't know why. park accordingly. There should be two places to adjust the parking brake; at the drum and at the other end of the cable with the two large nuts. I think the FSM mentions how many clicks are best.
Kept clean and well adjusted, they work pretty well. Don't know why anyone would machine a parking brake drum...

 

[MOTOV8R]

Reverse is a lower gear ratio. Have you tested it on a hill, not vs. stalling. It’s not an apples to apples comparison to put first against reverse.

• gear ratios (to 1): 1st: 3.555. 2nd: 2.292. 3rd: 1.410. 4th: 1.000. rev: 4.271.

 

[Pighead]

Have you tested it on a hill, not vs. stalling.

Yes. I've tested it uphill, downhill, every which-way. I've owned this Pig 38 years or so and been running this same original parking brake all along. I don't like to test the holding ability with the engine, I've seen the brake housing crack from that (in low range). Plus, I think my SM465 has a lower first gear ratio (6.55) than reverse (6.09), so there's that

 

[MOTOV8R]

Yes. I've tested it uphill, downhill, every which-way. I've owned this Pig 38 years or so and been running this same original parking brake all along. I don't like to test the holding ability with the engine, I've seen the brake housing crack from that (in low range). Plus, I think my SM465 has a lower first gear ratio (6.55) than reverse (6.09), so there's that

I was replying to the OP (see below), should have used the reply button, sorry for the confusion.

the shoes are new. that particular picture was taken before I adjusted the shoes to put the drum back on. yes, the drum barely fits. taking pictures with an iPhone doesn't work through rubber gloves
I don't have a dash handle; I have a lever in the center. after adjusted and back together I have about 4-5 clicks, where I use to have much more.
The brake holds well enough to stall the engine, if I let out the clutch in 1st gear. However, when I put it in reverence and feather out the clutch, it's like it isn't even engaged.

 

[Angelo]

I was replying to the OP (see below), should have used the reply button, sorry for the confusion.

 

[Angelo]

In all my younger years doing brakes I don't remember ever needing to seat shoes before, but I took your advice and seated the shoes.
Dropped the DS and feathered the parking brake lever while it was in gear. Afterwords, I increased the adjuster one notch. I engaged the parking brake, let out the clutch in both 1st and reverse and it stalled both times. waiting for a new staked nut before putting the DS back on. Hoping not to be back in there for a while. Thank you for the advice.

 

[peesalot]

Either way the stall test is a dice roll IMO as I do not like replacing 4 particular little bolts, a e-brake cable, & a speedo cable if they are zip tied together. Of all the case savers, and various improvments for the ole 1 piece alum tcases I am suprised nobody ever sold/made a ebrake backing plate saver, I made one, it's actually a simple flat bar with hole at each end, couple custom bends and it uses a tcase bolt & a hole in backing plate, never spin again.