The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Self adjusting brakes...

Have a 65 C-10 Fleetside, and was told that by applyin' pressure to brakes while in reverse, that this is the proper way to engage self adjustment??? Any response is appreciated. Pre-thanks are in order...

FishSteelhead,

I think a typical 'self-adjust'..adjust is to cycle forward and backward about ten times or so, vigorously apply the brakes on each short jog. This will adjust them automatically as tight as they need to be.

Stuart

Fishhead,,from what ive always heard,,youre correct. Drive in reverse and pump the brakes,,thats supposed to "self adjust" them out to where they need to be.
Marty

Steelhead, as the shoes grab the drum they rock a little on their mountings, this causes the adjusting pawl to tighten up the adjustment. When you release the pedal the pawl ratchets back to the next notch until they are tight. If every thing is clean and lubed properly the reverse brake application is usually all that is necessary. Alternately pulling forward will insure that the pawls has indexed, it should not be necessary though to get an adjustment. Applying a dozen or so sharp stops in reverse should bring the shoes out to the drum. Once you have a full pedal you will know that they have reached full adjustment.
Brake fluid is non-compressible, think of it as a solid link back to the brake shoe. So if the linkage has to move the shoes a greater distance to contact the drum this calls for more pedal movement. As the clearance is reduced it requires less pedal movement, this is when you get a full pedal.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Atomarc, 54 panel & Denny,
"Sounds like an Oscar Meyer", and I thank you much for your quick follow-ups. Was'nt to sure on it (self adjustin') , because the individual that conveyed this to me has been labeled as an "alley mechanic". Just goes to show ya' how one should, "not judge a book by it's cover". To reiterate, I thank you much for your assistance and have a good one. ~ Skip

I've been working on self-adjusting brakes since they came out in the early 60's, and there are a few little details to consider. First, manually adjust the shoes close to the drums after shoe replacement, but not dragging heavily. If you leave the adjusters fully retracted, it will take dozens of stops before you have a full pedal. Come to a full stop in reverse each time you apply the brakes during final adjustment. It's not necessary to pull forward to reset the adjusting pawl, but it's not uncommon to need 20 or more full stops to get it right. It is absolutely essential to keep the starwheel adjuster clean and lubed, or it will lock up and refuse to self-adjust, so dismantle and clean it thoroughly, then lube the threads with waterproof lithium grease such as Lubriplate at every shoe replacement.
Jerry

Jerry,
The deed has been done and I thank ya', along with the other responders. Worked great. Hey, your D_ _ N sure striaght on the, "ignorance can be fixed; stupid is forever"! ; ) Have a good day... ~ Skip