Do they sell the pins(?) for the wheel cylinders seperately or are they not available? can't seem to find them and mine look pretty ratty.

 

They didn't come as part of the hardware kit.... and they don't come with the wheel cylinders either..... I have never had to replace them though.... dealer might be the only option.

 

Pulled the drums off and knocked out the adjuster holes. Adjusted the shoes until I could barely move them by hand.
Have an issue with them. If I let the wheels spin up in drive and apply the brakes it seems like a lot of pressure to stop them. Occasionally I can't stop them at all without pushing the pedal almost to the floor. Try it again and they stop. Any ideas on this?

 

Recheck the adjustment. If the adjustment is good, bleed 'em.

 

I'll bleed em tomorrow. Other than leaking, what would a bad wheel cylinder cause? I am regretting not just replacing them while I had them apart. The posts/pins looked ugly, rusty.
I got a feeling I'm gonna have my hands full with this truck. Definately wasn't given much love by the last owner.

 

My truck's brakes feel pretty bad, the pedal goes way down when stopping. I checked the front brakes, and there is plenty left on the pads. I've never done rear brake before, so I've been checking out this thread.

It seems like the adjuster has to be turned from behind the drum? Can I clear out the hole for the adjuster without taking the entire brakes apart, just with the drum off? Also, how would I bleed the rear and front brakes? I looked them over, and I don't quite know where the bleeder screw is.

 

I know that feeling. I don't think the previous owner did much of anything to my truck....... About the only thing that happens to wheel cylinders is leaking...... really not all that much to go wrong with 'em. If they start leaking, when you are applying pressure to the brake pedal, it will creep slowly toward the floor. If one completely blows apart, (and the only way that happens if something really BAD happens to your rear end....) the pedal can sink pretty damn quick. I think I have seen that happen once in 35 odd years of working on cars.

You can just pull the drum, and then knock the little metal tab out. No need to completely disassemble.

To bleed them, you start with the passenger rear first. Bleeder valves are on the back side, little bolt type feller with a hole in the middle, right between the mounting bolts for the wheel cylinder. They like to break off, instead of come loose, so, hit 'em with chemicals several times for a couple days before you actually do the job. You will need a friend....... Valves on the calipers are right up on top, and are just larger versions of what you see in the back. Give these guys the chemical bath as well.

So, take the lid off the master cylinder, make sure it is full..... park friend in drivers seat. You crawl under the back, passenger side, and crack open the bleed a bit, have friend step down on the brake pedal. Pedal will go to floor.... have friend HOLD it there, close bleeder. Friend lets up on pedal. Keep doing that until you start getting CLEAN fluid, and no air. (a short piece of clear plastic tubing that fits over the bleeder, and feeds into a jar of some sort makes it easier to see if you are done....) Once all the air is out, and the fluid runs clean, move on the the drivers rear. Repeat the process. (won't be nearly as time consuming here, as all you are really flushing now is the line from where the soft line hits the axle, to the wheel cylinder.) Same process. Next is passenger front. Then drivers front.

After your friend pumps the pedal three or four times, top off the fluid level in the m/c. DO NOT RUN IT EMPTY, as then you will have to start that end of the truck over again. (introduces air into the system.)

It's fun, if all goes well, takes maybe an hour.

 

I think I will try adjusting them tomorrow. Do we have any pics of where the tab is? I had my drums off tonight, and I didn't it. And when I knock that out, I adjust it from the opposite (back) side? Any special tools I need to adjust them? As far as I know, they get adjusted upward, correct?

 

I have a 99 1500 4X4. There were actually two tabs. The ones further to the back of the truck were the ones that had to come out to adjust the shoes. I tried punching them out but the spot welds holding them on were pretty good, lol. I had to hit them with a cutting wheel from the back and then punch them in, then I was able to get them off with a needle nose pliers. Once you get them off you have to plug the holes with the rubber covers or crap will get inside the drum.

 

One side is up and the other is down. Opposite sides turn different directions. And my 98 had no knock outs. You want an oval hole directly behind the adjusting screw. I used a die grinder and a dremel. Made them the right size so I could put a rubber boot on.