Hey everyone,

I live in Kansas it we just got all the snow and it hasn't been above 30 in the past week. One day when i went to release my hand brake in my 91 4Runner, the lever just went all the way in, felt like the cable snapped. Over the past few days, you can pull out on the lever and it has lots of tension but no brake! i replaced all the springs in the rear drums and made sure everything was together right in the drums, the shoes look great as well as the drums themselves. I took it out of the garage onto the snow packed streets and let the brakes adjust some to make sure everything was working. I am going to school for brakes and ranked top in the class. But when I stomped on the brake pedal, the front wheels locked and the rear wheels didn't! Is this suppose to happen? Also i still don't have any parking brake and the parking brake light won't go off! Please help with any advice on what is wrong!
This Morning I got in and don't have any rear brakes, the pedal sinks all the way to the floor and feels like only the front brakes work.

Thanks,
Zach

 

Can you tell if there is any brake fluid leaking?

I've had a brake (wheel) cylinder be bad and not hold a seal on the bleeder screw. However it was a new part replacing an old one.

As far as the handbrake. If its below freezing out.. especially with snow the cable freezes it can take a bit of jiggling... I usually just release the hand brake then if it doesnt disengage then i ENGAGE it again with more tension than it had before (this forces the cable to move freeing it from the ic) .... or sometimes I've had to actually get out and get under the rear end and kick the cable to break it free.

the pedal sinking sensation is a sign the rear parking brake is still engaged because the pressure is already applied on the braking system so the pedal is catching up with the rear brakes essentially. Though it could be something more worse....

Get under that rig and check the parking cable for play!

 

'91 - that's 16 years old. If they salt the roads there I wouldn't be surprised at all if the cable rusted and snapped.

 

[QUOTE=the"RoadRunner";50397384] But when I stomped on the brake pedal, the front wheels locked and the rear wheels didn't! Is this suppose to happen?


The brakes work at 80 / 20 dont they? The front should lock up while the rears still turn? I could be wrong..

 

HM. Must have been a good class.

 

Do Runners have the LSPV?

 

Check the parking brake where the cable attaches to the actuator lever (parking brake bellcrank) at the back (outside)of the drum. The actuator lever (parking brake bellcrank) is what sticks on mine when it has gotten wet and freezes. The cable is slack but the lever is frozen in the e-brake "on" position.

You can see what I am describing in this FSM part brake down. It is called the Parking Brake Bellcrank no.1 or 2
http://personal.utulsa.edu/~nathan-b...tem/11-4wd.pdf

 

thank you all for your advice. i put the rear end on jack stand last night and pulled the wheels of so it would be a little easier to adjust the star wheel adjusters until i felt brake drag while rotating them by hand. i crawled under the 4Runner to look at the hand-brake line and i couldn't find anywhere where it had broken or come loose. so i pulled on it by hand and the hand-brake started to work. not sure how or why. i do have to pull the handle alot harder now to get the brakes to apply.

thanks again,
Zach

 

sounds like your rear drums are out of adjustment if you have to pull the e brake all the way out and they still arent engaging.

 

In Norway I learned to never use the hand brake when it was cold outside since the wire could easily freeze and get stuck. I bet that's what happened to you.

 

[QUOTE=gilby4runner;50397691]More like 60/40 but yes your front brakes will lock up before the back.

 

You can fuxor with the LSPV to redneck your brakes a bit to where you like them... Mainly mess with the rod that attaches to the axle

The further UP and above the axle the LSPV rod is the more sensitive your rear brakes will be to the pressure (pressing the brake pedal).

I got curious one day and spent the day messing with the rod and different brackets and 'other methods' of raising it then test drove the neighborhood to see how it messed with the brakes. Which the rod in the EXTREME high positon (cant get it any higher) the rears were obviously extremely touchy.. the littlest braking and I was ready to hit the ditch

Im not sure what guys do with the 4-5" suspension lifts.. or higher.. Do you all put in a manual LSPV or fuxor the rod to where it should be? I think im gonna go with a manual LSPV just to get rid of the rod all together. Not like I haul anything anyways.

Mine is adjusted to where I like it with home-made a bracket that raises it.

 

Yep my money is on what I posted above. The parking brake bellcrank is what is sticking/freezing, not the cable. The spring that works the cable isn't strong enough to overcome the sticking.

 

I agree with the bellcrank lever. Mine were so rusty and frozen, I had to remove them from the drum and basically rebuild them. It was a PITA but they worled well after that..............until I broke my cable. DOH!

 

that would be on a fwd car

 

[QUOTE=KD7NAC_07FJ;50398852]Wrong. Your rear brakes will lock up first unless you have a very heavy load in the back of your truck.

 

Or, a misadjusted LSPV.

 

Try up-adjusting the rears a little bit. Half or full rotation on the adjuster screw will make the shoes extend a little further and contact the drum more so you aint have to pull so hard on the ebrake and will make your wheel cylinder not have to extend so far to make contact. Should be able to get a little less than a full rotation with the tire on when hand spun with the rears correctly adjusted.

Sorry if it aint all comin out right, clint's been drankin!

 

[QUOTE=SpeedyManiac;50491612]wrong again.

The fronts will lock before the rears. Have you messed with the LSPV???? Seriously play with it and find out how different braking is when the back gets more brake than the front. It's downright scary.

When the rear tires lock up you lose all control of the vehicle. It's same as a E-brake... you spin out of control.

 

Teel you whats funner is havin a locked up rear end with your rear lines clamped off in the rain. Now that right theres down right scary!