TacoMaxx

My rear passenger side drum break contiually gets tighter over time. I have pulled it off and reset the actuator, but it gets very noticeably tighter in about 3 days (~100 mi). I have had the Drums turned and the breaks cleaned. I have also replaced the slave piston in the breakdrum. I can't even mechanically fathom how this is happening. Any ideas? Thanks.

KdF

The only thing I can honestly think of is that you put the adjuster in backwards. I mean the one holding the adjusting star. The brakes should not adjust in any way except manually,with the e-brake or going in reverse.

TacoMaxx

That was my first thought as well, but the adjusting star lines up with the access port in the break plate, so I can't imagine that is the problem. I am bewildered to say the least.

Nismo Convert

I have this same problem, on the same side, the adjusters are fine, lubed and ready to go. When the truck is jacked up the wheel barely turns.

killa b

does the e brake go over anything or maby able to get snagged. i wonder if there is a problem with them that needs to get fixed. thats really confusing.

TacoMaxx

So I took it to Les Schwab (Premier Tire Store in the Nothwest for those of you who don't know, its amazing.) He was as puzzled as we are, so we just bent the levere that adjusts the actuator to prevent it from adjusting any tighter. If anyone else has any idea's or experiences, I'd love to hear it.

mjwalfredo

Reviving an old thread to see if anyone else has had a similar problem...

I seem to be going through the same thing but mine seems to be that the clearances get too tight when I use the e-brake every time I park. For now I am going to stop using it all the time.

I did loosen the cable up just a bit at the e brake lever this morning while I was backing the shoes away from the drum. Maybe that will solve the problem, but I just have to give it time to see what happens. EDIT: Oh yeah, I think this might work only because at one point in time, I tightened it up because I could hear a rattle coming from it when on the highway.

On a somewhat related note, I think my brake troubles all began a long long time ago when I got stuck in a muddy water hole. When I finally got unstuck, I pulled the ebrake lever and it went all the way up with no resistance at all. Does anyone know why or how that would happen? It doesn't make any sense to me that the brakes would "unadjust" so much just from getting stuck.

FYI, all seals and most brake parts are new so I don't have any axle leaks. The only brake parts that has not been replaced since my dumber days of mudding are the bell cranks. I never knew about these things until recently so I sprayed the inside of the boots down with parts cleaner and liquid wrench and then pumped the boots full of lithium grease to help combat the rusty parts. Maybe I should replace those too...

97ltd4x4

Sounds like a bellcrank problem...To do a quick check,remove the 2 springs and parking cable from it and the backing plate,try and move it with a screwdriver/pry bar...It should move freely in and out,only resistance will be from the drum return springs..If it binds at all it will not retract and release the ebrake from that side...hence the brake tightening...if it is frozen out(e-brake applied),you need to beat it against the stop and backing plate and plan on servicing them.

I have had to service a friends 97 landcruiser and another 99 4runner with binding bellcranks...you need to remove the drum,one side shoe and the bellcrank will unbolt,chuck in vice,remove the rubber seal,spray w/ penetrant,and basically beat/pry the crap out of it,untill it moves freely,then pack w/ grease and reinstall.

Toyota does not sell a complete bellcrank,you have to buy it in pieces and build them....If its frozen forget about just replacing the pin,either replace it all or free it still assembled.

mjwalfredo

Yeah, I bet it is the bellcranks too. I wish I would have known that 6 years ago when I first gunked them up. I wonder how much extra gas I have burned over those 6 years due to the added resistance! I guess on the bright side, now that I have figured that out, my truck now feels like a race car to me! I thought it was slowing down due to age and mileage, but it turns out that the rear brakes were dragging. It evens feels like it shifts smoother without that added drag.

Thanks so much on the detailed info 97ltd4x4, that really rocks! I am going to try and service those bellcranks real good this weekend. That sucks that you can't just buy the whole damn thing from Toyota!

mjwalfredo

So I got a chance to tackle this last night and it seemed like a fairly easy job. The bellcranks were definitely rusted/corroded but they seemed to move somewhat freely. I wish I had time to let em' soak in PB Blaster all night but I sprayed them down multiple times and used a wire brush to get off as much crud as I could. Once they were cleaned up good, I coated the moving parts in caliper grease and put everything back together. They seemed to move a little more freely but I honestly didn't think it was going to make that much of a difference. I was totally wrong... I don't know why exactly, but the brakes finally feel "right" for the first time in so long. The truck is balanced rather than nose diving when brakes are applied. It really feels like the rears are doing their part to stop the truck now.

That is not the best part, because I was able to get the braking correct in the past but up until now, the truck really resisted when you tried to get on the gas again. Now it stops right AND it goes right after braking hard.

Anyway, I've only been out twice since lubing the bellcranks so we have yet to see if the adjusters keep over adjusting but right now, I am pretty optimistic because the brakes just finally feel "right".

Thanks for the help everyone.

wino$41

I had the same problem on my 91, I went to several different mechanics (including les schwab) only to have it occur over and over again until I gave up on it and traded it in. To this day I try not to use my e-brake unless it's an emergency.

mjwalfredo

Damn, sorry to hear you could never get it ironed out. I sure hope I have better luck...

mjwalfredo

Well, I now think I have given enough time to finally say that my brake troubles are over. Cleaning those bell cranks really made the difference and my truck is actually enjoyable to drive daily again. Thanks to all for your help.