Hi Everyone - I've just changed the shoes on the rear drum brakes of my 1989 Firebird. The problem is, the self adjusting mechanisms don't seem to be working, meaning that the pedal travels too much when I apply the brakes. I've removed the drums and taken another look, but everything looks fine. Does anyone have any hints/tips to sort them out?

Thanks
Peter

 

Did you install the adjuster lock correctly? It must be seated in the grooves of the "nut" in order to work properly. Also, how easy was it to remove the drum when you took it off after you installed everything? You shouldn't be able to slide the drum off easily. There is an access hole in the back side of the brake assy. Use a screwdriver or the correct tool to tun the adjuster nut. You want it set so that the pads drag on the drum, but not too much. I have noticed that drums create a lot more drag than discs, so adjust them accordingly.

 

Everything was assembled as you've described - with one exception - the drums were both really easy to remove - before I changed the shoes AND after I changed them - the adjusters just don't seem to wind the shoes out. Also, there are no holes in the back of the backing plates for me to manually rotate the adjusters- the Haynes manual talks about punching a slot in the back with a chisel if you need to wind the shoes back in! I just don't understand why it isn't happening automatically?

 

You need to simply adjust them up manually before you put the drums on, as high as you can get them to adjust and the drums still go on. For the self-adjusters to work, they need to already be at least somewhere close.

 

A possible reason the plug has not been removed is because the pads have probably never been changed. From the factory they can set them spot on, while the customer or shop are not able to. Its just like the tabs you knock out when installing a switch box for a house. If you bought a rebuild kit with all the springs and such, there should be a new rubber plug for the access hole.

*edit*

One more thing. Did you do one side at a time or take all the parts off possibly mixing them up. The actuators are left/right specific, if they are on the wrong sides they will not work.

 

Heh - no I did one side at a time - I've made that mistake before

It's quite possible that the brakes have never been changed as the car has only done 35000 miles. So are you saying that I should be able to punch out the slots and then adjust the brakes manually? If I do that, should they then self adjust from then on?

Thanks for your help!
Peter