I need some help with my parking brake. Truck is a 2001.5 with the rear discs. Parking brake will not hold the truck in place... at least not on any sort of incline. I'm gonna pull the wheels off tonight to inspect the pads, but with only 49k on the clock, I can;t imagine them being worn out. I do have a tendency to load the truck pretty heavy, so maybe with the proportioning valve thats attached to the shock may cause excess wear. If the pads are shot I can handle raplacing them.
But lets assume for a minute that the pads are ok. Is there any way to adjust the parking brake? Do I just climb under there and tighten the cables? I was under the impression that the parking brake was self-adjusting... every other vehicle I own is. I appreciate any help y'all can give me.
-Dave

 

I don't think the rear disc trucks with 4 wheel ABS have a proportioning valve. The '02 FSM claims the e-brake cable is self-adjusting, but it does list a procedure for adjusting it if it's replaced, and it also contains a procedure for adjusting the parking brake shoes themselves. Far too long to post here, though.

 

Mine does have 4 wheel ABS, and it also has the proportioning valve. Maybe its a mutt or something. I really haven't torn into yet to see what the problem. I've been know to haul 3-4000lbs in the bed, so maybe all the weight has worn out the pads prematurely. It would make sense, as I've only recently noticed the parking brake not holding... maybe the self-adjustment is fully adjusted and the pads are shot. Other than the parking brake though, everything else seems normal.
Anyone else have any input? Thanks again!
-Dave

 

Well, I'm reading the '02 FSM, so there could be a model year difference there. '02 with 4 wheel discs and 4 wheel ABS definitely doesn't have one.

 

Does your parking brake mechanically apply the actual rear disc brakes for a parking brake or is there a mini set of drum brakes incorporated into the rear rotors that act as a parking brake? If it is the latter, you may have driven with the parking brake on once or twice and that would be the part that would need attention instead of the discs and pads.

 

the parking brake is a small set of shoes that look a lot like a set of regular rear brakes. they ride inside the rotor hub. they are known for the linings to come of the metal shoe. that will give you poor hold because they are metal on metal. also make sure the cables are able to work both sides. if one cable is bad or siezed up you will only have 50 percent of the possible braking. one last thought is that if you are in fact loaded heavy on an incline you may have to apply the brake harder. like i said they are small in diameter so i am sure their holding power is less than a conventional rear drum /park brake system.

 

Well, the truck don't have too many miles on it, and I've only rotated tires myself a couple times. Honestly, I've never paid a whole lot of attention to the rear brake setup. The rotor hat is large enough that I guess there could be a drum setup under there... I've heard of some aftermarket companies using something similar for the parking brake.
As far as I know, I've never driven with the parking brake still applied, I've owned the truck since new, and I'm VERY picky about who I let drive it.
I am going to take it apart when I get home from work. I'm sort of anxious to see how it works now. I'll let you guy know what I find.
Thanks for the replies!
-Dave

 

That's exactly how the '02 FSM shows it. And I've noticed on my truck that the parking brake seems less effective than on most of the rear drum vehicles I've had.

 

Yep, you're right. There is a small mechanical drum setup inside the rotor hat. I disassembled everything last night, everything looked OK, just out of adjustment. There's a plug in the backing plate that you remove, and a star wheel inside that can be turned with a small flat screwdriver. Piece of cake. Parking brake works like a charm now.
The only problem I ran into was one of the rear pads. I removed the calipers, pads, and caliper brackets so I could get the rotor off and see the parking brake mechanism... and one of the pads fell apart. The lining separated from the plate. It sort of made me mad, there was plenty of life left on those pads. I had to replace them. OH well I guess, I won't have to worry about them for a long time now.
Thanks for all the help guys.
-Dave