help with brake problems

[nakman]

yeah, I even had the drum off and watched it work. I'm starting to think I might just need to replace my drums. As far as I know, they've never been changed and I think the wheel cylinder may be having to travel too far to make up for lost drum surface. Yanked on the E-brake hard a few times today and they tightened up a bit, enough that they're working again. I figured same thing on stacking residuals.

Why not twist that thing at the bottom then a few times to move the shoes out? What's worked for me has been I tighten that so it's next to impossible to slide the drum back on, then twist it back in a few turns with the screwdriver.. .somewhere between dragging all the time, and so much travel that they don't engage, is the sweet spot. are you out of adjustment?

 

[rover67]

sometimes a really worn drum can make it harder for the cylinders to reach. take them to a place and have them measured before dropping the cheese on new ones though. it's nto worth buying new ones guessing.

 

[black95]

No, I'm not out of adjustment length. That adjuster is amazingly long. Factory FJ80 master, no residual on front. I used to do the adjustment through the hole in the brake backing plate because there was a pretty heavy ridge on the drum that didn't allow you to put them together already tight. I took a grinder and flap wheel to that ridge, now I can slip them on nice and tight. Doesn't seem to matter though, they loosen up pretty fast. As soon as I'm caught back up with the money, there will be a disk brake conversion in my future.

 

[TIMZTOY]

if your drums are beyond spec, anything you do isnt going to work 100%
there is a spec for a reason, not to just promote the sale of products. if you have a good sized lip or edge on the drum. your most likely way beyond the max spec.. i would start there. or........or........ take it to any shop for a FREE brake inspection !!!!

 

[black95]

or........or........ take it to any shop for a FREE brake inspection !!!!

yeah, I know... Hate to do that though because I will not pay to have anything fixed... just the way it is. I'd rather mess it up and pay for my own lesson. That said, I would venture to say that %80 of "mechanics" in town are really "parts changers", and I really don't think they would know what to do with this much of a custom, pieced together truck. I'm a pretty dang experienced mechanic, and a great parts changer, having worked at a 4x4 shop for a while.

The thing is, you really have to understand how my parts work together, and why they do or don't... not just whether they're "good" or "bad", and I just don't trust anyone for that but me...

I recently rebuilt my own 700r4, cost me 500 bucks, and I put the 4th gear servo in backwards...drove to Arkansas once and it burned up after 3,500 miles Rebuilt it again, and it cost me 400. It's doing great this time... BUT, if it burns up again, I can rebuild it one more time, STILL for less than a shop would have charged me. Why wouldn't anyone try???

 

[TIMZTOY]

yeah, I know... Hate to do that though because I will not pay to have anything fixed... just the way it is. I'd rather mess it up and pay for my own lesson. That said, I would venture to say that %80 of "mechanics" in town are really "parts changers", and I really don't think they would know what to do with this much of a custom, pieced together truck. I'm a pretty dang experienced mechanic, and a great parts changer, having worked at a 4x4 shop for a while.

The thing is, you really have to understand how my parts work together, and why they do or don't... not just whether they're "good" or "bad", and I just don't trust anyone for that but me...

I recently rebuilt my own 700r4, cost me 500 bucks, and I put the 4th gear servo in backwards...drove to Arkansas once and it burned up after 3,500 miles Rebuilt it again, and it cost me 400. It's doing great this time... BUT, if it burns up again, I can rebuild it one more time, STILL for less than a shop would have charged me. Why wouldn't anyone try???

ahh.. tru. but because its a free inspection. 60-70% of the time NOONE ever buys anything, and the techs dont really care, its kinda expected.. ( im a mechanic) you dont need to tell them anything special about your car other than the complaint thats hapening.. it is always, repeat ALWAYS good to have a fresh opinion. sometimes you just get so frustrated, from working on the same thing over and over, that you oversee the simple stuff.. hell it happens to the best of us at liest once every week.
if you dont tell them anything, and act like a dumb dumb that dosent even know what oil is. and get 3 inspections done form 3 diffrent shops.. then either they will have all found the problem. or at liest given you some good starting points..
you as a customer can always request to have there best diagnostic's person look at it. and ask that tech how long they have been turning a wrench. (you have the legal right to go out to your car when it's in the air)

P.S. at liest 5 guys at stevinson toyota west are all toyota offroaders. 4 of them all have crawlers, the other one is a daily driver taco. so just about nothing on there trucks are stock, and they all have upgraded brake systems. and the shop formen is a genius.

"it never hurts to have 3rd party opinions"