drum brake adjuster lever

[AmadeusCharger500]

I periodically have to readjust the rear drum adjusters. Whenever do this I find the adjuster lever has moved away from the gear on the star adjuster. Is something wrong with my setup?

[AmadeusCharger500]

one more

[MaximRecoil]

Mine have done that too, even when all of the drum brake parts were brand new. I chalk it up to a bad design. Fortunately, you don't even need rear brakes at all in my experience, so I'm not concerned about it. There are countless people out there driving around with no rear brakes and they don't even know it, because the difference in braking power is so small that you don't even miss them when they are gone. They usually find out when they take it somewhere to get the emergency brake fixed (which would be to pass the annual safety inspection in my state, and probably other states as well), and they are told by the mechanic that the reason their emergency brake doesn't work is because their rear brakes aren't working at all.

Now for an anecdote:

When I was in my teens and 20s, I had an '83 Ford F100 pickup that had the best braking power of any vehicle I've ever owned, even to this day. I bought it in 1993, and at the time the emergency brake pedal wouldn't move at all, so I figured that all it needed was a new emergency brake cable. Since I had a mechanic friend that did inspections, he would put a sticker on it without worrying about the emergency brake. He moved to a different state in the late 1990s, so I needed to get the emergency brake fixed in order to get an inspection sticker from someone else. I also needed new rotors up front, because mine were warped, so I took it to a garage and had new rotors and pads installed (this was before I did any significant mechanical work myself). When I called to see if the job was done, the mechanic said, "Yes, I just test drove it and those brakes will put you through the windshield." I said, "Yeah, that truck has always had really strong brakes." He said he still needed to install the new emergency brake cable, but he'd be done shortly, so I went over there.

When he finished installing the new cable, the pedal worked, but it did nothing. So he used a brake adjustment tool through the slot, and still nothing. He then pulled the drums and found that there were zero brakes back there (the linings were completely gone from the shoes, and I don't think the wheel cylinders were working right either), and from the looks of things, there hadn't been for a long time. So he replaced the shoes and wheel cylinders, which made the emergency brake work. I noticed no difference in braking power whatsoever with the rear brakes working, probably for the first time since I owned the truck; it stopped great before they were working, and it stopped great after they were working.  

[John_Kunkel]

Looking at the second pic I notice that the slotted hole in the adjuster lever isn't properly positioned on the pivot pin, the lower (small) end of the keyhole slot should be up tight against the bottom of the pin. Looks like the green spring between the front shoe and the adjuster lever might be hooked up wrong.

[Back N Black]

Here is a good link;
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,16572.0.html.

The 10 inch drums has the spring straight across the shoes like in your original pic. The one that John posted is 11 inch drum and the spring is on an angle. I maybe wrong??

[MaximRecoil]

Looking at the second pic I notice that the slotted hole in the adjuster lever isn't properly positioned on the pivot pin, the lower (small) end of the keyhole slot should be up tight against the bottom of the pin. Looks like the green spring between the front shoe and the adjuster lever might be hooked up wrong.

That's why I say it is a bad design, or perhaps a lot of the aftermarket autoparts store brake parts available today are out of spec. The spring on the end of the self-adjuster cable is what is supposed to be holding that self-adjuster lever up tight to the bottom of the keyhole slot, and it clearly isn't doing its job in the OP's picture.

By the way, his adjuster cable is hooked up correctly, but the one in your picture is not. The frame around the spring is supposed to go over the self-adjuster lever, not behind it:

The 10 inch drums has the spring straight across the shoes like in your original pic. The one that John posted is 11 inch drum and the spring is on an angle. I maybe wrong??

It is supposed to go straight across either way (the 11" brakes have a different spring mounted in a different location, but it still goes straight across - link). The one in John_Kunkel's picture is either hooked up wrong or it is some variation on what is shown in the FSM.

[John_Kunkel]

It is supposed to go straight across either way (the 11" brakes have a different spring mounted in a different location, but it still goes straight across the one in John_Kunkel's picture is either hooked up wrong or it is some variation on what is shown in the FSM.

Note that the example in your link is not for self-adjusting brakes...on manual adjusters the short spring between the shoes also acts to prevent the starwheel from turning on it's own.

BTW, the position of the cable end on the lever is irrelevant, it'll work correctly either way.

[AmadeusCharger500]

The adjuster overload spring is slack, how can it pull on the lever like that or does it only work when the brakes are engaged.

[MaximRecoil]

Note that the example in your link is not for self-adjusting brakes...

As I said:

[...]or it is some variation on what is shown in the FSM

BTW, the position of the cable end on the lever is irrelevant, it'll work correctly either way.

I don't doubt it, but, assuming the brakes in the picture are yours, why hook it up like that? It looks to me like it would take more effort to do than to hook it up the way it was intended.

[John_Kunkel]

Wrong assumption, it's a generic pic intended mostly to illustrate the position of the keyhole slot.

For some it is easier to position the cable end that way because the loop on the spring end is visible.

[Charger-Bodie]

I've had to tweak the pawl  before,just to fine tune how it catches the teeth.

[ws23rt]

I've had to tweak the pawl  before,just to fine tune how it catches the teeth.

I have had to do this as well.  When I replace shoes or any other parts on the brakes I take it for a short drive and remove the drums again to verify that nothing has moved out of place and the self adjusters are engaged as intended.

[MaximRecoil]

The adjuster overload spring is slack, how can it pull on the lever like that or does it only work when the brakes are engaged.

You could buy a new self-adjuster repair kit, which includes all of the self-adjuster parts and doesn't cost very much. Maybe your parts are out of spec. However, it is not a great design to begin with; there is no guarantee it is going to work long-term even when everything is installed correctly.

[fy469rtse]

I think your just missing the bottom spring across shoes, it will help , see the other photo posted for reference

[MaximRecoil]

I think your just missing the bottom spring across shoes, it will help , see the other photo posted for reference

Are you referring to the spring which is called "automatic adjuster spring" in the FSM diagram? If so, that spring isn't missing in the OP's pictures.

[jlatessa]

I've gone through the auto adjuster problems myself and was never quite
happy with how they work.

I think the manufacturers dumbed down the brakes to make it seem as if they needed less
maintenance.

I've made my front and rears manual adjusting, simple, less parts to fail and we are all under there often enough to check/adjust
the brakes to our satisfaction and confidence.

Joe