newb question on the drum brakes - drum adjusting - help

[hedz]

my truck is pulling to the left on braking.

i was taught early on when adjusting drum brakes, jack up one tire at a time. adjust the top of the star wheel towards the back of the drum brake going upwards. do this until the tire will only spin one revolution when spinning the tire. pump the brake in between each adjusting click.

when all drums have been adjusted in this manner, one should have even stopping power that is good and doesn't pull to either side.

that being said all my drum hardware is in awesome condition. everything is functioning. no air in the lines. very firm pedal.

this in my opinion has to be adjusting problem.

since it's pulling hard to the left what do i do?

can someone teach me how to adjust my drums properly? duhhhhh

[cep62]

Did you rebuild or replace the wheel cylinders?
If not one could be sticking and not applying enough pressure.

Sometimes the flex hose could have an internal blockage.

Also are all your tracking arm bushings and tie rods in good shape?

[hedz]

wheel cylinders are solid. brand new and installed with perfection.

steel braided lines are not collapsed

tie rod is fine.

i'm drawing a blank on what the tracking arm is. not good with suspension

a friend is telling me that for heavier older cars using one drum revolution as a rule of thumb on the adjustment is not proper. i think my adjustment issue is on the right drum brake. right now it spins one revolution.

do you guys adjust to a point where your wheel doesn't spin when it's jacked off the ground?

heck maybe i did have brake part failure. that would make round 3 on wheel cylinders in 4 years. if that's the case i'll be getting my next set from rock auto because i'm sick of wheel cylinders from oreillys to napa

[tqwrench]

Drive it backwards and apply the brakes, does the steering wheel turn? If not, start looking towards suspension. Moving backwards you're now in a negative caster situation so the wheel will be more sensitive.

I've seen a lot of guys chase brake pulls that were caused by lower control arms (on SLA suspension systems) that were starting to give way. In those cases you looked to the opposite side of pull, that was the arm to replace.

If it was a brake hose, it would pull then stop pulling as the braking continued, due to the restriction. Suburbans from the 80s were notorious for that.

[hedz]

i'll try that after work today.

i thought about it. the wheel cylinders and drum hardware have to be ok. otherwise adjusting wouldn't allow the shoes to expand and contract. so all that is good.

what is your rule of thumb on drum adjustments on these trucks? does it follow what i detailed? do i need less spin than 1 revolution?

[ultraranger]

I have always run the adjusters up until I could no longer turn the wheel/tire by hand then back the adjusters off 10 clicks.

If drums are not worn evenly, one bigger I.D. than the other, it can cause the vehicle to pull to one side.

Oil or grease on the friction surfaces of the drums or on the brake linings can cause the brakes to grab.

Wheel cylinders and brake hoses may be new but that doesn't necessarily mean they are good. I've seen plenty of 'new' items that were bad right out of the box.

[1972 highboy]

check to see if your drum is not warped in the inside.it happened to me and that was the problem

[hedz]

check to see if your drum is not warped in the inside.it happened to me and that was the problem

can this happen over time?

i've had the same drums for almost 4 years.

i tried reversing the truck and hitting the brakes and the wheel cuts right.

so going forward cuts left, going backward cuts right.

i'm still thinking there is something going on in one of the brakes.

i've tried adjusting each front brake in every possible combination now and i'm not getting much difference.

i'm going to pull off the drums tomorrow or on the next sunny day off and try to figure this out. if a drum is warped i'll try to get it turned. if a hose is collapsed then i guess i'll just put rubber hoses on the front. i'm getting tired of these steel braided lines anywho. they are either too short or too long.

[radioactivelarry]

You want to check the drums to see if there are any hot spots, heat checks as they will make a wheel pull hard.
Check the linings also.
How many times have you replaced the shoes without turning the drums?
Check your rear brakes they will make a pull if they are not right also.
Check to see if you have any ridges in the drums both deep inside and on the outer edges it could make a brake not work correctly and will make it pull.
In fact check to see if you have a brake that is not working correctly front or rear.
Is it a hard violent pull or just noticeable when you apply the brakes?
Also check to see if one of the primary shoes is not switched with the secondary shoe.

Good luck and be careful.

[hedz]

You want to check the drums to see if there are any hot spots, heat checks as they will make a wheel pull hard.
Check the linings also.
How many times have you replaced the shoes without turning the drums?
Check your rear brakes they will make a pull if they are not right also.
Check to see if you have any ridges in the drums both deep inside and on the outer edges it could make a brake not work correctly and will make it pull.
In fact check to see if you have a brake that is not working correctly front or rear.
Is it a hard violent pull or just noticeable when you apply the brakes?
Also check to see if one of the primary shoes is not switched with the secondary shoe.

Good luck and be careful.

it's a sharp turn. i can correct the turn with the steering wheel. i never replaced the shoes. when i rebuilt my drums for the first time 4 years ago the shoes were in fantastic shape. the drums were toast so i replaced the drums with brand new ones. i have a off day soon. i'll pull every drum and check them out. then i'll readjust them.

i never removed the shoes when i replaced all the wheel cylinders so i think they would be in their correct places. which one is primary and which one is secondary? i've never heard this before...

[tqwrench]

Your problem is the RF wheel. It's brakes, not suspension. A frozen wheel cylinder, stuck shoe, blocked hydraulic circuit, any of the above. Just because it is new, does not mean it is good. I had 3 sets of bad (leaky) wheel cylinders in a row from AutoZombie, had to go get a set from NAPA to fix it (this was on an Olds 98).

Start by attempting to bleed the brakes in the front. Get an assistant, have them hold moderate pressure on the pedal, crack the screw at the LF and then the RF, compare the flow of fluid. Then pull the RF wheel and drum and perform a visual inspection. Take it from there.

**edit** unless that master is new or relatively new, do not let them push the brake pedal to the floor. You drag the seals through a portion of the master they never have been in before and could hit debris that builds up in there tearing them. I always hold one foot under the pedal and one above doing it that way unless I KNOW that bore is clean.