Wheel Cylinder Adjusters Frozen

[Eric_FJ40]

Hi, Gang:

I've searched and read several posts - but one thing is not clear to me.

Will the adjusters (from the rear wheel cylinders) come out without removing the wheel cylinder and opening up the brake system?

Can I just take the shoes out and pull the threaded portion and the adjuster wheel out to my bench where I can wrestle them free?

thanks!

 

[2badfjs]

NOT IF IT'S FROZEN

replace complete cyl.

 

[snailwagon]

air chisel those bad boys, then antiseize afterwards.been there twice

 

[Pete]

eric,

iI've fought this battle more than once and I have found that a large pair of channel lock pliers (what my dad always called "water pump pliers", why I don't know) is the best tool for the job. Remove the brake drums and try to rotate the adjuster wheels with the pliers, back and forth. If you're patient, you'll be able to break them free like this and it isn't necessary to remove the shoes or any other parts, except the drums (not always an easy task itself!). In fact you should leave the shoes in place to hold the fixed threaded part of the adjuster while you try to turn the cogged part. If necessary, use a little penetrating oil around them to help get them loose. If you do ever install new wheel cylinders, coat the threaded part of the adjusters with anti-seize to make things easier the next time.

Pete

 

[Coolerman]

If your adjusters are frozen, odds are the cylinder bore is also rusted badly. I would pull the cylinder off and work on it on the bench. Once the adjusters are free then you can hone and polish the cylinder bore and get a new cup kit from NAPA. My web site in my sig has a whole section on working on the drum cylinders. Good luck!

 

[Pete]

Coolerman,

The bores aren't necessarily bad. It's usually the threads that seize.

Pete

 

[Coolerman]

Well since the adjuster basically is IN the bore the odds are that the bore is rusted. They may not be if he's lucky, but it's so easy to remove the cylinders and work on them. Might as well do'em right if your already in there messing with it.

 

[Tankota]

I messed with those things for years before I realized that it was just better to swap in a different brake system (toyota pickup 12" brakes). If the adjuster is rusted you may be able to break it loose with a bar and a vice grip. The bore is probably just as rusty though.
Wow! cruiser drum brakes are about the worst I have ever had.
The disk conversion isn't that expensive compared to the cost of completely restoring your drums...maybe try that route.

 

[Fast Eddy]

My web site in my sig has a whole section on working on the drum cylinders. Good luck!

That's a great page. There's a couple typos though:

> six thousandths (.0006)

should be

> six thousandths (.006)

and

> One down and three or eight to go!

should be

> One down and three or seven to go!

I think for me, though, the cost of the hone, caliper and cups is close enough to the sale price of new cylinders (CCOT) that the time just wouldn't be worth it. After seeing your page I would definitly take them apart and see what they look like inside next time I have them out.

 

[Pin_Head]

The adjuster can come out w/o further dissassembling the cylinder. You can chuck the adjuster in a vise to make it easier to muscle the treaded part out.

If the cylinder is leaking, put a rebuild kit in it. You don't need a hone (although it will make short work of it). You can just polish off the glaze with 400 grit silicon carbide paper. As long as the pitting is outside of the sealing surface (as it usually is) rebuilding them works out fine long term.

 

[madoc1]

just went thru this. the fronts are single piston and the rears are double. you can pull the fronts without losing fluid, but not the rears. oh! and by the way do one side at a time. dont ask how i know. as others have said, pull them, free them, clean them and antisieze the adjusters. mine work great now and adjust easily.(sort of) have fun jim

 

[Fast Eddy]

Side question

What's the procedure for adjusting them? Out until they drag, then back off a bit? The chevy's I've done in the past only had one adjuster, not two.

 

[Coolerman]

Web site updated

That's a great page. There's a couple typos though:

> six thousandths (.0006) should be > six thousandths (.006) and
> One down and three or eight to go! should be> One down and three or seven to go!

I think for me, though, the cost of the hone, caliper and cups is close enough to the sale price of new cylinders (CCOT) that the time just wouldn't be worth it. After seeing your page I would definitly take them apart and see what they look like inside next time I have them out.

Thanks for the compliments and feed back! I have fixed those two typos and also found another (.0002 instead of .002)

With the amount of labor I put into rebuilding the cylinders (I also powder coated them) I probably should have bought new ones but I have always had good luck rebuilding stuff and just wanted to do it myself. Let us know how the CCOT cyclinders hold up.

Adjusting:

I found the coolest reference on an old Buick restoration site about how to adjust brakes: " Adjust the shoe to drum clearance until the desired effects are achieved"

On mine I adjust until the drum cannot be turned by hand to then back them off until there is still a slight drag. Good firm pedal with NO pumping.

 

[Eric_FJ40]

Status...

Thank you for all of the comments and suggestions.

I got into it last night and found that of the four wheel cylinders, 1 was okay, 2 needed just a small amount of coaxing and 1 seems to be frozen in the bore as well as the threaded adjuster in the middle.

I adjusted what I could and have good braking, but I know that it needs to be right for safety.

I'll need to decide what to do, but I think I am leaning towards an RDB conversion at this point.

Thanks again!

 

[cruisermedic]

i know this thread is OLD, but i just did my brakes and my wheel cylinders were frozen pretty bad. i searched for tips on the removeal, rebuild, and replace and didnt see this method for removal of frozen parts on here already. i wanted to take them off the truck first but my dad had a different idea. we used the hydraulic preesure from the lines to help remove the pistons before removing the cylinders for refinishing. i guess i should say this only worked for the top piston of each cylinder.

all we did was use a block of wood between the floor and the bottom piston. gently lower the truck so the bottom piston just barely touched it. remember, just touching, you dont want to have that wheel cylinder supporting the rig and snap off the mounting bolts. now we pushed the brake pedal to buld pressure at the same time we tried to turn the piston. on the adjusters we used a pipe wrench and for the reg. pistons we just used a small straight prybar. we used coathanger wire to hold the other wheel cylinder compressed while we did this. then we cleaned up the pistons set them back in place wired that one and whebnt to work on the other.

i know it sounds like alot, but those things were so tight i cant imagine how they would have come off with out the pressure flom the master cylinder helping. and the small pipe wrench didnt booger up the teeth on the adjusters like when we tried channel locks. just thought this might help some one in my position.

steve

 

[Rocky_LC]

eric,

iI've fought this battle more than once and I have found that a large pair of channel lock pliers (what my dad always called "water pump pliers", why I don't know) is the best tool for the job. Remove the brake drums and try to rotate the adjuster wheels with the pliers, back and forth. If you're patient, you'll be able to break them free like this and it isn't necessary to remove the shoes or any other parts, except the drums (not always an easy task itself!). In fact you should leave the shoes in place to hold the fixed threaded part of the adjuster while you try to turn the cogged part. If necessary, use a little penetrating oil around them to help get them loose. If you do ever install new wheel cylinders, coat the threaded part of the adjusters with anti-seize to make things easier the next time.

Pete

I tried this method (before I read Pete's post) - I missed the "if your're patient..." part.

Looks like a new wheel cylinder for me....

I do agree the channel-loc k plier method is a good way to get the adjuster loose. The one on the front side (where I can put penetrating oil in the adjuster cup, and it runs down came free - but the rear wouldn't come loose. I wasn't patient.



Rocky