Brake shoe adjustment

[WyattEarp]

On the 92 do you adjust the brake shoes out turning the adjuster Up or down? im getting some little questions out of the way as i go along.

 

[JFaughn]

Put your screw driver in the slot and push the adjuster ft. to rear to get a feal for how lose it is , then adjust a few turns and see if it got tight by ft. to r. again , then when your going the right way trun until the wheel is amost locked then back off 3-4 so the wheels turn easy , a wery slight drag is good.

 

[WyattEarp]

thanks JFaughn for that info, but also do i need to go up or down with the screwdriver to tighten the brake shoes out... . I will see how loose the adjuster is by moving it front to rear also before i adjust them.

 

[tugboatphil]

Wyatt,



I don't know if the adjuster can be install "backwards" or not. But when I did mine, I put the screwdriver at the top and pulled down on the starwheel.



Hope to see some pics soon!!

 

[cerberusiam]

Looking at the backing plate the star wheel should go top to bottom to tighten. You will hear a click as the adjuster goes over the notches on the adjuster wheel. To loosen you will need to use another screw driver or thin punch top hold the ajuster away from the wheel to loosen (this is assuming all the hardware is good and things are tight). I usually adjust until there is a slight drag then take it out on the street and start working the brake as I am backing up to finish the tightening.

 

[WyattEarp]

Thanks TugBoat, yeah im thinking of adjusting them out and see if thats will get the emergency brake to holding, its functioning properly just no hold, i also found out with the floating axle on this year model and the earlier models from 89-93 at least you have to take the axle bolts out in order to slip the drum off, im not so sure i want to attempt this since im not that familiar with it. . I know of a guy that can do that for me just getting the time to set up an appointment, Right now its raining and freezing here and has been since around 6pm so i wasn't able to work on the back shoes and yes i gotta get pictures now take in mind the truck has a donor bed on it as the original was smashed by the originial owners trailer that rolled into it and the kid that had the truck i believe was getting ready to redo the truck with new molding and a paint job so it has no molding and is a silver color as of right now, original color was the blue i think it was metalic but im not for sure it was the dark blue with pinstripes i believe.



Cerber i am only taking a chance on the hardware being in good order since the emergency brake works freely i am led to believe the inside hardware is in good shape, will see when i get it checked by they guy mentioned above. Someone mentioned replacing the axle seals i believe when doing this, it that required with each drum pull or is it more or less a rule of thumb, i couldn't imagine changing them unless they begin to leak. .



Thanks guys for your help.

 

[cerberusiam]

since the emergency brake works freely i am led to believe the inside hardware is in good shape

Unfortunately that is not true. All that means is the cables are free and not hung. When you pull the hub you can see how the brakes are setup. The brakes must be correctly adjusted and working well or the e-brake does not work. The amount the e-brake moves the brake is not that much and if all the hardware, especially the self adjusters, is not in good working order the rears don't work correctly. If you set the e-brake pedal to the floor the truck should not move forward even under full throttle. If it does your rear brakes are not doing their job.



Too many people, and technicians, ignore the brake hardware when they do a brake job and the brakes never work correctly without manual adjustment and then there are nothing but complaints about bad brakes, bad design, etc. It doesn't make sense to spend $100 a side for new drums, $60 for a good heavy set of brake shoes, then ignore $30 worth of hardware to make sure the brakes work correctly and stay adjusted. Also, cleaning up the backing plates and lubing the friction points is a must to make things work right.



I usually look at the seals to see if they are starting to get hard or develop cracks before I relace them. If the lip seals are supple and they are showing no signs of leaking I reuse them. Make sure you check the spindles wear the seal rides for wear or grooving. If after polishing the spindle with fine emery cloth there is still a noticeable line or groove it doesn't matter how good the seal is it will leak. I have had to sleeve one of mine and the other is probably going to need it before long. Also check the drums for size and if they are any where near the maximum replace them or all the brake work in the world will just drain your wallet.



I frequently catch grief for recommending replacing all the brake hardware and drums because of the cost, but, we spend so much time making these trucks go fast and tow heavy weights that skimping on the brakes is a baaaaad idea.



Happy holidays!

 

[WyattEarp]

oh believe me it will all get replaced, i don't won't to be hauling or towing and have that butt cheek pucker affect :-laf , had a auto shop teacher in high school he told us if you didn't change the hardware kit on drums then you might as well take the shoes off and put the drum back on without them cause you were going to get the same affect when your brakes didn't work and you hit someone... . sort of makes sense.

 

[tugboatphil]

On that same line of thought, it amazes me how many people these days approach a stop sign at almost full speed. It seems like they aren't going to stop at all. They just *** u me that the brakes will never fail, I guess.



Or is it that I'm just getting to be an old fart and need something to complain about??

 

[WyattEarp]

TugBoat your not getting old i feel the same way about pple, I have to say my mother, god rest her soul was the say way, lordy she scared the jeepers out of me and i never would ride with her, i asked her one day what would happen if the brakes didn't work? I got the hmmm i hadn't thought of that but it didn't stop her, dad was changing brakes pads on the front of the car at least 2 times a year LOL...

Hey Phil since your online i posted about the steering drag link bar, do you happen to know the torque specs for those 2 large nuts? i have to replace it, have the new one just hadn't gotten to it due to the freezing rain we had yesterday.

 

[tugboatphil]

Sorry. I don't have those.

 

[cerberusiam]

Or is it that I'm just getting to be an old fart and need something to complain about??

:-laf :-laf LMAO :-laf :-laf



Yer killin' me tug!!!!

 

[WyattEarp]

Hey cerber i just sent you a PM, was needing some knowlege info sort of quick... .

 

[WyattEarp]

Cerberusiam thanks for the info on the drag link nuts, I sent you one more PM, i had a question on the axle bolt torque... .

For those of you whom may be replacing your steering drag link bar, the nut torque is 60ft lbs. PM'd to me by Cerberusiam from the FSM... .



Thanks

 

[Moab4x4]

Adjusting hardware

The brake adjusting hardware especially needs replaced. I have gone the cheap route too many times because "everything looked good". When I did my first floating axle brake job I decided that it was enough of a pain that it deserved new hardware and the automatic adjusters actually worked! The old ones get just a little rounded on the lever that turns the adjusting wheel and then they never work right.

just my . 02

 

[WyattEarp]

i have all new hardware waiting in the basement, i went yesterday pulled drivers side axle, hmmmm big ol' nut and i didn't have anything over a 2inch socket... Well on a hunch i adjusted the brakes out, knowing how the back pads wear compared to the front, truck stops alot better which leaves me to think at least until i can get someone to check the back shoes they are okay, could be that one of the e-brake cables has slipped off due to all the slack also, thats the reason for e-brake not holding(could be both sides has slipped off im not sure...

 

[Philip]

There is nothing on the Ebake cables to slip.



What it sounds like is your self adjusters are not working propely. When you take the hubs off. Replace all the self adjuster hardware and all the small parts on the brakes.



When I did my truck about 4 years ago on the rears. The self adjuster cables had stretched about 3/8" needless to say they didn't work for the previous owner of that axle assy. Case500D's cables what stretched about 1/4" when we did his brakes a couple of years ago on his W350.

 

[WyattEarp]

well i have an appointment thursday morning with a garage/dealer, they only keep like 4 vehicles on the lot so im not going to be charged an arm, leg and left nad for labor... going to have the rear brakes looked at they have the adjusters in stock and the seals(he said it was showing 2 different seals one larger than the other) I purchased back shoes and got the 12X2 1/2 there is also a 12X3 shoe not sure which one i need but i can take the ones i got back if they aren't the correct ones no biggy... .

 

[rlyons]

You will have the 12X2 1/2 shoes but tell them to turn the drums and install the 3" shoes. You will be glad they did, much better brakes. Same drums just the edges will not be worn by the 2 1/2" shoes.

 

[WyattEarp]

Thanks Roy for the info, i called back to Oreilly's this am. they didn't have the 12x3 shoes in stock, so i hope the garage im taking it to does, and if they do i will check them out first im picky about brake pads. Oh i ordered the Borgeson shaft this morning also Oo.