[garlinbl]

I have an 88 Fourtrax..I know really old, but have worked on a 90' before that I owned for 18 years until stolen and loved it. Have replaced pads, cables, drum is fine...breaks will engage and stop very well once, but then cables lose tension because breaks won't disengage, they just drag softly until going free or wearing the pads out to roll smootly again. Basically, the brake arm won't return back to original location, I lose all adjustment and tension, and can't stop at all again...Do I need a new RETURN SPRING, becaus that's about the only thing I can think of...or maybe the cam is not turning freely because seals and felt are shot and gunk in there?

 

[Helmut]

Welcome to the forums. If the brake shoes are good, you probably need to remove the brake cam, clean it and grease it. Also grease the pivot points for the brake shoes, but don't use much grease, you don't want to get any on the brake shoes or drum. I doubt if anything is wrong with the spring. I have seen this problem a lot with the Fourtrax 300. If you can't get it to release, you can buy a spring and hook it to the back of the brake lever and stretch it and hook the other end to the part where the trailer ball mounts, on the very back end. There are two holes back in the end of that piece and you can hook the spring in the hole on the right. That will make the brakes release. If you don't feel like taking it apart again to fix it, I would just add the spring, it works great.

 

[garlinbl]

Thanks for the help...I will take apart this one last time and get cam all cleaned up and brake backing plate where that comes through all cleaned up and greased so spins as freely as possible...probably gonna buy new seals and felt for the cam housing to keep future gunk out of there and already have a new return spring so will attach that to the lever and see if that will do the trick. If not, then I'll do the spring to ball mount idea...one of those was on there when I purchased, but I was trying to make work/look a little more legit!

Do you think I need the seals and felt or is that a lost cause at this point?

Thanks again

 

[shadetree]

Thanks for the help...I will take apart this one last time and get cam all cleaned up and brake backing plate where that comes through all cleaned up and greased so spins as freely as possible...probably gonna buy new seals and felt for the cam housing to keep future gunk out of there and already have a new return spring so will attach that to the lever and see if that will do the trick. If not, then I'll do the spring to ball mount idea...one of those was on there when I purchased, but I was trying to make work/look a little more legit!

Do you think I need the seals and felt or is that a lost cause at this point?

Thanks again

you can replace them if you want..but..to me..they never do thier job in the first place..they just don't keep water/mud..stuff out of the cam area like they should...as long as you grease up the cam..thats your best bet..oh..make sure you wire brush the cam down real good..as this is most common to get rusty..i use a bench grinder with a wire wheel on them..makes the job easier and faster.