Brake issues....

[smithe1811]

I have a couple of small brake problems here. the first is me parking brake, it hold fine from rolling forward but barely at all from rolling backwards. the second is sometimes when i reverse and hit the brakes, they seem to hold when i start going forward, only for a few feet, but its still annoying.

 

Erik :beerhead:

[jbhill]

pull the drums and inspect all the springs/cables/shoes for broken/worn itesm. also check wheel cylinders/axle seals for seepage.

[mjdoa]

What jbhill said.Make sure everything's good in there.

Keep in mind too,mj brakes suck from the get go.

I replaced my axle with an xj axle,got bigger brakes

in the deal,they still suck.

New shoes,cyl's,park brake cables,they still suck.

Park brake might as well not exist.

Search around,most of the guys put discs on the rear.

I think yj brakes fit.I will do mine one of these days,too.

[Eagle]

It's the nature of the beast that the parking brake holds better headed downhill than it does uphill. The brakes are designed that way. The rear drum system is what used to be called a "servo-assisted" design. All this means is that the geometry of the shoes, pins, etec is such that when you apply the brakes while going forward, the natural forward rotation of the shows when they contact the drum tends to jam them tighter against the drum, increasing the braking force without needing as much peddle pressure.

 

This inherent "boost" only works in the forward direction. I've been driving and wrenching for just about 50 years now, and I have never EVER found a drum brake parking brake that will reliably hold in the backwards direction without either leaving the manual tranny in gear, or putting an automatic in Park. The only way to do it is to adjust the brakes so tight they drag all the time ... and that's obviously a non-starter as a long-term "solution."