Drum self adjuster falling off

[sams93gt]

Just rebuilt the rear drums. New shoes, drums, cylinders, springs, self adjuster blah blah blah. Took it out on the road and the driver side drum self adjuster bracket fell off and got bent in between the shoe and the drum , the spring came off and everything. I cant bend the bracket back because it cracked. Now initially when I did the brakes when I got the car a month ago this is the exact thing that was wrong, I guess i have 2 questions, 1) why does it fall off even if I've adjusted the brakes correctly and 2) is there a way to just hook up the spring and not the self adjuster on one side? I dont wanna keep buying self adjuster rebuild kits just for the one bracket. Thanks in advance

 

[sams93gt]

I dont think i posted this in tech/support can a mod move it please?

 

[jrichker]

Simple answer - either the self-adjuster wasn't correctly installed or you have something else broken.

Drum brake assembly

I recommend that you print this post and tape the first drawing up in front of you when you reassemble the brakes. It is very easy to do it wrong and without the drawing in front of you.
The springs and shoes are position dependent, so look closely at the drawing when you put it back together. Make careful note of the FORWARD ARROW that points you towards the front of the car. When you install the brake shoes, remember: short shoe goes towards the front of the car.

Here's two pages out of the factory shop manual...

 

[sams93gt]

Thank you, I'll print this out after I get back from napa with the new kit. And I was wrong with the part that falls off, it's the metal plate the self adjusting screw ratchets on as well as the steel braided line that hooks into it. Almost like it has no pressure on that part of the assembly

 

[sams93gt]

Omg the side that fell off I had the pads switched , the short side was in the back, ty for the help

 

[sams93gt]

Simple answer - either the self-adjuster wasn't correctly installed or you have something else broken.

Drum brake assembly

I recommend that you print this post and tape the first drawing up in front of you when you reassemble the brakes. It is very easy to do it wrong and without the drawing in front of you.
The springs and shoes are position dependent, so look closely at the drawing when you put it back together. Make careful note of the FORWARD ARROW that points you towards the front of the car. When you install the brake shoes, remember: short shoe goes towards the front of the car.

Here's two pages out of the factory shop manual...

Hey quick question, the automatic adjuster spring (red) does that "push" into the shoe with that other end of the spring? It's hard to tell from pics

 

[sams93gt]

I had another post about the self adjuster falling out, now I have everything put together "the right way" I hope, and the bracket that sits on top of the self adjusted star screw thing at the bottom of the shoes is just sitting in front of it and not on top of it where it's supposed to lock the star screw in place, I've tried taking it apart, changing the pattern of the springs and nothing is working and I'm sinking over here , I'll post pics of what it looks like right now someone please help me. I'm so tired of doing these brakes!!!

 

[General karthief]

If you hold the spring up with the hook in the same hole as the cable you'll see how it hooks into the hole in the shoe.

 

[General karthief]

Oh, keep to one thread on your subject matter or you can just keep this one going so members can review what been done or info already given.
looks like you may have that brake job licked.

 

[sams93gt]

I feel like the spring is pulling the bracket down and its pulling it off the star you can see its sitting in front

 

[sams93gt]

Can a mod link these two sorry. I didn't mean to start a new thread I've just been doing these brakes for over a week

 

[General karthief]

Already did.
to see if your adjuster is working take your finger and pull out on the adjuster cable and you should see the adjuster lift and engage the star wheel, let go of the cable and it should engage a tooth and spin the wheel.

 

[General karthief]

Show a pic of the other side when you get a chance.
i'm looking at the pics of your setup and comparing them to the instructional pics and it looks right. Need to compare to the other side.

 

[sams93gt]

i will take a pic in the morning, when i pull up on the bracket braided line it engages but when i release pressure it pops back off its almost as if the red spring is pulling it off the star

 

[General karthief]

Is the adjuster cable tight? It should have tension on it.

 

[General karthief]

That adjuster looks like it's got a lot of threads showing, need to see that other side, take a brake (pun intended) and rest your back and we'll see the other side tomorrow.

 

[sams93gt]

Pass side, I'm drinking playing on my pc lol

 

[sams93gt]

they both do have tension on them, i just dont know whats goin on with this drivers side. im about ready to wire tie this together and be done with it until i can afford a disc brake conversion, also, thank you guys for the help i really appreciate it. i am a car guy but i dont have many friends near by that can come by and give me a second set of eyes

 

[sams93gt]

you can kind of see how the drivers side is pointed downward instead of being flush, IS IT because the white spring is pointed down on the pivot point on the pass side and not on the drivers?

 

[sams93gt]

OMG did i switch the springs? am i supposed to have the green where the white is on the drivers side? would that make up for the 1/8 to 1/4" of slack that makes the tip point down?