Handbrake in reverse locks immediately!

HakosukaHakosuka Wagonist
in Suspension, Braking & Wheels
I have handbrake problems. I have new shoes, new hardware(springs and clamps...) and the drums are in not too bad condition in my 4WD Shuttle. Brakes are strong and I have a good feeling on them wgeb going forward, I can lock the tires on dry road.
But when I pull my handbrake, nothing happens, VERY little braking power. Note that handbrake gets hard after 3-4 clicks.

I replaced the LEFT piston yesterday, put everything back, got the air out and all seemed fine, but when I reversed out of the garage, I tried pulling the handbrake and the RIGHT wheel locked up immediately. It's very 0 or 1. Or it doesn't brake at all or it locks. If I go forward nothing happens, just very poor braking with the handbrake.
Any ideas? I intend to take the right one apart today to see what the hell is going on.

My friend says I should replace handbrake cables, that they can be stretching, but I think there is a different problem.

Comments

  • o_fatmike_oo_fatmike_o Wagonist
    hard to say my first thought would definetly be to check all the linkage. the e brake cable form ebrake handle all the way back. just noticed this is a week old. any updates? and yes those cables can get stretched out , but where one wheel is braking (locking up) im sure your problem is else where. but follow the cables all the way back and visually inspect everything
  • quartersquarters Council Member
    Mine did this to me just the other day, it comes and goes sometimes. I can't figure it out. I'm waiting for the rear disc conversion to be released and then i can piss on these drums brakes!
  • HakosukaHakosuka Wagonist
    Hey guys, well, I said to myself, dude, you have to figure this out, so I took the drums off the car. Then I realized that they were not set up entirely right.
    I think the rod that is in between the shoes wasn't unscrewed much, so the shoes were far from the drum itself. Then released the bolt on the handbrake, adjusted the rod screw so that the drum just barely fit over the shoes. Then I adjusted the handbrake and it looks like it works.

    The problem before was, the metal part that engages the left (towards the rear) shoe was actually touching the bearing casing (in the center), so the left shoe engaged and locked up. Now that they are adjusted, the metal part is not touching the casing and I think the right shoe engages first. Maybe this is the case, who knows.
    Waiting for the disc conversion too, then I will so throw the drum brakes them away :D
  • quartersquarters Council Member
    Good job.

    I wish i could fix mine, mine is intermittent and i can't figure it out. Sometimes the ebrake is tight and good at 4 clicks and the brake pedal feels great. Sometimes it's 8 clicks and the pedal feels soft. bah! Seems better in the rain/wet/cold.
  • HakosukaHakosuka Wagonist
    Just take it apart, I can dig up some pics of my rebuilt system I think I have some on my phone. I can give you a basic instructions on what to do and how to check things if you want?
  • quartersquarters Council Member
    If you have pictures of a complete setup that might show me if i'm missing something... i have a honda shop manual and i think i have everything right, but obviously something isn't.
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