yotakid825

I have a '94 pickup and my e brake is not working the way it should. It doesn't release at the drums like it's suck or something. I want to take it apart and fix it. But I'm looking at it thinking I have no clue how take this apart Any help would be great.

abecedarian

Have someone apply and release the brake while you're underneath. You should see the cable move both directions. If it only moves when being applied, then the cable is probably sticking where it comes out or somewhere under the cab.
There is not a heck of a lot of tension from the brake assembly in the hubs to help pull the cable back since it uses a lever to actuate the brakes.

Jay351

Make sure the cable moves freely. They are known to wear through and let moisture into the cable. This rusts up the cable and causes drag. I replaced my entire e-brake system in the past year due to rust in the cables...

Somtimes my rear brakes will freeze to the drums, say after a long drive in wet weather.... BUt a little stab of the gas frees them up.

find out where its sticking. IN the cable or in the drums

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

If this has the same e-brake as the mid eighties it is no doubt seized up where the steel arm goes through the aluminum block .

If it has not been used in a long time.

yotakid825

The cable moves freely. I freed up one side. stuck were the lever. that the cable attaches to. goes through the back of the brake assembly.

abecedarian

Pull the wheels and drums off and see if you can figure what's sticking.

sb5walker

Since you're in the salty blecchy northeast like me, maybe your parking brake bellcrank is frozen in the bellcrank bracket like mine was. (The bellcrank is the lever that goes through the backing plate, to which the cable is attached.)

http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...tem/11-4wd.pdf

I had to get a new bellcrank & bracket from the dealer, there was no way to restore them.

'Course, that's for the 4wd - if you have a 2wd, there's probably a different arrangement.

EDIT: I had loaded this page earlier & didn't refresh before I replied. So... didn't see that you found the trouble. Never mind.

wyoming9

iTrader: (1)

You can clean the steel lever up that way you just need to get the brackets and the pins that hold it.

Kind of a dumb idea steel in aluminum ones replaced and never seized I have had good luck.

sb5walker

Yeah - if you can get the bracket off the lever. On mine, that was absolutely impossible. I deformed the bracket into a shapeless blob as I tried hammering it free (this is after pb blaster & heat failed to help) and never did get it to move. I suppose you could cut off the bracket and punch or drill out the pin, but the lever doesn't cost THAT much.