Should I have to keep adjusting parking brake?

When I spin the wheel, and take my hand off the wheel, it stops well before a half turn.
1/4 maybe…….1/8 more like it.

I’m not trying to spin the wheel fast or nothing either.
I mean just like a normal, 1 hand not much effort to spin, “spin”….

 

Kristi you should be adjusting the rear star adjusters with the parking brake in the cab released. You can stretch the cable if the cab parking brake is engaged when adjusting star wheels.

 

I needed to learn all this. It’s been an issue all along. I also figured if I couldn’t advance it by the bell crank any more, then it must be tight enough.

 

Park brake is off right? Aha
Also its easier to learn drums when someone teaches you live in person. For example I believe Tnshooter and I are leading to the same result but with different subjective feels. I might be spinning lighter than I think which is why I say I top out by locking the drum and backing off 1 click. But wheel on we're near the same outcome

 

Next time you're passing through Texas, stop by, we'll have a brake adjusting party in the driveway, if I'm not dead by then, just turned 77 a few months back so the days are getting shorter.

 

New fear unlocked, stretching a braided steel cable.

 

What until you get everything else sorted out, you're content with your truck and the cable snaps. No more parking on hills and expecting to warm up your vehicle in the winter without wheel chaulks... unless you have an automatic of course. Thats when terror strikes and makes you quake in your boots

 

With the age of both parking brake cables I would change them. It’s an easy job

 

Just getting back to this. & yes, parking brake was not engaged….

& by just getting back to this I mean looking at the fronts. Asked someone to apply the brakes whilst I watched & no movement on the left. I had already guessed that side because the wheel wasn’t spinning as freely as the right. The right needs attention as well…. Gunky….

 

The pistons were not retracted, however I was able to easily compress them. The pins were gunky. They were able to move, although not as freely as they can now. & I know the fluid is flowing because I decided to bleed them when I did the rears even though I didn’t need to since I have the manual proportioning valve. All this to say, I’m a bit confused as to why the pistons were not retracted….

 

Assuming you're talking about the front calipers, the pistons aren't supposed to retract much in their own. The only retracting force they have is the unbinding of a square cut o-ring. They should basically be dragging lightly on the rotor at all times. If they weren't you'd have a very low brake pedal or have to pump it everytime you wanted to stop the car. If you push the pistons in the front calipers all the way back in then hop in the driver sit and try the brakes you'll see what I mean.

Sounds like the fronts are working par for the course

 

ok.i understand about the pistons. I was just sayin they aren’t frozen. I was thinkin maybe they were because when I watched as someone else applied the brakes, I saw absolutely no pad movement. Not a smidge. & should I be getting a slight dragging when I spin the wheel? Similar to the rears?
If seeing no movement at all when brakes are applied & having a slight dragging is good, then it’s the right causing issues, not the left. I am going to take that one apart shortly.

 

Just to remind - I’m getting shuddering/binding/grabbing. I feel it more so when heavy braking is needed, which makes sense of course. Just sayin….

I was originally gunning for the rears, however I believe y’all got me squared away there. So I have switched to the fronts. I am much more familiar with the those, yet there is always more to learn.

 

I come from the era of all drum brakes, which makes me wish for a world of all disc brakes.
The rear "auto adjustment" doesn't work all that well. Manually adjusted rear brakes result in a firm brake pedal that goes away over time as the feeble self adjustment takes over.
I have always adjusted drum brakes tire on, to spin a half to three quarter revolution. E brake should click 6-7 times.
Because brake shoes are not arched, ground to match the drum, the shoes wear down quickly and the adjustment goes away.
Finally, OP, Discount Tire/Americas Tire will price match Walmart on Cooper tires with free rotation and tire repair.

 

So I was installing a couple of lugnuts prior to removing the right caliper & I couldn’t get the 1st to seat correctly. Played around with the rotor a little & it still wouldnt seat. I’m always, yes always, super careful about lining these up. Seat the rotor with a couple of lugnuts, install the caliper, apply the brakes, then install the wheel whilst still keeping an eye on the holes so the lugnuts line up, as the rotor can get bumped whilst installing the wheel.
I’m not saying I can’t screw up. However the timeline fits with this shuddering starting around Walmart tire install time. That was also shortly after I had done the rears, so it would make sense that I was thinking those & my not quite grasping how they work, was the problem. Hopefully this is it…. (& it actually worse than the pic)

 

Or does this not matter? With just the rotor, 2 of the 5 lugnuts are not seating fully. Out of the blue too? I cleaned them & still….

 

Just went for a ride. Did some hard breaking & it feels much better. Even rides smoother. So either the brakes needed cleaning? Or the lugnuts had the stuff slightly wonky? There was a poop ton of brake dust on the right side.

 

Thanks!
As far as the tires go, Cooper makes a specific tire to be sold by Walmart & I believe Pep Boys. Pretty darn close as far as I can tell so far, to the Cooper AT’s I had & at 1/2 the price. That’s the only reason I went there. I was tempted to just buy them & have them installed elsewhere, however that voids the warranty. They (the tires, not Walmart) received very good reviews, both on TW & Walmart.com.

 

So I am still feeling some pulsating. Maybe I over tightened the rears? Is a good way to check this is if the drum is hot? Also, I had switched to the manual proportioning valve years ago. I did not realize my rears were not properly working at the time. I think now it’s fair to say I have contact being made on both sides. According to the mvp manufacturer, at full open, the rears are at 40%. Is this too high when I don’t have a load?

As far as clicks (@Andy01DblCabTacoma - not a word ) you put 6-7. My truck is supposed to be around 15. Are you speaking of a different gen/year?

 

You could check your front rotors and rear drums with a dial indicator to see if any of them are out of spec and potentially the cause of the pulsating. I also think that taking things apart, cleaning and lubing parts is a good way to ensure things are working as they should. Have you bled the brake lines as well? Not sure how much you have all done by this point.