How can I convince my external hard drive that it is no longer too full?

I have tried the various suggestions listed for similar problems, but i keep getting the message that the backup failed.  I deleted old backups, and now I see only 2 backups, but it still reads only 36 gb available, 'needs140 gb for backup'.  I don't understand a great deal about the process, but I have also followed the directions to use Disk Utility and have verirfied and repaired with no success.  I have disconnected and reconnected the hard drive. 
Simple instructions will be most helpful, as I am an entry-level fixer ;-)
Thanks... 

Check Pondini's troubleshooting page for a solution http://pondini.org/TM/Troubleshooting.html

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