spinning the rear wheels for brake adj....

[shendren]

i am trying to do the adjustment on the rear wheel brakes. i bought a jack and now am ready to pop the orange rubber thing and stick the screwdriver in... . how do i get the rear wheels to spin so i can hear that "light drag" that i've been told to listen for? thanks so much for the help... . scott.

 

[Thomas]

You spin each wheel by hand.

 

[emarsh]

The method I learned from a very wise instructor for bendex drum brakes is to have the wheel in the air and tighten until you cant turn the wheel by hand; then back off on the adjuster 13 clicks, that should be perfect.

Perhaps there are newer methods to reach the same goal nowdays? Anyone?

 

[shendren]

thanks Thomas, so you just jack it up and spin it? in park and engine off? thanks.

 

[Royal]

If you have LSD (limited slip diff. ) you need to jack both wheels up, with transmission in NUTERAL.

 

[Thomas]

Scott,



There's more to it than that.



Perhaps the search feature or some members with more time than I have this evening.

 

[Deezul1]

Jack up both rear wheels, put it in neutral with wheels blocked so it dont kill ya. Rotate tire by hand and adjust till you hear a dragging/rubbing sound. If you tighten it beyond that point they can drag and get hot unless you back them off which is a PITA as you have to push the adjuster pawl away from the star adjuster to turn it backwards. Believe me you dont want that.

 

[Dave MacArthur]

Have you tried backing up fairly fast and hitting the brakes hard? I do this in a big empty parking lot about once a month (or whenever the brake pedal starts feeling like it is going down too far). Do it about four or five times. My pedal comes right back up and is very firm again. I have about 64K on the original shoes and they are still in good shape. Less than 5 minute "brake adjustment" and I don't even get out of the truck!



Dave.

 

[Shovelhead]

Another member posted a few months back on the proper procedures for adjusting "self-adjusting brakes.



Dave is right about driving in reverse and hitting the brakes aggressivly, but you also need to drive forward and hit them aggressivly, which resets the pawl on the star wheel for the next reverse adjustment. Do this 5 or 6 times, you'll notice the difference.

I tried this after his posting and the pedal was much firmer.



It's worth a shot.

 

[shendren]

thanks. i tried the backup/fwd thing this am. i did it only 2-3 times and still pulling to the right when braking. i don't have a soft pedal. i will try it a couple more times before i try the jack up star wheel thing. thanks again for all of the help. scott.

 

[Doc Tinker]

I try to park so I have to back up every time I leave. I have yet to adjust my brakes, with 43,000 miles on the truck.



Doc

 

[RKohn]

Doc uses brakes?

And I always believed his truck only had one pedal.

 

[gatoram]

If your front end is pulling to the right when you stop, it is likely your front brakes and not the rear. The rear brakes should not cause the truck to pull either way. Check your rotors for wear... ... ..... I like that self-adjusting stuff, too

 

[illflem]

Sorry GatorRam, but it's a well known fact that out of adjustment rear brakes will cause pull that shows up in the front.

 

[gatoram]

It wasn't too well known. I stand corrected!

 

[shendren]

not to be a smart a!@ but i just put on new rotors last week with illflem's help. i will do the star wheel adjustment tomorrow.



just curious, i am going to rotate my tires front to back. without using the spare as a place holder, can i use some wooden blocks under the rotor after removing the tire or is it advisabe to just drop the spare?



thanks. scott.

 

[Dave MacArthur]

Shendren-



The proper rotation is L. Front to R. Rear, R. Front to L. Rear, Both Rears straight up front (stay on their same side). This is if you are not going to use your spare as a regularly used/rotated tire. As for the placeholder question, I don't know.



Dave.

 

[shendren]

thanks. i was just trying to figure out how to rotate with only one jack.

 

[illflem]

I just rotate front to rear, X maybe better but it works for me. I have a 5 ton floor jack and have found that if I jack on the frame about mid door I can lift one whole side. Makes it easy. Don't forget to change your tire pressures after rotating. If you're going to be working under any rig at all it's good to invest in some jackstands, well worth the safety, you can pick up a decent pair for under $50.

 

[John]

Originally posted by illflem

... out of adjustment rear brakes will cause pull that shows up in the front.

Additionally, a leaking rear axle seal will cause the opposite front corner to pull in that direction. Not all brake pull problems are attributed to the front braking system.





Another trick to roatating the rear wheels on an LSD equipped 4x4: place the transfer case in Neutral... this will reduce the rotational mass (i. e. ,drag)..... both rear wheels, the differential and two-piece driveshaft are bad enough.