Hey everyone. I noticed that the brake light kept flickering at random times when driving and decided to investigate. I just bought the truck (1978) earlier last month and the previous owner included new brake pads for the front disks because he thought they were going bad. I jacked up the front and inspected the disks and they seemed fine. Barely any wear on them (still had about 1/4" left on all four). I moved on to the rear brakes and after removing the screw holding it on, noticed the linings were extremely worn on them and overdue for replacing. Also, my handbrake cable is broken so that needs to be fixed too. That said, I noticed when I had a friend press on the brakes, the shoes didn't move....at all for both brakes. There's no fluid leaking on the drivers side and it seems a little dark on the passengers side but not flooding. All the hoses seem fine...? The drum is very rusty looking though. I'm a novice at mechanical work and any help would be very appreciated. Edit: Also, how would i go about finding parking brake cables? I know it was mentioned in another thread, but do later models use the same cable? Is there a part number I can find it by? I don't know what to look for other than "fits 1978 toyota pickup" Would these work? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/LEFT...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
Need Pic! Ok, I may be able to figure it out, but can someone snap me a pic of the equalizer bar for the parking brake cable of their '79-83 pickup? Mine is a half circle hook like in Haynes, but I noticed in "How to keep your toyota pickup alive" it was more of a lever based rod (maybe later vehicles). I just don't know what length to get?
To address the non-functioning rear brakes, the fluid on the one side suggests to me that you have a crack/break in the line somewhere (probably the rubber line from the body to the wheel...it IS a 30+ year old rig after all) which has pushed fluid out and allowed air in. Once air reaches the main line it would reduce pressure to both sides. First step I'd take is to inspect the rubber lines for cracks...replace if any are found. If the lines themselves look OK, then move on to inspecting the slave cylinders for leaks. Again, replace/rebuild as necessary. Finally move on to a simple brake bleed. Personally, unless the fluid looks clear (indicating fresh fluid), I would take the extra time to call a friend for help and completely flush the lines. It's not that difficult or time consuming when you get two people working together. I think it took my neighbor and I about five minutes per side to flush the fronts. (don't forget to compress the slave cylinder to get the old stuff out of there too.) Note: You may have to go through the hassle of bleeding the brakes in order to do a function test on the cylinders. They may look OK from the outside, yet still have leaking seals that would not present themselves unless under operating conditions (read: the brake system is pressurized.) Be sure to re-inspect the cylinders after the brake bleed/flush to make sure the seals are in fact holding. Alternatively, if you want to take the time, you could simply remove the cylinders, disassemble, clean, inspect, then reassemble if all looks good or spring for new ones.
