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First time working on my Ram 50, and the rear drums. We replaced the wheel cylinders, self adjusters, shoes and springs, put everything back together and now the parking brake doesn’t work at all. I when I pull the handle, it fully extends without hardly any tension.
it is an 87 Ram 50 long bed. Does anyone have and suggestions on what could be wrong, or how to fix it?
Did you adjust them? You must tighten the adjuster correctly using a safe set tool or they will not work. The adjuster also adjusts the parking break.
Attachment 21429
When I swapped my 1st gen open rear axle for the 2nd gen lsd rear axle, swapping the parking brakes was required, since the beds were different lengths.
After removing, and swapping them out, the brake shoes must have made a difference, as I couldnt adjust the parking brakes back to where they were originally set.
I just adjusted them by hand, and have about 14 clicks until full engagement.
I had read something like 16 clicks is what you want, but I was sort of limited, by being near the beginning of the adjusters. Didnt even know they made that fancy tool Josh
To set shoe distance you need to jack up the rear and remove the bungs in the backing plates.
Using s screwdriver tighten the adjuster until the wheel is hard to move by hand. I like to pump the brakes occasionally to make sure the shoes are centered.
Now the shoes are correctly adjusted (very close to the drum) you can adjust the cables to suit.
You have a front cable from the lever to the pivot under the truck. 1st gens use a short and a long cable that join together, 2nd gens have two separate cables.
It may be that your cables are too stretched to be used