Hope you are all well. Thanks in advance for any guidance you can offer.

Simply put, my brakes suck. I can stop the truck with very light pedal pressure, but if I step on it hard it seems to have the opposite of the desired effect. The harder I push the less stopping power. The pedal does not go to the floor, it's seems firm, just no braking power. I was able to find a lot of info searching the forum on this and the consensus was shoe adjustment.

Here's myproblem. There is no cutout in the back of the drum for adjustments. I'm doing the brake job this week all the way aroud and I'm not sure how to back off the shoes to get the drum off. Anybody seen this before? I also wonder with the problem I'm having if the shoes are even contacting the drum.

I'll add a picture later today if I get a chance, but I would love some help on this.

 

I just did the drums on my truck. The adjusters are on the bottom of the drum assy. the lowest rubber grommet is the adjusting hole. I dont recall what direction to turn the adjuster at the moment. It is possible the adjusters are not working or they were not re-installed right if the brakes were done. I had that issue on an old chevy i had.

 

You don't usually need to loosen the adjuster to remove the drums....otherwise your brakes would be on all the time. Just make sure you don't set the parking brake. For drum adjustment, I usually expand the adjuster until there is slight friction when reinstalling the drums.

 

i adjust with drums on, not off.
jack up truck, remove wheel and drum and inspect (make sure you have shoe material).
put drum and wheel back on.
remove rubber grommet on back side.
tighten adjuster till wheel rotation has lots of resistence, and then back it off so you hear the faintest of tick while turning the wheels.

if your rear shoes are not up pretty tight, the magical proportioning valve won't crank down on the fronts until it senses pressure on the rears. i don't understand how it works - PFM i guess.

a lot of people replace the rear wheel cyl with the GM 1 ton for improved braking. search for lots of posts and part number. i haven't done it yet.

 

Not an expert here, but sounds more like brake booster failure. Here's the test from the manual:

DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING - HYDRAULIC

BOOSTER

The hydraulic booster uses hydraulic pressure from

the power steering pump. Before diagnosing a

booster problem, first verify the power steering pump

is operating properly. Perform the following checks.

²

²

²

leaks and restrictions.

²

NOISES

The hydraulic booster unit will produce certain

characteristic booster noises. The noises may occur

when the brake pedal is used in a manner not associated

with normal braking or driving habits.

HISSING

A hissing noise may be noticed when above normal

brake pedal pressure is applied, 40 lbs. or above. The

noise will be more noticeable if the vehicle is not

moving. The noise will increase with the brake pedal

pressure and an increase of system operating temperature.

CLUNK-CHATTER-CLICKING

A clunk-chatter-clicking may be noticed when the

brake pedal is released quickly, after above normal

brake pedal pressure is applied 50-100 lbs..

[align=left]BOOSTER FUNCTION TEST[/align][align=left]With the engine off depress the brake pedal several[/align][align=left]times to discharge the accumulator. Then depress the[/align][align=left]brake pedal using 40 lbs. of force and start the[/align][align=left]engine. The brake pedal should fall and then push[/align][align=left]back against your foot. This indicates the booster is[/align][align=left]operating properly.[/align][align=left]ACCUMULATOR LEAKDOWN[/align][align=left](1) Start the engine, apply the brakes and turn the[/align][align=left]steering wheel from lock to lock. This will ensure the[/align][align=left]accumulator is charged. Turn off the engine and let[/align][align=left]the vehicle sit for one hour. After one hour there[/align][align=left]should be at least two power assisted brake application[/align][align=left]with the engine off. If the system does not retain[/align][align=left]a charge the booster must be replaced.[/align][align=left](2) With the engine off depress the brake pedal[/align][align=left]several times to discharge the accumulator. Grasp[/align][align=left]the accumulator and see if it wobbles or turns. If it[/align][align=left]does the accumulator has lost a gas charge and the[/align][align=left]booster must be replaced.[/align][align=left][/align][align=left]Hope this helps, good luck![/align]

 

there has to be an adjustment hole in the back... it might be covered in gunk to the point where your missing it. My wifes old dak had crappy brakes & I adjusted the rears for her and she was much happier... took me about 10 minutes.

 

Steve- I agree there has to be a hole, but there isn't, at least it's not a hole yet.

It appears that the back plates were stamped but never pushed through.There are no grommets.The truck has 130k now, am I to believe that the auto adjusters functioned until now? Was this a dealer prep item that didn't get done or did this truck miss a stage of the assembly line at the factory? I doubt this is that unusual, can someone fill me in?

I am putting new shoes on it tonight regardless, so my plan is to punch them through and remove themetal.once the drum is off. I'm scared of what I'm going to find inside the drum!



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Mine is doing the same thing, and I also have no rubber plug. There is a knockout that is still in place where the plug should be. Good luck, and pleasepost your results.

 

my 01 has a 1 plug at the bottom of the plate.

 

I've had to knock out the hole on another older car, don't remember what, but I think since you have 2 knockouts you have to remove the forward one to access the adjuster star. The plugs you can get cheap from the parts store.