Brake shoe adjustment driving me crazy

[joshs1ofakindxj]

I put new shoes on the rear axle of my deuce because the old ones got saturated with gear oil. I followed the TM and the drive side is perfect but the passenger side is driving me crazy! I can't get the shoes on that side to pull in enough so that they're not rubbing the drum and causing a TON of drag when the bearings are tightened. The bottom cams are in the backed off position and the top adjusters are all the way to the backed off position as well, but the shoes aren't touching the top adjusters. Has anyone had this issue? Is it possibly getting hung up on the alignment pins? Should I slow the holes for those pins so the shoes can move in more? Or could this be an issue with the wheel cylinder?

 

[onegmjack]

I would check the wheel cylinders. Make sure they are not stuck.

 

[onegmjack]

Then check brake shoes. Where did you get the shoes? Are they NOS or something else?

 

[joshs1ofakindxj]

Nos

 

[rchalmers3]

If it's not too late to check, I'd measure the collapsed width of the cylinders. comparing the left to the right. If they are the same I'd inspect the shoes carefully for warped backings, oversized lining or wrong configuration of the shoe frame.

You may try swapping the shoes from one side to the other to see if the issue travels. Hope these ideas help you!

Rick

 

[rustystud]

Are you using the 1-3/8" wheel cylinder or the 1-1/2" ? Peashooter had a problem with the apply pins. He had to cut the depth deeper in the slot.

 

[joshs1ofakindxj]

Not sure on the size, i haven't changed them.

 

[joshs1ofakindxj]

I fiddled around with it for awhile today and figured out it was the adjustment of the forward shoe. The rear shoe was the one giving me the trouble so I was surprised it wasn't the real issue. I had the forward one backed all the way up and as soon as I brought it 0.010" from the drum everything got peachy. Crazy.

 

[rustystud]

Glad you found the problem. Brake issues can be a pain in the a$$ to find sometimes.

 

[welldigger]

Glad you found the problem. Brake issues can be a pain in the a$$ to find sometimes.

I don't know what it is about my truck but my front brakes will adjust perfectly and my rear 2 axles I just gotta get as close as I can. I have disassembled and cleaned everything with no change. Maybe if I started with brand new shoes it would help but there's too much meat on them to worry about that now.

 

[rustystud]

I don't know what it is about my truck but my front brakes will adjust perfectly and my rear 2 axles I just gotta get as close as I can. I have disassembled and cleaned everything with no change. Maybe if I started with brand new shoes it would help but there's too much meat on them to worry about that now.

How's your drums ? Have they been turned before ? Sometimes you can have brand new shoes, but the drums are to far gone to work properly anymore. Either out of spec, out of round (egg shaped) or too many hard spots. Or it could be something totally different !

 

[welldigger]

How's your drums ? Have they been turned before ? Sometimes you can have brand new shoes, but the drums are to far gone to work properly anymore. Either out of spec, out of round (egg shaped) or too many hard spots. Or it could be something totally different !

I do believe at least some of my drums are a bit egg shaped. More than likely my shoes are worn unevenly also. The truck stops good. But, I think it could be a bit better. One day I'll have the drums turned and my shoes replaced. One day when I'm not busy rebuilding the rest of it.

 

[rustystud]

I see your also a night owl too welldigger. I have worked swingshift for over 20 years now and cannot get back into the dayshift routine.

 

[mark salanco]

I just put new wheel cylinder and shoes on my rear axle, I had the same issue as you had. Guess I'll I'll have to mess with it tomorrow. The top of the rear shoe is dragging. I got tired of messing with it today.

 

[scboolitcaster]

Must be something in the water. I was working on the truck tonight and noticed something leaking down the inside of the passenger rear.

That wheel cylinder was replaced maybe a month ago, too.

 

[porkysplace]

Must be something in the water. I was working on the truck tonight and noticed something leaking down the inside of the passenger rear.

That wheel cylinder was replaced maybe a month ago, too.

Depending on where the wheel cylinder was made it may have incorrect springs or no cup expanders which leads to leaking. Some good info in this thread post #1.
[h=1]Wheel Cylinder springs[/h]

 

[mark salanco]

I did the same exact thing with my new shoes. When I put the drum on, the shoes were dragging bad, I got tired of messing with it. This morning I went back to it, I adjusted the front shoe first, bottom, then top.
Went to the rear shoe that was dragging bad, adjusted the bottom, then the top came in.
I think what happens is, you try and back the bottom adjusters off to much, and it will push the shoe to the top and cause it to drag.

 

[scboolitcaster]

Depending on where the wheel cylinder was made it may have incorrect springs or no cup expanders which leads to leaking. Some good info in this thread post #1.
[h=1]Wheel Cylinder springs[/h]

Got it all apart and the wheel cylinder wasn't leaking. Guess it had to be gear oil.

Put new seals in and repacked the bearings. Now I can't get the brakes to come in to adjustment.

Rear shoe bottom I can't get anywhere close to .010
When it gets close the shoe grabs at the top.

I adjusted the front shoe, then went back to the rear..no joy. Tried adjusting the top rear and then going back to the bottom..no joy.

Gonna give it a try again tomorrow.

One thing I learned..no more rtv for me on the axle. It was stuck together so well, I almost couldn't get it apart.

 

[Floridianson]

I remember the days when the mobile brake van came to the shop and turned the drums and arc the new shoes.
For those who don't know arc the shoes is pre removing some brake shoe material from it so as the shoe seats better on the drum when new shoes are put on. If you don't arc the shoe the material on the shoe wears out uneven.That can make for a harder to adjust the shoes well after replacement.

 

[scboolitcaster]

Well, I'm not sure why this worked, but I adjusted the rear shoe bottom till the shoe was as close as it would go to the drum. Then I cranked hard on the top adjustment (forcing the shoe against the drum) until I saw .01 at 8 o clock. Tightened down the lockout on the bottom, went back and adjusted the top to. 02.
Checked the bottom and it was still good.

I don't really understand why it worked. Maybe some slop in there somewhere.

Anyway the drum turns without dragging. I'm calling it good.