Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I just got it seems to drive fine but Brakes Dragging. How can I adjust them? Or Release the Emergancy Brake Line? Not sure which is the problem. Rear brakes are Drum style LOL
Can you tell if it's all 4 wheels dragging or just one?
If all 4, take the lid off the master cylinder and have someone (gently) push the brake pedal. You should see a little upwelling of brake fluid when the pedal is first pushed. If you don't see this, probably the port between the master cylinder itself and the reservoir is plugged, frequently it can be cleaned out with a small wire.
If a single wheel is dragging, look for either a faulty brake hose holding pressure on the caliper or slave cylinder, or a sticking caliper.
If the noise is from the rear check the emergency brakes for sticking, You may have a cable sticking and if you cant figure out how to do this you best go and get a service manual.Also because brakes are very inportant I would inspect all four wheel for wear . How many miles since the last brake job? It may be a broken spring in the rear brake assembly thats causing a shoe to be lose also.
If the noise is from the rear check the emergency brakes for sticking, You may have a cable sticking and if you cant figure out how to do this you best go and get a service manual.Also because brakes are very inportant I would inspect all four wheel for wear . How many miles since the last brake job? It may be a broken spring in the rear brake assembly thats causing a shoe to be lose also.
Good points. One other tip about older GM cars with drum rear brakes (I don't know as much about other makes) is that the brakes self-adjust when you apply the brake when you are backing up. If you for example have a driveway that goes steeply downhill and back out of it every day, or just have the habit of backing up sharply and then hitting the brake hard, they can over-adjust to the point of dragging.
What's the history of this old van? I would suspect it's spent some time just sitting, if so the brake fluid may be old, dark, full of water, you should exchange the brake fluid or have a shop do it.
You no doubt got this van relatively cheap, spend a dime of what you saved to make the brakes work right, DIY if you know what you are doing, find a good independent shop if you don't.
Hard to take it to be fixed if it hardly moves LOL....thanks for the tips guys! Front brake shooes look brand new with webs [yeck] Havent checked the rear Cant get the hub off that tight!! I just had new tires put on do to dryrot Guy that did that said he hadnt seen that style/brand in 10 yrs! They looked new too LOL The guy I got it from told me was his dads & he took good care of it till he went into a nursing home a few yrs ago... then he passed & to settle the estate they put it up for sale! Did say they started it several times a yr...runs good sounds good!! OK thats all I know of its history LOL
Good points. One other tip about older GM cars with drum rear brakes (I don't know as much about other makes) is that the brakes self-adjust when you apply the brake when you are backing up. If you for example have a driveway that goes steeply downhill and back out of it every day, or just have the habit of backing up sharply and then hitting the brake hard, they can over-adjust to the point of dragging.
If everything is working as it should be, drum brakes cannot over-adjust themselves. The adjuster arm is designed to bypass after a set amount of resistance from the adjuster.
Ok We got the Brakes working better in Drive But Really Really hard Backing! Well could the adjuster be rusted? & not working? I have to back into or out of my paring space here at the apt. & gro shopping impossibe not to back any more sooo many people. & just feels tighter & tighter. Have an appointment in 2 weeks at mechanics. & being on disability dont need to drive much LOL
I would jack up each wheel (one at a time) to see if the wheel will rotate freely without being locked or dragging. All it takes is one locked wheel to stop a car from moving.
An automatic trans in park will lock the trans and not the rear wheels.
Dirty/old brake fluid can prevent the wheel cyl from retacting after the brake has been applied thus locking a wheel.
Difficulty in removing a rear drum means that the shoes might be expanded to the drum and the wheel cyl has NOT retracted the pressure. I would loosen the bleeder valve as a start to relieve any pressure.
Have seen where a drum was turned at one point and they left a lip at the outer edge that would keep the drum from coming off due to the lip catching on the brake shoes.
Note if it has been sitting for an extended period of time it is very common for the rear shoes to rust and jam the drums. Best to remove the drums and blow them out and clean off any rust deposits , A little sand paper should work. You dont want to put any grease inside the drum because when it gets hot can contaminate the linings. Be sure the emergency cables are not jamed also and go ahead and spay some lube like "556" on the cable and cable housing.
I am going to get my son the spray the Emerg cable tomorrow see what it does.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
