Hi gang,

I'm a bit confused regarding adjusting the rear shoes after replacing the wheel cylinders.

I was able to yank the drum off without bringing the shoes in on one side but the other I had to play with that little shoe adjustment wheel to bring the shoes in before the drum would pop back on. I am reading in the FSM that pulling the e-brake a few times adjusts the shoes back out automatically, but I'm reading on the forums you have to play with that gear again to bring the shoes back out.

Any ideas which it is?

Use the wheel to get close and the brake lever for final adjustment. Tighten the wheel until the drum barely goes on, then pump the brake lever a few times. If the self-adjustment is working the lever will only come up about half-way. As you drive the car occasionally you'll notice that parking brake lever got tighter as the wheel moves a notch.

4 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

Use the wheel to get close and the brake lever for final adjustment. Tighten the wheel until the drum barely goes on, then pump the brake lever a few times. If the self-adjustment is working the lever will only come up about half-way. As you drive the car occasionally you'll notice that parking brake lever got tighter as the wheel moves a notch.

Awesome, that's exactly what I was hoping to hear, thanks @Zed Head.

Does it matter that one drum's shoes are currently further-in than the other side's since I didn't need to loosen the passenger side's shoes to get the drum off/on but I needed to loosen the drivers side's? Basically I'm asking if the drums will permanently be unevenly tight, or if the automatic adjustment system will handle tightening the drivers side only so it matches the passenger's side and if that system has an adjustment limit. As an extreme example, if the drums are pulled all the way in using the adjustment wheel, would pulling the emergency brake 100 times get the car to the same/correct shoe adjustment level as if someone followed the FSM using the method you noted (albeit just taking considerably longer by contrast)?

Also, the auto adjustment system is only calibrated using the emergency brake and not the brake pedal, right?

It will even both sides out.

It affects the adjustment of the shoes so will affect the brake pedal. Can't remember for sure but I think that you will also feel the brakes apply a little higher on the pedal after a notch gets taken up. It's one reason that seems rational for converting to disc brakes if you're in to precise brake performance.

Should emphasize though that you need to be sure the parts are clean, lubricated, and not worn, in order for the system to work correctly. You can test it with a drum off by pulling the cable by hand and watching the parts move, I think.

It is also important not to mix adjusters from one side to the other, as I believe they are handed

2 hours ago, Zed Head said:

It will even both sides out.

It affects the adjustment of the shoes so will affect the brake pedal. Can't remember for sure but I think that you will also feel the brakes apply a little higher on the pedal after a notch gets taken up. It's one reason that seems rational for converting to disc brakes if you're in to precise brake performance.

Should emphasize though that you need to be sure the parts are clean, lubricated, and not worn, in order for the system to work correctly. You can test it with a drum off by pulling the cable by hand and watching the parts move, I think.

@Zed Head If I know the adjustment gear turns since I backed the pads in, does that mean the system is good? I really don't want to fight to pull the drum off again.

Edited 3 hours ago3 hr by chaseincats

You won't know until you use it.

1 minute ago, Zed Head said:

You won't know until you use it.

@Zed Head Is there a test I could do if I jack the car up and pull the e-brake a few times or would that not tell me anything?

Yes, I mentioned it in a previous post. Spin the wheel by hand, pull the handle. See what happens. Sometimes you just have to take things apart again. I remember replacing a transmission on the same day that I had just finished installing it. It had a leak that only happened while in use. Good luck.

22 minutes ago, Zed Head said:

Yes, I mentioned it in a previous post. Spin the wheel by hand, pull the handle. See what happens. Sometimes you just have to take things apart again. I remember replacing a transmission on the same day that I had just finished installing it. It had a leak that only happened while in use. Good luck.

@Zed Head Sorry, I misunderstood about doing that with the drum on.

If everything is working correctly, the handle should lock higher than usual and after a few pulls should gradually lower, is that correct?

Edited 32 minutes ago32 min by chaseincats

There is a point where the adjusters will cease to tighten. If they're working properly, they shouldn't be the cause of a sticky drum removal. There are other factors that could be the cause.

IRL the drum shoe friction material isnt that thick and they don't see that much use so there really isn't that much re-adjustment needed over time. I daily drive my 260 and have changed shoes once in 14 years. After you have them set properly you won't notice much if any park brake handle lock position change.