Adjusted our Honda's drum brakes today.

[sciphi]

And that little Fit stops quite well now. Both rear drums were out by about 15 clicks of the anti-reverse pawl. That got the wheel stopping after 2 rotations while the car was still in the air. Before adjustment the wheel would spin for a good many rotations. One side was loose enough to have the drum practically leap off the studs when I removed it.

It was a good chance to eyeball the shoes and tap out accumulated dust in the drums also.

 

[1999nick]

How many miles and how did the brake shoes look? Did you have to remove the drums to adjust the brakes? Did you even have to remove the wheels to adjust the brakes? Were you able to see what was wrong with the self-adjusters that you even had to manually adjust them?

 

[The Critic]

The ones on my friend's Fit were also out of adjustment. The tire shop adjusted the drums when they replaced the front pads. Now, the emergency brake stops after 3 clicks. How about yours?

I've also been told that you should target 1 full rotation of the wheel for proper adjustment.

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: 1999nick
How many miles and how did the brake shoes look? Did you have to remove the drums to adjust the brakes? Did you even have to remove the wheels to adjust the brakes? Were you able to see what was wrong with the self-adjusters that you even had to manually adjust them?


36,500 miles on the car. I removed the wheels anyhow to switch to summer-duty tires, so the drums were accessible. There are holes in the backing plates to adjust the brakes, but I preferred to take the drums off to eyeball the shoes. The shoes were evenly worn, with plenty of meat left.

Critic, I haven't touched the E-brake since. It was pretty tight earlier today before adjusting. Likely it's tighter.

There was nothing wrong with the self-adjusters. They just didn't do that good a job at adjusting. The drum brakes on the Buick are the same way where they need adjustment once a year to maintain optimal position.

 

[mechtech2]

Automatic adjusters on drum brakes often leave a lot of room for improvement. That is, they often have too much play.
This increases brake pedal travel.

 

[Ken2]

What causes the self-adjusters to self adjust? Some cars require action of the parking brake to self adjust (my Tundra, for one). Others (most U.S. cars) do it when the brakes are applied while going in reverse. Check your owner's manual or take a look at the self-adjusters to see that they in correctly installed and in good operating condition, and to see what action makes them self adjust.

 

[The Critic]

Last night, I made 20 hard stops from 35 mph since the Fit's brake pedal was feeling somewhat "floppy" and there was lots of travel before the car would stop well. Before doing the "bed-in," the e-brake was fully engaged after 3 clicks.

The good news is that after the bed-in, the pedal has stiffened up a lot and the car stops relatively well. However, the self-adjusters have definitely done something because now the e-brake fully engages in 6 clicks as opposed to 4-- which is actually exactly in the required spec of 6-7 clicks.

The e-brake is also easier to operate too.

I always thought the self-adjusters can only make the shoes tighter, or can they also make them looser?

Please explain...

 

[mechtech2]

I have never seen a self adjuster that could loosen the brakes.
But what actually happened is that brakes seated and wore, and maybe the P brake cables stretched a bit. Then you have more clearance and play.
The adjuster simply did not adjust in any way yet. It is made to operate at wider clearances, and will take effect when things get really loose.
This is on a car to car basis.

 

[The Critic]

It's odd that the rear brakes would seat all of a sudden as a result of the break-in. The e-brake definitely did not get looser until after the bed-in.

The rear drum brakes were last adjusted about 4500 miles again when the front pads were replaced.

 

[Craig in Canada]

Is it possible that there was some corrosion involved on the rear braking surfaces and the bedding was able to remove "a lot more" thickness because it was rust instead of metal?

 

[Boss302fan]

I always thought that Honda rear drum brakes self adjusted everytime you backed up... No need to remove the tires and mess with an adjuster. Am I wrong?

 

[ltslimjim]

That's what I do when installing new rear brake shoes, at least this first time replacing the rear drum brakes/resurfacing the rotors.

I drove in reverse and then braked down our side street in the neighborhood until I could sit on an incline and the parking brake grab just fine.

 

[sciphi]

The Honda's drums are set up identically to the Buick's drums. There are a few minor differences in how the shoes are held on, and that's it. Neither adjuster works that well, since there were no areas free of brake dust on the adjuster's threads on both cars. On the first adjustment, both cars needed 15-20 teeth on the star wheel on each adjuster mechanism before the drums dragged very slightly. That's evidence enough the adjusters do not work to adjust.

They're more intended to keep the brakes in adjustment, not for self-adjustment when backing up.

 

[ltslimjim]

^Someone that did a how-to youtube video specifically on drum brakes really stressed the importance of cleaning EVERYTHING while replacing the shoes and/or rotors(aside from the wheel cylinder boots or anything rubber). Mating surfaces etc.

I wonder if your adjuster is worn? Of course you have to manually set it back to hold in place correctly. I'm new to drum brakes, but isn't there a specific device for the adjuster to make that part less tedious? DIY'ers probably only have a flat head screw driver. I had to use needle nose pliars for the springs. Ugh!

 

[sciphi]

I rebuilt the drums on the Buick last summer, so those parts are actually newer than the Fit's, lol. Both do not adjust, merely hold.

I've always used a flathead screwdriver through the hub. No need to use pliers to hold the spring back.

 

[CharBaby]

I have drum brake adjusting tools from when my dad had his station. I also use a flathead screwdriver although the tool is a bit faster but, not in all cases.

It's nice having drums that are adjusted. Sure makes the braking feel more confident. With the exception of my '80 Firebird FORMULA, all of my vehicles are 4 wheel disk. And I could have gotten 4 wheel disk in the Firebird FORMULA , a new(er) option back then - w/WS-6 pkg which also came w/thicker stabilizer bars and things I don't remember anymore. Standard on the FORMULA & T/A Turbos

 

[ltslimjim]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
I rebuilt the drums on the Buick last summer, so those parts are actually newer than the Fit's, lol. Both do not adjust, merely hold.

I've always used a flathead screwdriver through the hub. No need to use pliers to hold the spring back.
Well, my issue is using pliers to re-install the new brake shoes and get the springs clipping into place. Before getting to the adjuster.

 

[mechtech2]

Drum brake adjusters are made to NOT set them as close as we manually can.
They only get so close , and no more. Varies from car to car.

Get it now?