2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission rear brakes adjustment (drum)

[jmtandem]

How often should the rear brakes be checked and adjusted for the 01's with drum brakes. Do they need to be checked as often as every oil change?

 

[Joe G.]

That's one of the things I do for every oil change. I rotate the tires. While the wheels are off I inspect the brakes, front and rear. Then I tighten up the rear brakes so that the drum just barely slides back on. Not real hard to put back on, but some resistance. That works fine and is easy to do. My last panic stop slid all four tires so the adjustment must have been ok. I have RWAL only and it works whenever it feels like it. If a rear axle seal is starting to leak you will notice it before it gets all over everything by pulling the drums to check things.

 

[illflem]

They're supposed to self adjust, many don't, only one of mine does. Best bet is to check the adjust at every oil change until you get a feel for how they're self adjusting. You will get what feels like front end pull if one rear brake is working harder than the other. I don't remove anything but the rubber adjuster hole cap to do mine. Just jack the rear and click the star wheel upward while rotating the tire till you get a slight drag, you're done.

 

[jmtandem]

rear brakes adjustment

Thanks,

I guess I better check adjustment to ensure the adjusters are working OK. I think I will also check for play in the front end as the truck has 31,000 miles on it. I change the oil every 4000.



I previously had a '91. 5 and the rear brakes lasted 100,000; maybe I can get that kind of mileage out of these, also.

 

[Deezul1]

Its easy to get great brake mileage on these trucks on the rear because they never do any work as they are always out of adjustment

 

[Air Bulldog]

I posted this in new topic first so I will try again.

If you don,t use your e-brake your rear brakes won,t adjust up,your automatic adjusters are part of your e-brake. I don,t like using the e-brake because years ago using it in the winter you were just asking for it to freeze up,it doesn't happen as often now. It use to be that backing up and stepping on the brakes would adjust up your rear bakes, but now it works off your e-brake cable.

 

[AggieJustin]

I'm not sure the adjusters are driven by the e-brake. I use my e-brake all the time (not worries about freezing up here), and my brakes get severely out of adjustment if I don't do it manually.



The brakes will adjust if you back up and hit the brakes, but you have to be moving about 10-15 mph and hit them pretty hard. They don't seem to adjust under gentle braking in reverse.



JM

 

[illflem]

Originally posted by sam peterson

... thats the way it is supposed to be done--hard stop backwards then forward, then do it again and again...

DH, on these trucks it doesn't matter if you use the regular or parking brake to self adjust. What does matter is that you come to a complete hard stop in reverse at any speed.

 

[jmtandem]

DHofeldt,



Thanks. I guess I pushed the wrong button on the keyboard before my previous message to you was completed. Oops! Our driveway is sloping and the truck is a manual so I always use the emergency brake and always back out and stop in reverse.

 

[pro99]

hello jmtandem

I work for a dlr as a heavy mechanic and we sell allot of heavy-duty trucks. Our Chrysler rep told us that the rear breaks needed to be adjusted every 7,000 to 7,500 miles and seeing what I have seen that it is true. That system is not the best when it comes to self-adjusting!! I have not looked in the owner manual yet but I think it sts that it needs to be done at the same mileage too.

 

[drees1]

Self adjusters

I've owned several vehicles with Dana full floating rear axles. Also managed a small fleet of super duty fords with the same Dana axles. Very few of them self adjust properly. Backing hard and barking the tires, or using the E-brake, they just do not self adjust correctly. I even changed out the lever that moves the star wheel, and the star wheel, no luck. I've run them dry, with penetrating oil, grease, antisieze, you name it, no difference. I perform an adjustment about every 10,000 miles or so, or before I tow heavy. You can tell that the brake pedal gets a little lower as the adjustment goes out. I have had some, including the drivers side of my current vehicle that I swear are screwing them selves in. Of course I verifyed that the adjuster threads (left or right hand) are correct for the side of the vehicle they are on. I think next time I'm in there I am going to put some marker paint on the star wheel just to see if it does anything at all. Regardless, I set my E-brake every time I stop. My $. 02!



Doug Rees

 

[Alan Reagan]

My rear adjusters didn't appear to be working so I pulled the drums and moved the adjusters out, then lubricated them with a high temp grease. While I was at it, I noticed a film buildup on the drums that I figured was the cause of the brakes nearly locking up the first time I would use them as well as squeaking like he!! when the truck was cold. I used brake cleaner and steel wool and cleaned that up and then scuffed the shoes with steel wool. I lubed the springs and slide areas and put it all back together. No more squeaking/squealing when cold and the brakes are staying adjusted now.

 

[John Berger]

Where's the adjuster?

When I rotated my tires last, I looked and looked for that adjuster, but could not find it. Where is it at?

 

[Alan Reagan]

It's on the bottom of the brake mounting plate. With the drum on, look on the backside of the hub/mounting plate on the bottom. There is a black rectangular rubber plug. If you remove it, the star wheel is visible on the inside. Rotating the star wheel down, adjusts the brakes out (tightens) and up (loosens) will release the brakes. That's for both sides.

 

[Joe G.]

FYI: the hand brake for the rear is now called "parking brake" not "emergency brake" like it once was. That ought to tell you something.

 

[RMcKinney]

Great answer Deezul1

 

[Ken Roberts]

Its easy to get great brake mileage on these trucks on the rear because they never do any work as they are always out of adjustment

Yep! 255K from the stock rear brake shoes.