Parking brake help

[BUSBOSS]

Need some help with my parking brake on my '76 Bay.

New adjusted shoes in rear. Bus stops on a dime.

Left slack in new parking brake cables during brake adjustment.

I followed Bentley procedure for the adjustment of the parking brake. Pulled out to audible 6 clicks. (Should it have been 6 visible clicks on the lever?)

Driver's side will hold wheel from spinning by hand during adjustment check. Passenger side doesn't stop wheel from spinning. Tightened nuts on both cables so adjustment bar is horizontal.

Parking brake will not hold the bus from rolling.

Any thoughts?

Thanks in advance and Merry Christmas!
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All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood
1976 Westfalia
1970 Karmann Ghia Convertible (sold - but not forgotten)

[old DKP driver]

I would go back over the rear brake adjustment again and adjust both sides a
Little drag on the linings. Then readjust the E-brake cables But, don’t assume
Both cables have stretched the same distance from backing plates to the lever
Over the years.
Rear wheels off the ground maybe needed to check drag and handbrake adjustment.

Happy Holidays to you and yours
Chris
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V.W.owner since 1967

[busdaddy]

Agreed, perhaps a drive to bed things in and then another round of adjustment?
Did you free up and lube the parking brake levers on the shoes? how old and beat are the cables?

A horizontal bar isn't the goal here unless you have all new parts front to back, once the shoes are adjusted tighten the cables however much it takes to get the same drag at 4-6 clicks (heard or counted) on the lever, if the bar is cockeyed it's because it's doing it's job and equalizing the pull. But if one or more of your cables has a rusty or damaged flexible sheath along side the spring plate and it's compressing when you pull the brake the fully pulled lever may not do it's job right.
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[BUSBOSS]

Thanks guys! Here is a bit more information. All new cables and shoes. It worked at first and then I lost the parking brake after a 20 mile drive and set in. I redid the procedure before posting my initial question.
_________________
All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood
1976 Westfalia
1970 Karmann Ghia Convertible (sold - but not forgotten)

[SGKent]

[germansupplyscott]

I will add:

when adjusting the rear brakes it helps to pump the pedal several times after each few turns of the adjusters. This re-centers the shoes and you can sometimes get a few more turns on each adjuster after the brake pumps.
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SL

[timvw7476]

did you pull the adjusters out of their pockets & lube?
Also I set for five clicks at the handle, to full firm. It ends up going to
six-seven as the shoes settle. : (
Consider some new cables as well if you can't remember the last time they
were changed/failed. That throws off an adjustment that should be simple.

[telford dorr]

When I do rear brakes, I do the following:

- clean and lightly hone the wheel cylinders. Replace if rusty or otherwise damaged.
- flush and replace brake fluid so the hydraulics are clean and dry. Check the condition of the hoses. Replace as needed.
- clean and lube adjusters
- a smidge of grease on the backing plate shoe support tabs
- a smidge of grease on the brake lever pivot point and cable end
- make sure all springs and hardware correct and in the proper position.
- adjust the shoes to a hard lock, then back off until the tire turns the drum with minor friction. This forces the shoes into alignment.
- bleed the brakes.
- a little grease on the parking brake adjust parts
- after shoe adjustment is correct, adjust the parking brake as tight as possible without dragging when released (usually 3 or 4 clicks). It will loosen as the shoes seat to the drums.
- oil the front parking brake lever and ratchet mechanism.

For grease, I use white "brake grease".
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'71 panel, now with FI
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[Oil Phil-M]

I just went through this procedure a few months ago.

First started with backing off the parking brake adjustments so there was no chance of it interfering with setting the rear brakes shoes. After cleaning and lubricating the adjusters and backing plate I set all 4 of the adjustment screws to be identical. I would adjust each star adjuster the exact same amount then pump the brakes hard a couple of times and repeat. In my case the holes in backing plates used to adjust the shoes are messed up and my drum was in good shape without any lip formed on the outer braking surface so I would pull the drum adjust the star nut with slip joint pliers a turn, put the drum back on, do the other go pump the brakes then repeat. Eventually the drum wouldn't go back on so backed off to previous setting and used a finer adjustment until the shoes were set.

To adjust the parking brake I first put a bag over the brake pedal (so I don't do something stupid like pump them) then take the drums off. Adjusted each cable so that there was no more slack with the parking brake cable and the shoe lever assembly within each drum then remount the drums and test.

It was probably the longest time I had ever spend adjusting my brakes but also the best my brakes have ever felt both at the pedal and when using the parking brake. Have fun

[BUSBOSS]

I just realized that I never circled back with my outcome. Pumping the brake pedal periodically during the star adjustment helped set the new rear shoes. Once that was done, the emergency brake adjustment was very short.
_________________
All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood
1976 Westfalia
1970 Karmann Ghia Convertible (sold - but not forgotten)

[richparker]

Yes, that centers the shoes.
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’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
’63 Deluxe Build

[ToolBox]

[BUSBOSS]

Thanks for the tips guys!

Does you parking brake hold your bus in place on an incline or hill while in neutral?

Mine almost holds but fades. Does that mean tightening will fix it and cause it to hold or is that wishful thinking with weight of our vehicles?
_________________
All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood
1976 Westfalia
1970 Karmann Ghia Convertible (sold - but not forgotten)

[airschooled]

All bay window parking brake applications can be improved with driver technique: hold the foot brake firmly to the floor (engine on, '71+) before pulling the handle. No amount of yanking can "set" the shoes into the drums like the foot brake can, and this technique stresses the cables less too.

Robbie

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[Slip356]

You learn something every day!
Thanks for the tip Robbie

[BUSBOSS]

[Wildthings]

[SGKent]

I have never had parking brake problems with a bay, and can lock the rear brakes at speed using the parking brake when it is pulled tight. I typically leave the trans in 2nd gear when parked unless in a spot where someone can bump it, or it is on level ground. When on a hill camping I put rocks under the tires out of safety concern but never have had any issues. I have seen too many cars in the 70's that had a damaged trans because someone bumped a car hard when it was left in gear.
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“Most people don’t know what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” - George Carlin

[airschooled]

[BUSBOSS]

Thanks all. I will attempt another adjustment based on all of your recommendations.

Thanks again!
_________________
All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood
1976 Westfalia
1970 Karmann Ghia Convertible (sold - but not forgotten)