I've been slowly working on making the brakes on my '99 work better..the fronts are working ok..a 3rd gen upgrade would help but not at the moment.

this past weekend I replaced the shoes in the rear. the old one we're worn too bad..lots of shoe left..I fix the adjusting screws..both side didn't want to adjust..i put everything back together. now the brakes have a spongy feel..
the truck stops ok...I didn;t open the brake lines during the shoe replacement. is it normal to bleed the brakes after replacing the shoes?

I might just need to bleed them more..
or is possible the drums are worn out..more likely rusted out..The truck is from the rust belt..and shows the cancer signs..drums included..would it better to just replace them?

also does anyone know if the parking brake setup for a 2500 changed from 99 to 00? my 2500 is a 99 but the parking brake cable setup is the same as a '00 1500? is the correct or something the PO changed?
and the parking brake doesn't work well..

Thanks

-dkenny

 

Spongy feeling usually means air in the line somewhere, however, if you didn't open any and they worked well before, I would check for a new leak around the cylinders.

You should be able to measure the inside diameter of the drum to know if you are out of spec. A big caliper is what the brake shops use, if you do not have one you can usually get "in the ballpark" with a ruler, or just pull 'em and have ashop check them for you.

Hopefully someone can help you with the pb cable. They always seem to open a can of worms around here....

 

Adjust rear brakes till have noticable resistance to turning wheel. Running close clearance will allow wearing in to diameter of worn drums. Until seated brakes are spongy.

 

sounds like i have some work to do tomorrow after I replace the front brakes..I finally determined the grinding noise while braking today..the right front pads are shot..thankfully it doesn't look like the rotor is gone too..

but is the 2500 cable like the '00 1500 cable setup..one nut to adjust the cable or should there be 2?? someone might changed mine in the past..but I cannot be sure.. my '00 1500 pedal stays down..the '99 2500 doesn't???but the parking on the 2500..SUCKS!!! I would hate that I would have to count it to STOP ME..at best slow from a 1/4 mile in neutral and then pray!!!

my 1500 ('oo) has far better brakes..at least in feel..
shoot..my wife 06 liby has better brakes...period!..


its just terrible that a full size pickup has bad brakes..
-dkenny

 

That adjustment nut on teh cable is not for adjusting the park brake. It is to do the initial set at the factory.

The rears get adjusted with the star nuts, one on the bottom of the shoes (Passenger side on mine) the other on the top, drivers side. Adjust as mentioned above by Dozer. This sets the shoes for both driving and the parking brake, which, when done correctly will give you the correct feel in your e-brake pedal.