rear brakes keep adjusting themselves to tight,any answers....

[69 OUR/TEA]

Hi all,on my 68 coronet with man drums all around,the rear brakes keep adjusting themselves way to tight as to make the car drag and heat up the rear rims so hot you can't even touch them.I have unadjusted them about 3 or 4 times so far,but only after 40 miles or so,they keep  adjusting themselves to tight again.I pulled the drum on my 69 charger and it has a different style of adjusting,it pulls up from beneath the star wheel as my 68 pushes diown on the star wheel.This is my on 24 k mile coronet that I removed all the original brakes and replaced with all new shoes,springs ,hardware ,etc.,and even did one wheel at a time as to not mix anything up.Even when you look at the pic enclosed,the adj lever pushes down to adjust(I have confirmed that),and does not allow the star wheel to go the opposite way(to unadjust).,so I cannot figure out why it gets tighter as I just drive forward and stop normally.Here is the pic for you to see.....

[bluesfool]

Did you replace the cylinder too? I had a '71 that would do the same thing but after I replaced both cylinders, everything was fine.

[69 OUR/TEA]

yes,new wheel cylinders too.After I take the drum off,you can see the adjuster out farther than it was when I first adjusted it.So like I said,for some reason they keep adjusting as I drive.

[bluesfool]

Hmmm, I'm just guessing now, but are you sure the parking brake isn't stuck in the engaged position? I know after you put everything back together the brakes would be set to "normal", but if the parking brake cable is frozen to the "engaged" position, maybe that would be why the adjuster keeps tightening? Like I said, now I'm just guessing of all possibilities.

[69 OUR/TEA]

thanks bluesfool for your effort on my problem,I checked that also already,and it moves and unlocks freely,and works properly,but I will try this.....I will unadjust the p brake cable some and retry the adjustment on the shoes again and see what happens.

[69chargeryeehaa]

i have the same issue on my 69 charger with 10" drums all round.  so the style of the adjuster, weather rotating the star wheel up or down does'nt matter!!!   at first the drivers side was the problem, and i found the parking brake leaver on the shoe was hanging up on the shoe, fixed that and now the passanger side gets really hot, and adjusts it'self too tight.  so i backed them off, and did'nt use the parking brake at all, and it still does it.  i've been chasing this mystery for ever (about 10 months) and i have absoultly no idea why it's happening.  Everything is new, cylinders, lines, proportioning valve, master cylinder, booster, shoes, hardware.  i'm totally at a loss to understand why this is happening, the parking brake and cables are in perfect operation.  i'm almost thinking to remove the self adjuster cable and call it a day!!!!  if you figure it out i'd die to know why this happens.

[chargerbr549]

I think it was up till 69 the HD 11" brakes didn't have self adjusters because when the brakes get hot the drums would expand and then when you backed up the brakes would self adjust, then when the drums cooled down they would be too tight so Chrysler left the self adusting system off. ON my 69 R/T every so often I will check my brakes and adjust them so its no big deal if you don't drive the car alot. If it was me and I had that problem of it always self adjusting when it's not suppose to I think I would eliminate the self adjuster set-up and probably run it that way.

Kevin

[Chryco Psycho]

if the drums are old & too thin they could be expanding too much with heat & overadjusting

[69chargeryeehaa]

i would accept those theory's, BUT we are only talking the passenger rear wheel    the fronts are fine, and i can't believe that this is only happening on the passenger rear wheel, the drivers rear wheel used to do it too, and the passenger was fine, i put on new shoes and now it's the passenger rear wheel that does it, i'm at a total loss as to why this is happening.

[resq302]

Just curious, are you leaking any gear oil which might be causing the shoes to stick making it heat up?  I had a problem with my left rear seal on my rear axle and when I hit the brakes, it would cause the left rear wheel to lock up, then release when I let up on the brake.

[69chargeryeehaa]

Just curious, are you leaking any gear oil which might be causing the shoes to stick making it heat up?  I had a problem with my left rear seal on my rear axle and when I hit the brakes, it would cause the left rear wheel to lock up, then release when I let up on the brake.

it's bone dry, everything is new, hardware, cables, lines, wheel cylinders, adjuster, prop. valve, everything, the problem still exists, just moves from wheel to wheel after i change shoes everything is checked and double checked, shoes are installed correctly, short towards the front, and the longer towards the back, i don't get it, one of those life mysterys!!!!  i allways am the one to get those everytime!!!!

[resq302]

Ok, so the driverside works fine but the pass. side does not.  Can you take off both of the drums and visually compare them to see if one thing is slightly out of place?

[69chargeryeehaa]

not only have i done that, but 10 times, i just don't get it.  the pass side was fine before, and it was the drivers side that did it, now it's the opposite.

[TylerCharger69]

Heres my guess....When you put new shoes on......did you have the drums turned/resurfaced???   A warped drum will cause that too!!!

[Chryco Psycho]

have you tried swapping drums L to R ?

[69 OUR/TEA]

don't know if you are talking to 69chargeryeehaa or me TYLER,but yes I had mine resurfaced.This is on my 68 coronet 440 which only had 22 k orig miles so all the brakes and hardware and drums were in great shape anyway,but figured if I am going to drive this I will put all new lines,wheel cylinders,hardware,shoes,and turn the drums.In which when the rear drums were turned,they were almost perfect and needed barely anything taken off,so they are very close to the original measurements.

[TylerCharger69]

Well...the only other "simple" answer I could come up with is that maybe....due to age, the wheel cylinders are pushing out when the pedal is applied, but not retracting back properly.  I dunno....I'm just trying to come up with a solution to your problem.....it baffles me though

[69chargeryeehaa]

Well...the only other "simple" answer I could come up with is that maybe....due to age, the wheel cylinders are pushing out when the pedal is applied, but not retracting back properly.  I dunno....I'm just trying to come up with a solution to your problem.....it baffles me though

wheel cylinders are new.   i just let them get hot, for the life of me i can't figure it out, they're perty simple, this is'nt rocket science, and i've thought about it forever, i just can't figure it out, so i accept it.

[TylerCharger69]

Is it possible....that you got the right side and left side adjustment deals mixed up?   Or....is it possible that they are on backwards??   I dunno....I'm trying to help....lol

[69chargeryeehaa]

Is it possible....that you got the right side and left side adjustment deals mixed up?   Or....is it possible that they are on backwards??   I dunno....I'm trying to help....lol

no, they have a R and L stamped in the star wheels, and everything is perfect, lifes mysteries, keep them comming, assuming everything is new!! and the problem still exists.

[TylerCharger69]

damn....you got me......maybe the "L" shaped locks  aren't locking???   It's a mystery.   Maybe a pic of a setup from someone's car that works properly...then compare the two...

[69chargeryeehaa]

damn....you got me......maybe the "L" shaped locks  aren't locking???   It's a mystery.   Maybe a pic of a setup from someone's car that works properly...then compare the two...

if i compare the 2 then they are the exact same, it seems like only one side adjusts itself too tight, why i don't know.  funny how the problem was on the drivers side rear, and then after changing shoes it moved to the passenger side?

[chgr500]

From the looks of your previous replacement of parts you have eliminated most of the possible concerns.   If the problem changed sides after switching the shoes from side to side the problem must be in linings. Try switching drums first to eliminate any concerns with it heating up and warping.  For sure because that shoe has warmed up it would be glazed so sand the shoes with heavy grit sandpaper and try it.  Perhaps with a lower quality of lining this could cause some drag on one shoe after releasing the pedal when they get warm???  So many different qualities of linings available these days.  I would try new good quality shoes if all else fails.

[myk]

What was that about eliminating the self-adjusting pieces? 

[69chargeryeehaa]

my next plan was to elliminate the self adjuster cable, but leave the arm in place to hold the star wheel.  the linings are brand new monroe preimum shoes, when putting the NEW shoes on, the problem went over to the passenger side rear from the drivers side rear, that's what's got me totally baffled.