2002 Silverado Parking brake not working right- please help! tried all i can think of

[Mccula]

I posted this to another forum but haven't got a reply yet. 

 

Hi, I just bought an 02 silverado 1500 4x4 5.3 and it failed state inspection due to an inop parking brake. I replaced the intermediate and both right and left rear cables, the cable that goes from the pedal to the adjuster that splits to the two rear cables was fine.
I then adjusted both wheel cylinder things after cleaning and re-lubricating them until the rotors went on, but were snug. I then tested the truck while it was up in the air on stands, and couldn't move the wheels by hand. The parking brake would go all the way down with ease though.

I then tried to use the parking brake on the truck with it in gear. I would not hold.

I attempted to replace the shoes on both sides, however there was not much more material on the new shoes than there was on the old ones. Interestingly, with the adjuster turned as far in as they would go, I could not get the rotors over the new shoes at all. I unhooked the cables completely, still nothing I tried would get them on, including pounding them with a dead blow, and threading on a nut to the stud to help push them on. One I got about halfway on using the nut on the stud trick, but the rotor wouldn't rotate at all. I removed these, cleaned the old shoes well, and replaced them figuring the new ones must have been out of spec. I once again re-adjusted the wheel cylinder things, put the truck back on the ground, and still had no improvement. I also tried "resetting" the pedal by pulling the cable and doing the inserting a screwdriver in the hole in the pedal, removing the screwdriver and pumping the brake pedal 3 times. No improvement.

The inspector still will not pass the truck. I'm getting to be at my whit's end. There is no adjuster on the pedal itself that I can see. I have turned the actual intermediate cable adjuster as far as it will go. I don't want to buy new rotors just for a chance that they may be the problem only to find out it's not. I will do it if necessary though.

[Sharpz]

10 hours ago, Mccula said:

I posted this to another forum but haven't got a reply yet. 

 

Hi, I just bought an 02 silverado 1500 4x4 5.3 and it failed state inspection due to an inop parking brake. I replaced the intermediate and both right and left rear cables, the cable that goes from the pedal to the adjuster that splits to the two rear cables was fine.
I then adjusted both wheel cylinder things after cleaning and re-lubricating them until the rotors went on, but were snug. I then tested the truck while it was up in the air on stands, and couldn't move the wheels by hand. The parking brake would go all the way down with ease though.

I then tried to use the parking brake on the truck with it in gear. I would not hold.

I attempted to replace the shoes on both sides, however there was not much more material on the new shoes than there was on the old ones. Interestingly, with the adjuster turned as far in as they would go, I could not get the rotors over the new shoes at all. I unhooked the cables completely, still nothing I tried would get them on, including pounding them with a dead blow, and threading on a nut to the stud to help push them on. One I got about halfway on using the nut on the stud trick, but the rotor wouldn't rotate at all. I removed these, cleaned the old shoes well, and replaced them figuring the new ones must have been out of spec. I once again re-adjusted the wheel cylinder things, put the truck back on the ground, and still had no improvement. I also tried "resetting" the pedal by pulling the cable and doing the inserting a screwdriver in the hole in the pedal, removing the screwdriver and pumping the brake pedal 3 times. No improvement.

The inspector still will not pass the truck. I'm getting to be at my whit's end. There is no adjuster on the pedal itself that I can see. I have turned the actual intermediate cable adjuster as far as it will go. I don't want to buy new rotors just for a chance that they may be the problem only to find out it's not. I will do it if necessary though.

if you are using your old drums, it is important to note they develop a wear lip/rim that will prevent the drum from sliding over your shoes. This isnt the end of the world and is normal, so the procedure for this is slack the shoes off, to where you can just slide the drum over, get it in place then adjust your shoes using a shoe adjustment lever/tool. Or you can purchase new drums and start new.  If this doesnt solve your problem, they make cable slack devices that uses your cable and basically will take out the slack of your cable.  I am 99 percent sure though your problem is just not adjusting the shoes when the drums are in place. You should adjust them after the drum is on, until you hear a slight dragging noise.

[Mccula]

1 hour ago, Sharpz said:

if you are using your old drums, it is important to note they develop a wear lip/rim that will prevent the drum from sliding over your shoes. This isnt the end of the world and is normal, so the procedure for this is slack the shoes off, to where you can just slide the drum over, get it in place then adjust your shoes using a shoe adjustment lever/tool. Or you can purchase new drums and start new.  If this doesnt solve your problem, they make cable slack devices that uses your cable and basically will take out the slack of your cable.  I am 99 percent sure though your problem is just not adjusting the shoes when the drums are in place. You should adjust them after the drum is on, until you hear a slight dragging noise.

thanks for the reply. I did think of this being an issue, but I tried to get them on with the cables completely unhooked from the intermediate cable and also unhooked from the arm behind the axle that actuates them.  Still was unable to get the drums over the new shoes. I would think even if there were a lip, they should still slide over with ease, then have to be adjusted out. I literally could not get the drums over the new shoes with the adjusters completely collapsed in and cables unhooked. I had to put the old shoes back on. 

[swathdiver]

You have to disable the parking brake cable at the actuator before adjusting it out back.  The distance between the drum and parking brake shoe is supposed to a 1/4 of a millimeter.  Once that is achieved, then you engage and adjust the parking brake actuator.  You can get a copy of the procedures and diagrams at AllDataDIY for your truck.

[newdude]

Swathdiver is correct.

 

Procedure below.  Must be done before removing any of the cables:

 

Parking Brake Cable Adjuster Disabling

Before any components of the parking brake system are serviced, the following procedure must be followed. Two technicians are required to perform this procedure: one inside the vehicle and one outside the vehicle.

1. 
   
2. Raise and support the vehicle. 
3. Hold the pedal in the FULL upward position.
4. Pull rearward on the front park brake cable until the pedal drum (2) reaches its full reset position.
5. Insert a scribe or the shaft of a thin screwdriver (1) on an upward angle through the hole in the front of the pedal assembly, past the retracted pedal drum, and into the hole in the back of the pedal assembly (3).
6. Slowly release the cable.
7. Remove the component that requires service.

Parking Brake Cable Adjuster Enabling

If the park brake automatic adjuster has been disabled, the following two person procedure must be performed.

1. Hold the park brake pedal in the FULL upward position.
   
2. Pull rearward on the front park brake cable until the tension is released from the scribe or nail (1) installed through the holes in the pedal assembly.
3. Remove the scribe or screwdriver (1).
4. Slowly release the park brake cable until it returns to its original position.
5. Release the park brake pedal.
6. Lower the vehicle.
7. Apply and release the park brake pedal to ensure that there is no binding or sticking.

[Mccula]

45 minutes ago, newdude said:

Swathdiver is correct.

 

Procedure below.  Must be done before removing any of the cables:

 

Parking Brake Cable Adjuster Disabling

Before any components of the parking brake system are serviced, the following procedure must be followed. Two technicians are required to perform this procedure: one inside the vehicle and one outside the vehicle.

1.  
2. Raise and support the vehicle. 
3. Hold the pedal in the FULL upward position.
4. Pull rearward on the front park brake cable until the pedal drum (2) reaches its full reset position.
5. Insert a scribe or the shaft of a thin screwdriver (1) on an upward angle through the hole in the front of the pedal assembly, past the retracted pedal drum, and into the hole in the back of the pedal assembly (3).
6. Slowly release the cable.
7. Remove the component that requires service.

Parking Brake Cable Adjuster Enabling

If the park brake automatic adjuster has been disabled, the following two person procedure must be performed.

1. Hold the park brake pedal in the FULL upward position.
2. Pull rearward on the front park brake cable until the tension is released from the scribe or nail (1) installed through the holes in the pedal assembly.
3. Remove the scribe or screwdriver (1).
4. Slowly release the park brake cable until it returns to its original position.
5. Release the park brake pedal.
6. Lower the vehicle.
7. Apply and release the park brake pedal to ensure that there is no binding or sticking.

Ok, thanks- so I didn’t do that when I first replaced the cables. Is my pedal broke now or something? Or should I just start from square one, pull the pedal up, pull on the cable and insert a screwdriver, disconnect the rest of the cables downstream from that, re-adjust the wheel cylinders, replace the cables, hold some tension, then remove the screwdriver and slowly let release the cable; then pump the p brake 3x?

[newdude]

On 5/28/2021 at 10:00 AM, Mccula said:

Ok, thanks- so I didn’t do that when I first replaced the cables. Is my pedal broke now or something? Or should I just start from square one, pull the pedal up, pull on the cable and insert a screwdriver, disconnect the rest of the cables downstream from that, re-adjust the wheel cylinders, replace the cables, hold some tension, then remove the screwdriver and slowly let release the cable; then pump the p brake 3x?

 

 

You "might" be able to with the existing pedal assembly.  The local school districts we service have had to replace the pedal assemblies on vans because they had attempted to try and put the pedal into adjust mode and ran into issues with the pedal doing it properly.  They had pulled the cables unaware of the pedal disable/enable.  

Edited May 29, 2021 by newdude

[tomskydog]

Dear Readers,

 

I created an aluminum block to help with the issue of parking brake cable stretching.  This replaces the stock cable joint where the intermediate cable joins the 2 rear cables.   My sincere apologies to anyone who is actually a machinist.  This is to give YOU an idea for fixes, and I do not claim to have passed ANY SAFETY tests that may be required by any law or regulations.

 

I used a circular saw and a vice.  I know it's ugly, but it worked for the issue of cable stretching. 

 

My next idea is that the bell crank that is attached to the rear cable end doesn't pivot correctly, because the steel bellcrank wore into the aluminum axle housing end, that the bell crank is supposed to pivot against.  I do not have a fix for that yet, nor do I know that it is THE issue.

 

The problem I was working on yesterday was, that after stomping my P brake pedal to death,  I ripped the cable end out of the swedged front cable end at the pedal mechanism.  Point being, the cable stretching is just ONE of the problems with this atrocious design. I have a '70 Cutlass, and the parking brake works JUST FINE.  I wish my '02 avalanche had rear drums.