RE: adjusting rear brakes???

From: Tim Althoff (talthoff@yllwdkta.com)
Date: Wed Jun 04 2003 - 12:29:17 EDT


Well, when i was working on the locker i had to slide the axle a bit so i removed the drums. To do so i had to REALLY loosen the brake shoes to remove the drum. I adjusted them but don't think i did a good job b/c they didn't feel very good. I readjusted them and probably moved the star about 10 clicks to get them nice.
 
last night i backed the dak out of my short driveway slow and drove around. The brakes felt great. This morning i backed out again slow and drove to work but it's not nearly as tight. Should i adjust them one more time. I will take a look at the adjuster "lock" and make sure it is hitting the correct spot.
 
Tim Althoff
www.yllwdkta.com

        -----Original Message-----
        From: Tubamirbls@aol.com [mailto:Tubamirbls@aol.com]
        Sent: Wed 6/4/2003 11:27 AM
        To: dakota-truck@dakota-truck.net
        Cc:
        Subject: Re: DML: adjusting rear brakes???
        
        

        Hi Tim
              The drum brake self-adjust mechanism is little changed since it first
        appeared in the late 50's. In my experience it has never worked well. I've
        always adjusted my rear brakes manually. The threaded star wheel that expands
        to take up excessive non contact for the shoes has a spring loaded locking
        feature intended to keep the adjustment from getting tighter or looser. It is
        over ridden when you manually move the star wheel in the tighter direction or,
        supposedly, you back up to 10-15mph then slam on the brakes sufficient to lock
        the rears and burn rubber. One such violent stop will only pull the star wheel
        up one click, if your system is working at all.
             If your rears were many clicks too loose before you made your first
        manual adjustment it may be that several more clicks after a bit of driving are
        still in order. Dakota drum brakes are designed to move a little on their
        mounting so as to ensure most of the shoe surface contacts the drum at all times.
        Making a substantial manual adjustment may have resulted in the shoes
        reorienting themselves hence a bit more adjustment can be taken. You might check that
        to see.
             To manually adjust, spin the tire as you insert the adjusting spoon and
        begin taking up one or two clicks at a time. Generally one shoe will have a
        high spot and will be the first to make a slight contact with the drum. You
        can both hear the scrape and feel a very slight drag as you spin the tire. Stop
        adjusting at this point. If you go farther then the brakes are dragging too
        much, the shoes will quickly develop a glaze that reduces their stopping
        power, you mileage will go down and your drums will become overheated, expand and
        warp. You could have a complete failure of your rear brakes.
             Over adjusting can be corrected but it is a clumsy operation. You have
        to insert a screwdriver along with the adjusting spoon in the backing plate
        adjustment slot. Push forward on the screwdriver to disengage the starwheel
        lock then back off on the starwheel sufficient to eliminate the excessive drag.
        If the shoes are over adjusted you cannot pull the drum off either so be
        careful.
             If you've never done manual drum brake adjustments it might be worth
        your while to remove the wheel and drum and just look at the mechanism, make one
        or two clicks adjustment with your fingers and check how the lock works.
        Never step on the brakes while a drum is off. You'll receive an unpleasant
        surprise.
             If your rears were way out of adjustment then your parking brake
        probably had to run all the way to its limit just to hold. Someone may have tried to
        improve the parking brake by taking up on its cable without first ensuring
        the shoe adjustment was full and correct. If this has occurred you need to back
        off on your shoe adjustment, back off on the overly tight parking brake cable
        adjustment then readjust the shoes correctly.
        
        Paul Sahlin
        



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