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adjusting star wheel on drum brakes

FlatBlackBurb

FlatBlackBurb

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okay so on my 1987 3/4 ton chevy suburban with a 14b semi float rear end, im trying to adjust the star wheel that adjusts the brake shoe because my brakes are really bad. you have to put the pedal almost all the way to the ground to get any response. so how easy are these star wheels to turn? ive tried turning them with channel locks in both directions with no avail. they wont budge. parking brake is not on and truck is in neutral. i cant get the drum off of the left side for some reason, but i popped off the punchout on the backside of the assembly and saw the star wheel right there so maybe i can adjust it from there. just to be clear im turning these clockwise (if your looking at them from the back of the truck)? thanks
 
FlatBlackBurb said:
okay so on my 1987 3/4 ton chevy suburban with a 14b semi float rear end, im trying to adjust the star wheel that adjusts the brake shoe because my brakes are really bad. you have to put the pedal almost all the way to the ground to get any response. so how easy are these star wheels to turn? ive tried turning them with channel locks in both directions with no avail. they wont budge. parking brake is not on and truck is in neutral. i cant get the drum off of the left side for some reason, but i popped off the punchout on the backside of the assembly and saw the star wheel right there so maybe i can adjust it from there. just to be clear im turning these clockwise (if your looking at them from the back of the truck)? thanks
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One side turns one way and one turns the other.

They *should* (but generally don't) self-adjust by turning the one way; they're kept from turning the other way by the metal tab in "front" of them (as you look at it with the drum off.)

On the one side you can see, pull that tab back (towards you, away from the truck) and the adjust should now turn both ways.

When I put on new brake shoes, I always take the adjust out (it falls out anyway) and lube the living bejeezus out of it. :dunno:

If that doesn't help, post up a pic of the side with the drum off and I'll show you what I'm on about ... all of my pix are of my disc conversions or I'd post one of mine ;)

-- A
 
hey dremu, i remember you helped with the last question i had about getting the drum cover off... haha well its still not budging. i tried reversing hard and slamming on the brakes and it seemed to work well for 2-3 full stops but then went back to its original crap.

here's a couple pics. i see the metal tab thats on the upper half of the star wheel. i tried moving it with my hand and adjusting the wheel but still nothing happened. my friend suggested a hammer and a flathead screwdriver.

cimg1543il2.jpg


cimg1542gz0.jpg
 
Dang you guys must get rust by the sea or something =))

You only gotta pull the tab maybe 1/4" out towards you, so it's not contacting the tines on the adjuster. Hard to tell from the pic, but the teeth look kinda messed up.

Anyway, if the adjuster doesn't wanna turn by hand when the tab is out, don't force it. Spray the the threaded area with WD40 or penetrating oil or something, and scrub it with a wirebrush, a little one like a toothbrush.

If it were me, I'd tear the whole thing down, lube it, and put it back together ... but then I've done those damn drums so many times I can do 'em in my sleep.

The hassle is, btw, why many of us go to disc ;)

Seriously, if you get totally outsmarted, gimme a day's notice and bring it on up. I'm a coupla hours north of you, but I've done it enough times.

-- A
 
you know, i just lubed it up with WD, cleaned it with a wire brush, pushed the tab back and tried to turn it clockwise AND counterclockwise, bt nothing happened. first i tried it by hand then i used the channel locks, then i tried using a hammer and a screwdriver but still nothing happened... i'll definately contact you if this doesnt work right.
 
Sometimes those things get way outta adjustment, and you have to turn them a fair bit to make them reach the drum again.

The self adjusters on my 96 don't self adjust at all, so every time I change my oil, I jack my rear diff up, crawl under, and adjust the brakes manually.

Makes a huge difference, they brake like crazy for the first month or so, then kinda slowly wear off as the shoe gets consumed.

I have no idea how to make them work properly, I've tried just about everything, but the lever that is suppost to adjust the star wheel, then keep it there just slips up and against the drum backing plate all the time.
 
yeah its not going anywhere... and the lock tab is out of the way too so it cant be that. its been drenched with WD and still nothing. any ideas/suggestions?
 
FlatBlackBurb said:
yeah its not going anywhere... and the lock tab is out of the way too so it cant be that. its been drenched with WD and still nothing. any ideas/suggestions?
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Take the shoes off, take the hardware apart and put the adjuster in a vise ... if it still won't turn, replace it.

-- A
 
Or shoot me an email on dremu-at-yahoo-dot-com and say "Aaron, I wanna bring my truck up to ya" and we'll fix it ;)

-- A
 
As already mentioned the adjuster is rusted and/or has lot's of gunk in it as it should turn relatively easy. Once you get the adjuster freed up, or put a new one in, you can do a rough adjustment with the drum off. To do the final adjustment usually you have to have the drum on...that's why there is the little slots on the back of the backing plate.
 
hmm does anyone know where i can get a couple adjusters? autozone? yeah im still trying to figure out how in the hell to get that left drum off... it spins easily with the other tire but doesn't budge when i try to pull it off. i can wiggle it a bit and i can pull it back a miniscule amout of length then it makes this metal-on-metal sound like its hitting something... has anyone ever had this problem before? I'm gonna see if i can get some new adjusters, take apart the assembly, clean and lube everything then stick it back together and if that doesnt solve the problem, Aaron i'm for sure gonna talk to you.
 
FlatBlackBurb said:
hmm does anyone know where i can get a couple adjusters? autozone? yeah im still trying to figure out how in the hell to get that left drum off... it spins easily with the other tire but doesn't budge when i try to pull it off. i can wiggle it a bit and i can pull it back a miniscule amout of length then it makes this metal-on-metal sound like its hitting something... has anyone ever had this problem before? I'm gonna see if i can get some new adjusters, take apart the assembly, clean and lube everything then stick it back together and if that doesnt solve the problem, Aaron i'm for sure gonna talk to you.
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Kragen doesn't stock them, doesn't look like ... Vatozone has a crappy webpage, so I donno, but you're gonna want the "brake hardware kit", methinks.

Worst case you bring that thing up here, we'll get the drums sorted out, I'll show you how to bleed the brakes, and I have a good local parts house about 5 minutes away =))

-- A
 
When I took my 14SF brakes apart, I found that the PO had installed all the front shoes on one side, rears on the other. Screwed everything up so much that they had to grind a portion of the star wheel off, (to get the brakes to even go back together)so it didn't work right any more.

Ended up just getting some from the wrecking yard.

IIRC they are sort of like a drag link, the star portion is all that turns, the ends stay in place but are forced outward because of the threads on the adjuster wheel portion. Shouldn't be that hard to get apart, but they do tend to get dirty, hot, and rusty.
 
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I know of at least 2 members on here that have ditched the drums for disc's. I can almost guarantee they would mail you an adjuster. I'll make them. :D
 
Well, heck, if the ones on the 14sf are the same as a 14ff, I've got a couple somewhere. Anybody know how interchangeable they are?

-- A
 
FlatBlackBurb said:
yeah i wish i could even adjust it... right now it seems pretty stuck. ill try some more
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I'm going to disk conversion for my 14bff. If you want to you can have both of mine if they will work on the 14sf. Does Dremu know if these are interchangable (sp). If so let me know where to send them.
Hoby
 
dremu said:
Kragen doesn't stock them, doesn't look like ... Vatozone has a crappy webpage, so I donno, but you're gonna want the "brake hardware kit", methinks.

Worst case you bring that thing up here, we'll get the drums sorted out, I'll show you how to bleed the brakes, and I have a good local parts house about 5 minutes away =))

-- A
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I'm pretty sure "vatozone" has them. I know I got some for an old mustang I had a long time ago...Cant remember where I got them from tho :doah:
 
you know i was thinking about going to disc brakes a while ago but i still like the idea of having a parking brake... yeah if any of you guys got some spare adjusters or stuff just let me know and send me an email or something. ill check around with a couple of places (pick n pull) etc and see what i can dig up.
 
FlatBlackBurb said:
you know i was thinking about going to disc brakes a while ago but i still like the idea of having a parking brake... yeah if any of you guys got some spare adjusters or stuff just let me know and send me an email or something. ill check around with a couple of places (pick n pull) etc and see what i can dig up.
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Call my cell if you want my two. 949 289-3243. Probably shouldn't give out my number like this but ooooohh well.
Hoby
 
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