Adjusting rear drum brakes (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Apr 13, 2008
Threads
21
Messages
231
Location
Oklahoma
Website
www.deatschwerks.com
Prior to doing a rear brake drum overhaul I thought I would try and adjust the rear brakes to see if it improved things. I have never worked on drums before, but learned about the maintenance and adjusting through reading olds posts and the FAQ. I have late model 40 disk conversion up front and stock drums in back.

With the rear end jack up I spun the wheels and hit the brakes to see how well the drums were grabbing, which they were hardly grabbing at all.

followed the adjustment procedure that I read on here and that was in the Haynes. Moving the adjustment wheel away from the axel, towards the rim.

How many "clicks" should it take to seat the shoes against the drum when doing this? I started off with just a few and checked to see if the shoes were contacting the drum, but ended up doing about 20 with still no contact.

Confused and not wanting to mess anything up. I stopped and put the truck back down on all wheels. Now the pedal feel is completely different. Not much pressure until the pedal is much further down than before. It "feels" like I don't have much braking pressure now, but can't really say for sure since I just pulled it back in the garage and did not try and drive it.

Now seriously considering a rear disk swap after reading more about the time, cost, and effort involved in overhauling the rear drums. But still would like to know what is going on with my attempted drum adjustment just cause I am curious and would like to get them at least back to where they were so I can drive the truck to my shop where I do most of my wrenching.
 
You sure you're moving it the right way? Sounds like the pads are too loose right now

Just adjusted my fronts last night and I'm pretty sure the wheel moves torwards the axle (the end of your adjusting tool should move away from the axle as you lever it). I always forget so I just remmeber the wheel moves clockwise if you were looking at it from the wheel side of the cylinder. For some reason the front cylinder on the front axle takes more adjustment than the rear, I think I moved it about 15 clicks as opposed to only 3 or so for the upside down cylinder. I stomp on the brake pedal evey once in a while to make sure the shoes are centered in the drums.
 
drums are such a pain to deal with. Easiest thing is to pull the wheel / drum off and get it pretty tight, then assemble it and finish it off. Make sure you don't hit the breaks when the drums are off... I did that once...

Make a good note as to how to tighten/ loosen so that next time you remember. Once you know, it will be easy as pie.

On newer Toyota's... they are self adjusting. when i found this out, i thought it was the most amazing thing ever... Parking break pulls them tight and readjusts them each time you pull it.
 
Ducktapeguy is right. I always remembered it this way: "move the tool away from the axle to move the shoes away from the axle." Or something like that.

And a x2 on remembering to seat the shoes frequently with the pedal when the shoes start rubbing the drum.
 
How many "clicks" should it take to seat the shoes against the drum when doing this? I started off with just a few and checked to see if the shoes were contacting the drum, but ended up doing about 20 with still no contact.

I just finished rebuilding the brakes on our 1964 FJ40's over the weekend with stock rear drum brakes. It took 3 clicks on any one of the rear wheel cylinder adjusters to lock the drum once they were adjusted evenly and correctly. If you are turning and turning then you are either turning the wrong way or they are way out of adjustment (or both).

I would remove the wheels and drums and inspect the shoes for wear. With the drum off, you can see which way to turn the sdjuster and also make sure each adjuster screw is not frozen or rusted. This is a common problem. If all looks good then you can adjust with the drum off to get it close then finish after reinstalling the drum.
 
The handle end of the adjuster tool moves away from the centerline of the axle to tighten the shoe against the drum.

You tighten until the wheel is locked tight and then back off 3 "clicks". There will be a dragging noise when you spin the wheel, but it is normal when properly adjusted.


If you are lucky, the adjusters won't be frozen. If they are frozen, you will have to take them apart and free them or replace the cylinder.
 
Thanks guys.

Did end up taking the drum off and seeing how the wheels adjust to be sure I was doing it the right way and of course I was not. Notched an arrow on the back side of each wheel cylinder to indicate which way to turn for later reference.

The Haynes is a little confusing the way the word it. The "tool" moving "away" could mean either end of the tool and that is two different directions and once you go so far one way then decide to go back the other way you get lost to where you were and just keep cranking and nothing happens. Luckily the drums came off with ease and it took me all of an hour to do both sides. Unfortunately, the brakes feel no different than before. But my wheel cylinders are not frozen or leaking so I may just go with new pads and hardware for now and put off the disk brake swap. Feel much better about doing the drums myself now that i know how it all works
 
Unfortunately, the brakes feel no different than before.

You never did say what was wrong with your brakes or why you felt you needed new ones, so maybe they didn't need adjustment.

Adjusting only fixes adjustment related problems, like the pedal going too close to the floor or having to pump them before braking pressure builds.

Cruiser drum brakes are no more difficult or problematic than any other drum brakes, but they do require manual adjustment, which was old school even in the mid 1960s.
 
i seem to remember ...

that some rear brake systems have two adjustments, one for the upper shoe and one for the lower.

maybe he is not adjusting both shoes.

What year is your fj40? I can not recommend anyone give up on those drum brakes. I run them stock, both front and rear. YES, it takes a bit of laying around and sometimes, a few loud words at the wife, as she helps me, but seriously, keep the drums. they are not that tough. they keep you in touch with your rig. it's a religious thing. it is all about the relationship between you and your fj40.
 
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maybe he is not adjusting both shoes.

.

Good point. All FJ40s with manually adjustable brakes (up to about '81) have two adjusters per wheel and you have to adjust both of them. I would assume that since he had the drum off, that he would notice both adjusters.
 
Yes, I adjusted both wheel cylinders.

Both as only 2 for the rear end, or both on each side? W/the brakes set up correctly and functioning properly, rear brake adjustment should raise your pedal height.
 
Both as only 2 for the rear end, or both on each side? W/the brakes set up correctly and functioning properly, rear brake adjustment should raise your pedal height.


LOL, yes both wheel cylinders for each wheel. 4 total in the rear. I should expect the question that question though, as the fact that I posted the thread indicates that I am a bit slow. :D

When I initially adjusted them incorrectly the pedal height did drop and when I went back and did it correctly it went back about to where it was before.

It is really all very basic stuff once you get into it. I had never touched drum brakes before, so it all seemed very confusing at first until I took the drum off and saw how it all works. Many times I make the mistake of trying to research and read about it instead of just doing it.
 
It is really all very basic stuff once you get into it. I had never touched drum brakes before, so it all seemed very confusing at first until I took the drum off and saw how it all works. Many times I make the mistake of trying to research and read about it instead of just doing it.

That's not a mistake, that's how I pretty much always do things concerning this rig. Sometimes it means you spend many more hours reading about it than it actually takes to accomplish. But sometimes you get to learn from other peoples mistakes instead of repeating them yourself.
 
Have you tried adjusting the front brakes? If any of the wheels cylinders are too far out of adjustment you'll get a low pedal feeling. Since the front brakes wear out faster they probably need adjustment moreso than the rears.

I almost gave up on the drum brakes because I was getting so frustrated with them, but after reading all the advice on this forum I was able to get everything adjusted perfectly. Rock hard pedal, stops in a straight line, I can even lock up all 4 tires if I really stomped on it. The good thing is once it's adjusted right, it seems much easier to keep it adjusted without a much effort. It only takes about 5 minutes per wheel, and doesn't need to be done very often (maybe once or twice a year). Now the disc brake swap has gone way down the priority list, and I can use the money for more important things.
 
Have you tried adjusting the front brakes? If any of the wheels cylinders are too far out of adjustment you'll get a low pedal feeling. Since the front brakes wear out faster they probably need adjustment moreso than the rears.

I almost gave up on the drum brakes because I was getting so frustrated with them, but after reading all the advice on this forum I was able to get everything adjusted perfectly. Rock hard pedal, stops in a straight line, I can even lock up all 4 tires if I really stomped on it. The good thing is once it's adjusted right, it seems much easier to keep it adjusted without a much effort. It only takes about 5 minutes per wheel, and doesn't need to be done very often (maybe once or twice a year). Now the disc brake swap has gone way down the priority list, and I can use the money for more important things.

Fronts are disk
 
The handle end of the adjuster tool moves away from the centerline of the axle to tighten the shoe against the drum.

Awesome advice! I could never remember which way to turn all eight adjusters. This fixed me right up. Thanks!!!!
B.
 
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Disks are too easy to adjust. Step on brake. Done.
That is no fun.
 
The handle end of the adjuster tool moves away from the centerline of the axle to tighten the shoe against the drum.

You tighten until the wheel is locked tight and then back off 3 "clicks". There will be a dragging noise when you spin the wheel, but it is normal when properly adjusted.


If you are lucky, the adjusters won't be frozen. If they are frozen, you will have to take them apart and free them or replace the cylinder.

Found this old thread after a quick search before adjusting the rear drums on my '74 55.
I fond the opposite to be true, I had to move the handle of the screwdriver away from the axle (or out towards the rim) to loosen the shoes.
our guidance is consistent w/ what my '78 FSM shows though...

Afterwards, I did read through the manual some more, as one of the adjusters was very difficult. The manual refers to wheel cylinders w/ R-hand threads that go on the L side wheel, and the cylinders w/ L-hand threads that go on the R side wheel. Perhaps someone swapped these back in the day? Not sure why. It looks like the cylinders are supposed to be marked on the opposite side of the little clip? I wish I had looked closer when I had the drums off.

Is it a PITA to rebuild the adjusters?
 
The ”adjusters” is just a threaded shaft with a toothed wheel. If your only problem is a rusted threads, you might get lucky and be able to free it up. If the cylinder is frozen, that’s a different story entirely. Take the drum off again and see what you are up against. You can check to see if the cylinders are in the right position, can check to see if the cylinders move when you step on the brakes, are any of the cylinders leaking, and you might get more leverage and get some rust dissolver in there and be able to free up the adjuster. On mine, I was able to find new aftermarket cylinders for short $ and it was a no-brainer swap them all out.
 

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