Adjusting Drive shaft brake on 2002 F53

[D_E_Bishop]

I'll admit I'm not to good a searches, what works here may not work on Google or Yahoo and vice versa and I couldn't find any posts on the subject, even on You tube. I did find a lot on rebuilding and replacing the whole system but not adjusting.

All I wanted to know was where the bitter end of the cable with the adjusting shaft was, under the dash or at the trans. I'm getting to old to spend time getting under and getting out from under the rig , so what I did was after finding the bitter end of the cable with the molded on slip in stop under the dash, I knew the adjustment was under the rig.

Looking at he end of the cable I quickly figured out "this may not be so simple. Was I wrong, two tools were all that was needed, a pair of needle nose pliers and a 13mm open end wrench. After reading several "How to repair or replace" articles I pretty much knew how the brake assembly worked.

First, and of course following all the safety rules, wheel chocks, etc., I released the brake, loosened the jam nut on the cable end, backed the nut off, half the adjustment area and then removed the hairpin keeper on the clevis pin and remove the clevis, turned the yolk up to the nut and reassembled. There is a lever that actually tightens the shoes to the drum and I found that moving that lever until the shoes mated to the drum, that the holes in the yolk and the lever for the clevis pin aligned perfectly.

I left the adjusting nut finger tight and the hairpin out of the clevis and climbed out and tried the brake. The foot pedal moved about two inches before the shoes were tightly mated to the drum.

I crawled back under and tighten up the yolk a small amount, tighten the jam nut, put it hairpin back in the clevis and got back in the drivers seat and oh my goodness, even the warning light for the levelers comes on quicker and the brakes hold on a fair grade without pushing all the way to the floor.

From first crawling under to assess the system to clean up and returning my tools to their proper place, 20 minutes total. Now the brake works great and I feel so much better knowing the rig probably won't move when I apply it and level the rig.

Long story for such a simple maintenance item that the first two owners never did.

[John_Wayne]

Did you leave enough play so it lets the switch for the leveling jacks know that the parking brake is on. So the jacks will work.