My parking brake

I have the kind of parking brake that you pull out from the dash . I have a habit of pulling on it hard because it’s not hydraulic and it’s just locking the rear brakes . I did my own brakes in back about 6 months ago because an axel seal leaked since doing my brakes I adjusted the cable and now you only have to pull the parking brake about 4 inches . But I have to drive backwards and forwards a little to get it to release on its own I never noticed this before having done my brakes and adjusting them . Did I do something to cause it or is it just week return springs ? Any Ideas ?

 

Try some lubricant on the cable and parking brake internals. Obviously not the shoes but this is the internet.

 

Are you sure all the gear oil got cleaned up? I had to replace my axle seal and had it seemed like it took forever for all the residual oil to "dry out" back there. If the shoes are even a little bit sticky with gear oil it won't want to release.

But check your hardware and make sure it's still good and connected. And make sure there's a little bit of grease between the shoes and backing plate where the contact points are

But in my case, I ended up having a sticking parking brake cable on the driver's side. The bracket on the leaf spring cut through the cable insulation, dirt and water was getting there and it would freeze in the cold

 

You cab peak under the dash and see if the lever is retracting fully.
But I don't think that's your issue. You have multiple springs releasing the parking brake.
2 in the drums, and 1 under the dash.

I'd bet the cables are cracked and broken and preventing the cable from releasing all the way.
Rocking the truck back and forth helps wiggle the cable "in place" enough to release it.

Check and see if the cable is broken where it goes in at the backing plate of the rear drum.






This probably isn't your issue, but you can take a peak. If this was you issue you'd have to press the handle in yourself.
But it gives you an idea of how it works.

 

Theres a specific adjustment procedure. Tighten until the drum won’t turn then back off 15 clicks, something like that.

 

That’s the procedure.
But it easier said than done.

I just tighten it up until I get a consistent slight drag.

I never had any luck digging around in the access port an “backing it off”.
It’s a hassle and I never heard any clicks.

 

It is tricky, I’ve only done it once.

What I did is stick my adjuster spoon through the hole with the drum off to see, gotta move it like this to tighten. I think I used an oring pick to push the lever off the star for loosening. Then stuck the oring pick and adjuster spoon in, gotta move like this to back off. Then it’s a range of motion thing. Moving this much made 3 clicks tightening. Then move the same amount backwards for 3 loosening clicks.