Drum Rear Brake - Self Adjuster

[larryinnewyork]

OK - So I checked my rear drums / brakes this morning.
* I noticed that in 4 years, they had no wear. (I measured from brake material to rivet head).
* I also found the lower spring that pulls the 2 shoes together was broken.

I am the one who worked on them last.
When I put the drums on, I adjusted the 'star' wheels so as to have very little contact with drum.
This may not be the correct way, but I also worry about unnecessary friction and over heating.

Star Wheel Adjuster:
Question: What is the correct way to adjust these ? ? ?
Is it with the Drum ON or OFF

Self-Adjusters:
I was always told they self-adjust when you go in reverse and brake hard.
Question: Can they over self-adjust and be way to tight ? ? ?
Question: If the Drum is originally to loose, should the self-adjustor correct this ? ? ?
Question: Do they only self-adjust in Reverse ? ? ?

I'm due for a Safety Inspection next Month.
I'll have them adjust the rear brakes for me.

And Yes, I figure I better check the 'front' rotor/pads as they are doing all the stopping.

I would just like to know the proper way for the next time I work on it at home.
Any advise would be appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: larryinnewyork
Star Wheel Adjuster:
Question: What is the correct way to adjust these ? ? ?
Is it with the Drum ON or OFF


You adjust the star wheel with the drum on. You move the shoes out until you feel a slight drag while turning the drum by hand. Obviously, you're gonna have to move the shoes in first so that you can slide the drum on over the shoes, then you make your adjustment.

 

[demarpaint]

Drum brakes are adjusted with the drum on.

If the braking system is OK they can't over adjust themselves.
Properly adjusted drum brakes will have a little drag when you try to turn the drum, and you'll have a nice high pedal.
They only self adjust in reverse.

 

[eljefino]

There are some adjusters out there that work with the e-brake cable somehow.

I just mess around with them until I've gone too far and can't slide the drum on easily then back them off a little, 1/4 or 1/2 turn. They'll work themselves in. The biggest deal if you have the drum off is to see if they've become stuck. Good excuse to pull the drum annually and stick a dab of antisieze on the hub.

 

[AdRock]

I always adjust with the drum on until I get a little resistance. Then put the wheels back on and take a drive around the block. Then I'll pull the wheels off again and double check the adjustment. Sometimes the shoes will be a little off when first put on and will shift a bit once used while driving. That can sometimes lead to them needing to be adjusted a little more.

 

[Charlie1935]

What happened to the adjust until the wheel is locked up and back off to a slight drag?

 

[djb]

You need to know the self-adjusting mechanism.

With most self-adjusting drum brakes, you reset the self-adjusting mechanism before installation, and then use the star adjusters to set the initial drag to either slight drag or one step open from slightly dragging. Pretty close to the process for non-self-adjusting brakes, just you can err on the side of too loose.

You don't want to rely on the self-adjuster for the whole adjustment -- it doesn't have the range for that.

 

[Silk]

Rivets ? How old is this car. Cars here haven't had riveted shoes for over 30 years.

 

[sciphi]

All the cars I've worked on with drum brakes do not have a knockout for adjusting the drums with the drum on the hub. So the drum has to come off.

If the drum easily slides off and there is not a lip from rust or wear, the self-adjuster gets adjusted 3-4 clicks. Slide the drum on, spin, and if it doesn't stop in one rotation, get the drum off and adjust it a click at a time until it does. Usually 3-4 clicks does the trick, though. Rinse/repeat at the next tire rotation.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: Charlie1935
What happened to the adjust until the wheel is locked up and back off to a slight drag?

That's how I do it, in fact just did so this afternoon on my '72 Comet that I replaced a frayed parking brake cable...

 

[spackard]

Also, the shoes/adjuster slide around on the backing plate. If replacing the shoes you have to slide them around with your (clean) hands so both shoes are equidistant from the drum.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: spackard
Also, the shoes/adjuster slide around on the backing plate. If replacing the shoes you have to slide them around with your (clean) hands so both shoes are equidistant from the drum.


On my cars this happens automatically when I'm trying to line up the lug and hub holes as the drum's half over the shoes.

Good cleanup time though to make sure everything moves freely and doesn't bind.

One does wonder how quickly they were able to do this on the assembly line.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: eljefino

One does wonder how quickly they were able to do this on the assembly line.

The rearend assembly with brakes is completed before it's sent to the line, no different from engine or transmission being built at their respective plants prior to being shipped to final assembly... On modern vehicles with FWD the suspension components will already have brakes on them before it goes to the line...

 

[Donald]

The self-adjusters sometimes rust. You can be replacements cheap. There is a LEFT and a RIGHT self-adjuster.

 

[Kruse]

Originally Posted By: eljefino

One does wonder how quickly they were able to do this on the assembly line.


Decades ago, I actually got to tour a Wagner factory that assembled drum brake components on a backing plate. The assemblers there could assemble one in under 30 seconds. All the tools that they needed were hanging down from the ceiling and all components were within an easy reach. The assembled backing plates were then shipped off to the assembly lines to be bolted to cars.
Wagner also had a new technology where the wheel cylinder kits and wheel cylinders were put in the boxes and they were quickly put on a scale as they went down the assembly line. If the weight was too low or too high, the package would be automatically kicked off because of too few or too many parts in the boxes.
I also got to tour a Moog factory during the same week, but I don't remember too much about that one except that it was loud, none of the workers were wearing hearing protection, and it was in a bad part of St. Louis. IIRC, it would have been in about '80 or '81.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Kruse
Originally Posted By: eljefino

One does wonder how quickly they were able to do this on the assembly line.


Decades ago, I actually got to tour a Wagner factory that assembled drum brake components on a backing plate. The assemblers there could assemble one in under 30 seconds. All the tools that they needed were hanging down from the ceiling and all components were within an easy reach. The assembled backing plates were then shipped off to the assembly lines to be bolted to cars.
Wagner also had a new technology where the wheel cylinder kits and wheel cylinders were put in the boxes and they were quickly put on a scale as they went down the assembly line. If the weight was too low or too high, the package would be automatically kicked off because of too few or too many parts in the boxes.
I also got to tour a Moog factory during the same week, but I don't remember too much about that one except that it was loud, none of the workers were wearing hearing protection, and it was in a bad part of St. Louis. IIRC, it would have been in about '80 or '81.


I got a package from Amazon with two 7 1/2 saw blades in it vs one I ordered. I would have thought they would weigh and pick that up.