Ok, this is an ‘84 Pete 359 with an ‘18 Pete air ride cutoff. The cutoff has abs but the electric side of it isn’t hooked up but valves are still in place. So, truck has been doing fine but applied park brakes yesterday evening, while idling and noticed the park brake knob in the cab felt kinda soft and started bypassing a little air. Got out and the rear brake valve, over the rear differential, was bypassing air from the bottom. I put the brake back on, thinking I blew a pancake. Turned one park brake loose at a time, with park brake released and air out each line(all four have park brakes). So, I think all my brakes are good. Changed the rear valve and the new one is doing the same thing so, it’s not the rear valve. The rear valve shares the small orange line with the front valve. It runs into into the front valve at the top. The black line on top the rear valve, in the first pic, runs up the frame towards the cab. Where to look now? Here’s a pic of the valves.![]()
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‘84 Pete 359 Park brakes won’t release
Discussion in 'Heavy Duty Diesel Truck Mechanics Forum' started by mile marker 27, Aug 16, 2025.
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I removed the orange line from the front drive axle valve(bottom pic) and air was coming directly from valve. When I did so, no air was bypassing from the rear valve. As soon as I attached the orange line, air began bypassing at the rear valve.
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Bottom of the relay is the exhaust for the service side. If you have air leaking out of here when park brake is released, the center seal in one of the brake chambers is leaking. Try pinching off the park brake side hose to each brake one at a time and release the brakes and see if the leak stops with any brake chamber hose pinched.
Oxbow, High Stepper and Stay Puft Thank this. -
I think I’ve got a plug that’ll fit the park brake line, if I take it loose at the can. I guess I can go that route as well?
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Yes. Or chock the wheels and release the park brake. Then at each chamber loosen or remove the service line at the front of the chamber and listen if air is coming out there.Oxbow and High Stepper Thank this.
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When I loosen the service line from the chamber, with park brake released, should I be getting air from the chamber or the line, if the chamber is good?
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If the chamber is good, you won't get air from either one. If it's bad it will be coming from the chamber.
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Well, I’ve done checked the parking side, is it still necessary to check the service side, the same way to determine if the chambers are good?
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There are 2 ways to check the chamber. By pinching the line to the spring/park brake side as Heavyd suggested. This stops the air going into the chamber and if it also stops air at the relay valve then you know that the chamber is bad. The air to release the park brake is leaking through the chamber and out the service line to the relay valve.
Or as I suggested you can check the service brake port at the chamber with the park brake released (air compresses the spring releasing the park brake). If air is leaking at the service side of the chamber then that chamber is bad. Air is leaking through from the air on the spring side. If air is not leaking at the service side then that chamber is good.
Both ways to test do the same thing. Checking to see if air is leaking from the park brake side to the service side and out the service line back to the relay valve.Oxbow, High Stepper, Diesel Dave and 1 other person Thank this. -
When I removed the park brake lines individually, I was checking for air coming from the chamber but nothing on any of them, only air from the park brake line.
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