FilthyRich

My 99 has almost 112k on the clock and is in excellent mechanical shape. I replaced the front rotors and pads 13 months ago as well as new shoes in the rear.

Last month I had the rear brakes adjusted (too cold to do it myself) and it improved the pedal feel and I had a FUNCTIONAL e-brake. I went wheeling the next week and now the rear brakes are not as tight and the e-brake does nothing.

I know all the water I was wheeling in didn't help, but I have cleaned the brakes out and still have weak brakes.

Aside from manual adjusting the rear brakes (slots on the back of drums) what else??
It is getting old adjusting the rears all the time. Hell, my year old BRembo blanks and OEM pads seem to be going too.

I have flushed the brake system BTW.

Any advice, input.....

MTL_4runner

I have not been the biggest fan of the brake setup on these 4runners since I got mine back in 1998. The fronts are undersized (as evidenced by warping rotors, mine did so three times thus far when towing or even just on steep hills and why the Tundra upgrade feels so much more solid) and the rears should be decent as drum brakes but mine have not worked well to self-adjust since I owned the vehicle (despite having lubed and replaced the parts/shoes twice). After driving our friend's Sequoia this weekend (discs all around) just reaffirms my view on this. I am definately going to upgrade my fronts come spring and if I can get something to work I am doing discs in the rear as well. I need to see what Toyota is using for an e-brake on the Sequoia.

FilthyRich

any one else have issues with the rear brakes and e-brake coming out of adjustment soon after they are adjusted?

Localmotion

as you know, i have the same issue.

My car is pulling when i brake now...which isnt a good sign. Also my right rear drum likes to lock once in a while.

FilthyRich

someone has to have some more input....

terryjmatthew

How often do you use your emergency brake?
I use mine EVERY time I park my truck and don't have any problems w/ adjustment or braking.

FilthyRich

I rarely use mine, but it was less than month ago the rears were adjusted.

midiwall

Have you tried the self-adjuster? I've had decent results with mine...

- Drive in reverse at 2-3mph, pull up on the e-brake lever, repeat until the lever gives solid resistance at about 6-8 clicks.

FilthyRich

No I haven't. I will give it a try when I leave the house.
Thanks Mark

midiwall

Cool! Keep us all in the loop!

MTL_4runner

Sorry Eric, my post ended up more of a rant than a help ....Mark has you on the right track for keeping the rears adjusted.

FilthyRich

No worries Jamie. I understand your frustration. I have tried the self-adjuster method in the past to no avail. However, I must have some other brake issue at the time. Mt brakes are about a year old and have under 15k miles.

I just got back from driving in reverse with the e-brake up. I stopped. pumped the brakes and pulled the lever up and down. Repeated a few times and now the handle maxs out at 8 clicks. 9 is pushing it and unneccesary.

I just I got the rears out of adjustment wheeling and it was just a matter of a simple adjustment.

I still hate the stock brakes and drums suck.

Thanks guys

FilthyRich

e-brake is working properly.
However, I am thinking about getting the Tundra setup next month. With 285s, s/c and a full truck, I am less than happy with the stock setup and WANT something that provides more stopping power.

midiwall

Cool, glad it worked for ya'. If things are pretty whacked, then it can take a number for itterations for it to work, or if the cable is WAY slack, then you'll hit the end of the adjuster before you get any tension. If that happens, then you've got some more work to do.

And, I hear ya' about stopping power. I'm pretty happy with my slotted Brembos and ceramic pads, but sometimes... I feel I could use more. The Tundra setup is way nice... maybe someday.

Lance

My rears were not working real well but my toy mech. adjusted them. He said that I should use the ebrake one a week to keep the rear and ebrake cable happy. Never heard that before but will try it out.

midiwall

It's good advice... Many folks with auto trannys don't use the ebrake, as such the cable can get a lot of "sticktion" going and when you do need to use it (like, in an emergency ) the handle won't move when you go to pull it.

The issue is even worse if you're in an area of the country where road salt is used during the winter.

surf4runner

its really more of a parking brake than an emergency brake (but i call it that myself). i use it every time i park. its saves wear on the tranny by taking the pressure off the pin the keeps it in P. mine always seems at the edge of adjustment too.

vegaskurt

Has anyone done the tundra caliper and rotor upgrade on a model that came with 16" wheels?

midiwall

The guy that started this thread started with a 98 4Runner... I'd bet that he had/has 16" wheels.

pillguy

Hi Guys,

I am having the same issue with my rear brakes. All new rotors, drums, pads, and fluid. When I finished my recent rear axle seal replacement, I got the rear brakes adjusted correctly. I could panic stop at 45mph and engage the ABS. Now at about 1K miles later, I cannot get the ABS to engage via a forced panic stop.
I adjusted the brakes again and still cannot lock up. One issue I may have is when I bled the brakes, I did not put a block of wood under the pedal and may have pumped too far.
Did I ruin the master cylinder? I see no leaks, but not sure what else to look for.