The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Brake adjustment question

I adjusted and bled my brakes according to the manual and I have plenty of pedal and good stopping power. The only thing is, the truck pulls to the left on a hard brake. I assumed I had the left front adjusted too close so I backed it off a few notches. Seemed like the pulling got worse. I put the left front adjustment back where it was and tried the same thing with the leftrear. The truck was still pulling to the left after that adjustment. Am I right in assuming the problem is on the left side?
The other thing is that on my left rear wheel, when you move the adjuster in to its maximum point, the shoes still drag slightly on the drum. I'm maxed out on the adjustment and can't bring them in any more. I even pulled the drum to verify this. Any ideas? Thanks.

Might want to check the E brake and make sure it is not set too tight.

I had a hard pull to the right...upon checking my suspension, I discovered a broken leaf!

Hy joeflanagan, The adjustment of the rear brakes can cause pulling as well, having two brakes on one side of the vehicle working well, while only one working well on the other side will cause the vehicle to pull to the side with the two good functioning brakes. I always adjust the brakes right up tight, so the shoes will be centered and the wheel cylinder pistons collapsed all the way in, then back them off no more than seven notches. You may also have a wheel cylinder with one or both pistons stuck, hope that helps.

there should be a "slight" drag on all wheels, if the shoes are new and the drums have never been turned, likely the shoes could use arcing to fit, but they'll wear in soon enough .... the pulling could also relate to the rears, if that left one drags more than the right .... make sure you haven't got a cylinder leaking or oily fingerprints on any shoes, and if you haven't replaced the rubber lines at the front wheels, do so

Bill

Thanks for the responses. The rear drums are new, with new shoes and wheel cylinders. The fronts are original with rebuilt wheel cylinders and shoes and drums that are in good condition. I've pulled the drums to make sure none of the cylinders are leaking. All brake lines, including the rubber ones, are new. I followed the manual's recommendation of bringing them in until a slight drag is felt, and then backing off seven clicks. I notice some guys go much tighter than that and back off some.
With the e-brake released there is plenty of slack in the cable, so I assume this isn't the problem. Am I right about that?
Also, I can't guarantee there aren't any oily fingerprints or other contaminants on the drums and will have to take a look at that.

If it pulls to the left, it could mean that the right brake is not working as well. If the front drums have been turned at some time, the new shoes probably don't match in curvature. If there is a difference in size or condition between the left and right drum, that could make it pull. You could pull the front drums and look at the contact pattern on the shoes.

The front shoes are original and are in good shape. An examination of the wear pattern on the fronts looks like they're making even contact. There is nothing obviously wrong with the drums. They haven't been measured or anything but there's nothing that jumps out at you.
I think it's strange that I can't adjust the left rear back any farther than a light drag. All the others will retract until they're not even touching the drums. Seems logical there might be a connection there.

I've been putting this off and driving around town with the intention of getting to it later. But I've found that the brakes are suddenly no longer pulling to the left. In fact, the truck stays straight when you brake and take your hands off the wheel. Is it possible for this kind of problem to correct itself? I do notice that the left front drum is hotter than the right after driving in traffic, but that has equaled out some over the past few days. The front shoes are the ones that were on there when I got the truck. The backs are new. Maybe they just needed to wear in?

If the PO put new shoes on and didn't turn the drums it is possible that they wore into drums and now work fine. If it keeps working fine you should be OK.