parking brake self adjuster locking up drum

[waynekarnes]

this question has come up before, i thought i had it figured out.

i put this on the list as well.

all new components, cylinder, springs, shoes, ect. i did all the work myself. the drum is aluminum and new.

the right rear shoes are jamming against the drum, locked tight, by the self adjuster ( when the parking brake is used, adjusts the brakes ).

i was able to turn the drum, ( put a large breaker to the lug nuts, force the wheel to turn, to access the adjuster ). the drum is off, everything looks fine.

the driver's side is fine, works as it should. these adjusters worked from the factory, and should work now.

i need to know how to fix this, so it doesn't happen again. any thoughts ???

thanks, wayne

[Bambikiller240]

Hi Wayne.

Did I ever tell you that I hate drum brake problems like this?

As you know, the adjusting is supposed to stop at some point. If all the parts are new, it's probably something simple in terms of assembly. Wish I didn't have plans for tomorrow or I'd come down an help you play with it.

[waynekarnes]

Carl, thanks for the offer of your hand in this. you know, i put both sides together the same way, one side works the way it's supposed to, the other doesn't.

if it doesn't rain tomorrow, i'm gonna take another crack at it. right now, it's up on a jack stand, sitting in the driveway. the drum is in the garage, got wheel back on, just for show.

i find that my frustration level elevates when i can't see what i'm doing, so i won't deal with it tonight, especially with the wind and the cold night air.

wayne

[Bambikiller240]

Are the teeth on the adjuster wheel oriented in the correct way? Wondering if maybe one of the RWC's came with incorrect parts or something. Places where the RWC slides in the slot of the backing plate greased? Just kinda tossing out basic idea's off the top of my head. Let me know if you don't get it solved. I'm off work Weds, & Thurs, and next Sun.

[waynekarnes]

yeah the teeth are correct, otherwise the adjuster wouldn't be able to move the wheel. i greased where grease was needed, used high temp disc brake bearing grease. hmmm maybe should have used low temp, low tech brake drum grease ... gotta be an easy fix, i'm just not seeing it ...

out of town next weekend. too late and too dark after work for you to come all that ways. besides, not like i need it to get back and forth to work.

work on it when it's comfortable. might hit you up to come down this way in a couple weeks, if i haven't gotten it by then.

thanks,

wayne

[Ed]

The adjuster has that screw that moves out when the adjuster turns. This screw pushes against the cylinder and the shoe. Take these two pieces appart and clean them with solvent also clean the inside of the cylinder where the adjuster sits in. Make sure it all turns freely and doesn't bind. Use some light grease to lube it up. Also make sure your e-brake cable isn't too tight where it won't let the finger disengage from the adjuster's teeth.

What happens is everytime you pull the e-brake the finger turns your adjuster to automatically take out the slack between your shoes. When you release the brake the finger disengages from the adjuster and the adjuster will turn enough to remove excess pressure.

I hope I'm right, I'm going off of memory here. Man I wish I had a car to look at.:mad:

Good luck.

[waynekarnes]

Ed, thanks. you are right, the lever ( finger, arm, bar, ect. ) pushes the wheel, it turns, the nut ( if you will ) is held by the brake shoe. as a the wheel turns, it unscrews the bolt, forcing the nut away from the wheel cylinder, moving the shoes towards the drum.

you think that the cable may be too tight ? guess i can loosen it up, near the axle.

what causes the adjuster to stop taking out the slack ? somehow, there has to be a way of gauging the distance. a stop of some sorts. i can't figure out, how it stops.

you think maybe it engages and slips past the teeth on that wheel, when the brakes are adjusted to optimum, and now, it's always engaging the adjuster and not slipping past it ?? wonder if the arm is bent or something ???

how the heck does that part work ??

thanks, wayne

[Bambikiller240]

I think Ed is on to something there regarding the E-brake cable adjustment (at the bracket in the center). With new shoes AND new drums, you probably would need to make an adjustment there or the lever might not move away from the teeth on the adjuster wheel of the RWC. Certainly worth a try as it's free and can be "undone" easily.

[waynekarnes]

i'm also thinking he is on to something. that acuator ( arm ) has to be able to slip, and if the cable is too tight, or that acuator is bent, it won't slip by the adjustment wheel. so, when the emergency brake is pulled, as the acuator never disengages from the tooth on the wheel, each time the brake is pulled, the wheel spins and the shoes lock against the drum.

if it's not raining, i will take a look at it with the drum off the car. i have never reconnected the cable up, with the drum off, be interesting to see what's going on in there.

wayne

[Ed]

I'll put one of my rear brakes together today and see how it works for sure. I'll get back to you in a couple of hours.:sleep:

[waynekarnes]

well, no rain today

checked out the adjuster again ...

everything looks fine in there. the parking brake cable isn't too tight. specs say, that from the center of the hole where the pin goes through the acuator ( arm ) and the backing plate, should be .496 inches, close enough to a half an inch, and that's where it's at.

had my son pull and release the parking brake, works fine, doesn't stick, cable operated fine.

the wheel cylinder slides, as it is supposed to. the acuator moves, where it is supposed to.

the springs hold the shoes in place, other thanb that, they don't seem to have affect on the parking brake, and the acuator as it keeps spinning that adjustment wheel, forcing the shoes into the drum.

tightening the cable a bit, moves the acuator away from the serrated adjustment wheel, lets it slip by the adjustment wheel. but, now, the factory specified adjustment is off, plus , now the shoes are dragging, so that's not the fix. javascript:smilie(':disappoin')

very confusing .. others have messaged me, say they have the same issue ...

there has to be an easy fix. i know that i can just bend the arm and be done with it, manually adjust the brakes ... but this thing is supposed to work ...

wayne

[2ManyZs]

One thing you could do is check to make sure the wheel cylinder is where it should be in the mounting slot in the backing plate....

I'm wondering if it is possibly slid one way or the other, and that might be causing the arm to hit the backing plate, and not work on the star wheel the way it should.