shaky brakin

[angrydriver]

ok got an ' 86 k5, backed up to kick in self adjusters and front end jumped around since then its gotten progressivly worse front shakes when breaking. springs r also sprung ,i cant get a straight answer, but then again i hang w/ jeep guys, they dont know real trucks ;D but theres still run. help me thanks

[1red84gmc]

I hope I understand right? You say you adjusted the rear self adjusters by backing up and then all of the sudden the front starts shaking when you hit the brakes?

This almost sounds like a front rotor is hanging up on you when you hit the brakes now? Have you stopped to check the rotors to see if one or the other is extremely hot to the touch when this happens? A caliper may be hanging up causing this problem, and it could even be a front brake hose that has started to come apart inside.

A brake hose can come apart to the point where when you hit the brakes to slow down or stop that when you remove pressure off of the pedal the inside of the hose can become a check valve of sorts not allowing the brake fluid to go back and remove the pressure off of the brakes. This is common to brake hoses as they age or have been through a lot of abuse.

Now the back brakes are so cheap to repair anymore I would replace the brake wheel cylinders if these are as old as the truck itself. You can find them brand new for about $12.00 each, so for about $60.00 you can rebuild the rear brakes to include the brake hardware.

As with anything old it starts to leak (the wheel cylinders) and the spring pressure starts to diminish on the hardware, and the adjusters get rusty and hang up. So I would but the parts and spend the day rebuilding what you have. At least this way you can take this out of your equation for some of the trouble you're having.

We rely on the brakes each and every time we need them, and they are often neglected the most. The brake fluid builds up with moisture and rusts the inside of the metal brake lines as well as wheel cylinders and calipers. And it's this rot and rust that starts to tear the brake system apart and make them not work as they should.

Good luck, I hope this helps some.