Looking at a used truck tonight

[theholycow]

If the Blazer's drum-in-disc parking brake is anything like the full size's, you don't have it because they just don't last long. There plenty of things I love about this truck, plenty of really high quality stuff...the entire parking brake system is not among those things. The self-adjusting mechanism doesn't work, or if it does then it works too much and wears out the shoes. The shoes have thin linings and are very expensive.

I'm investing quite a bit of money in my parking brake so I hope it works for a while. I'll be very careful with it.

Also, my adjusters are threaded the same. The drivers side adjuster is on top and the passenger side is on bottom so they are rotated out-of-phase, leaving the same relative motion ("turning the adjuster wheel towards the outside of the vehicle should extend the adjuster") despite having the same thread on opposite sides of the vehicle.

[theholycow]

Since I've already hijacked this thread, might as well ask...

The hardware kit came with new clips to replace these, whose job (I think) is to stabilize the side of the parking brake shoe 180? from where the actuator is...and the screw for the old one broke off in the hole.


Can't access it with a drill.

Should I drill a new hole on an angle or just skip the clip entirely?

[IndyFetch]

I have come to realize that the horn on the truck only works when the ignition is NOT in "run." Any ideas?

[VetteOwner]

... lol thats a new one...

so truck off horn works, does it sound nice and strong and quick or is it like a wheezing old guy?

does it work in acc?

If its anythig like my s10's try pressing the horn button in different spots, mines particuarly picky about the lower left cornner haha only works reliably in that spot...

my old blazer would only work if you barely touched it, if you punch it it dont worky haha

[IndyFetch]

The horn sounds fine when the truck is off. It will not work when the truck is off and the key is in "run", either. I tried it in "accessory", but I cannot remember if it worked. I have tried pushing the horn in every different location, but it is evident that it just plain doesn't work unless the key is not in "run". It always works when the truck is off, not matter where the horn button is pressed.

[Jay2TheRescue]

That's odd. I've never heard of that problem. I do know that strange things happen when fuses blow though, power crossfeeds backwards through the common grounds. If it was my truck I'd start with making sure there isn't a blown fuse. I remember on my old Pontiac, a fuse blew, and the dome light was stuck on.

[IndyFetch]

Originally Posted by Jay2TheRescue

That's odd. I've never heard of that problem. I do know that strange things happen when fuses blow though, power crossfeeds backwards through the common grounds. If it was my truck I'd start with making sure there isn't a blown fuse. I remember on my old Pontiac, a fuse blew, and the dome light was stuck on.

interesting. I'll take a look.

[tradosaurus]

Add the Big 3 grounding kit. Verify that ground wires in engine bay are clean.

[VetteOwner]

yea loose/bad grounds cause funky things, make sure the horn itself is grounded, sometimes thru the horn case itself...(then the bracket then the screw then the screw threads etc haha)

i also say check fuses too.

[IndyFetch]

The fuses look OK. I only looked over the master ground, and that looked all right too. I did not take the steering wheel apart; I'm a little gun-shy since it has an airbag.