Parking brake only works forward...

Weird.. If i pull the e-brake it holds the car on a forward slope but it lets it roll almost free backwards???

This is a '90 Laredo i just got so i haven't done any work to it myself yet.
Could the p.o have put the pads in backwards?

A complete inception of your brakes first is a must. (((BEFORE)))) any cristal ball fixs are tried. In most cases just bring your brakes up to spec will do it.
A few hints AFTER all parts are installed,
Insure the PB cable is lose before adjusting shoe to drum clearance. Some have an ajustment for this.Some don't.
Then adjust cable for proper slack.
At best drum brake are poor for holding backwards. Always have been.

drum brakes are almost worthless in reverse.

I would guess adjuster cable probably broken in one or both of the drums.

My parking brake has never had a problem holding forward or reverse, but I am pretty anal about brake maintenance.

Drum type brakes are 'self energizing', meaning they are designed to work best when the wheel is turning a certain direction. You're finding out the beauty of this design! Whenever I need to park on a hill steep enough to need the parking brake, I will always try to have the nose facing down, or chock a front wheel into a curb. Is Norway as hilly as San Fransisco?

Thanks guys. Guess i'll just have to redo the brakes then. My other XJ holds the parking brake just fine in either direction..

hayhar : our whole damn country is one hill after the other. I don't usually have to street park on SF type hills but my parking brake must work properly to pass inspection.

Have you ried adjusting the rear shoes?

In addition to the good advice above I will add that the XJ before '97 has an additional weak spot. The forward end of each brake cable sheath is anchored at a bracket that is spot welded to the floor. After a long time, these brackets will flex and the floor can crack around them. Once they're weakened, all attempts to get good rear holding will be frustrated, because when you pull the brake, the cable will always try to straighten against the sheath before it pulls on the brake. Even if the floor is not cracked, you should look at the brackets closely and see if there's any flex or if the spot welds are starting to pull.

I fixed this on my 95 by drilling through the brackets and bolting the brackets firmly to the floor, with a reinforcing plate on the top. It made a huge difference.

This problem may be more prevalent on stick shifts, since their hand brakes get more use, but it's worth checking. 97+ models have a different anchor point which appears to be much better designed.

Will look into that too, thanks. Mine is a 4.0AX15/NP231 so chances are the p-brake has seen its share of use.