ever since i got my truck back in may of this year, my ebrake has been really weak. i can park it on a small hill and it will slowly roll backwards. (i know you are supposed to park it in gear, but i was just checking it) i stopped in my school parking lot yesterday and went to pull the ebrake handle back and there was no pressure on it and when it got about halfway it started to move further out by itself. I decided to leave it like that and when i came back out later it had a little bit of pressure(same as it usually did). it worked fine the rest of the day, but it did it again this morning. i havent had a chance to look at it yet, but where should i start? i figure that ill go ahead and tighten it also, so it will hold better. Any ideas what this could be?

 

Well, Its cable all the way from the rear axle to your dashboard. Start at the rear and work your way up the cable looking for stuff it could snag on.

 

Have you done a brake job anytime recently?
You may need to adjust your rear drums

 

i did the front brakes, but i havent messed with the rears. ill check that.

 

if all else fails replace cable

 

My bet is on rear shoes either just being worn and/or the little toothed adjuster in at least one of the drums has seized up and so the rear shoes aren't adjusting as the shoes wear down.

That's what happened to mine. Off road driving can get water in the drums and that can make all those little parts rust and corrode. Major flaw in drum brake design.

 

that sounds about right. ill pull the wheels and check the drums this weekend.

 

bell cranks.

make sure the bell cranks are fully functioning. known for "freezing" up due to corrosion. can be "manipulated" (beat upon until moving freely) to get them to work again (in the best case scenario) new brakes or servicing the brakes won't matter if pulling the e-brake won't move the parts to engage the brakes.

likewise you could have a cable issue. start from the back, work towards the front.

 

my rear brakes dont work when i press the pedal either, so im assuming its something in the brakes, but ill check the cable also. thanks for all the help guys.

 

I'd start with a rear brake service. Some places will check for FREE.

:wabbit2: