rear brakes

Adjust them with the e brake in reverse. Took me a while (4 laps ) I can stop on a dime now. 6 clicks on the e brake is all I have now.

 

You can adjust them with the star wheel too. Takes a couple minutes.

 

so what was your method? bake up and pull the e-brake

I was looking for a better way then getting in there with a screwdriver, im afraid I might over adjust it so I prefer to let it "self adjust" if I can

 

Yep. I just put it in reverse and idled. Pulled the e brake and they tighted up. I didn't want to mess with the star wheel and laying on the concrete.

 

Its impossible to over adjust because you wouldnt be able to slide the drum back on. Cycling the park brake on/off should spin the adjuster inside but they do tend to stick like mine does so I just do it manually.

 

I was talking about turning the gear adjuster from the back side. cant you unintentionally leverage the gear with too much pressure and have no gap left causing some pad drag on the drum.

I just replaced my rear pads and set them so I could just get the drums back on. I then tried pulling the parking brake several times to make it self adjust but I never heard any clicks (granted it doesn't click very load).

with the parking brake set on full, if I put it in gear the truck will move with just slight pressure on the gas pedal.

I accidently pulled the boat trailer out of the water (brakes and rear end never touched the water) without undoing the parking brake and I didn't even realize it until I went to stop 100 yards away and its stopped by itself. im not expecting pure wheel lockup but im sure its not holding like it should hold.

 

Yep, cycling the e-brake on and off does the self adjusting action. There is no need to move the truck at all. You can individually bring each side "close" after a brake job by manually cycling the bellcrank back and forth. That is if it is working correctly.

 

wasnt aware that it could be gotten at without taking the drum off.

 

yep, there is a rubber plug on the back side of the dust cover thing

every vehicle has one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iN6z0oIZLBk

now I disagree that his demonstration of how it should be set to drag on the wheel is the right way to set them, but it is the way to access the star wheel to set them.

I think this guy does it wrong because if its dragging on the tire then its going to instantly overheat and burn a glaze into the drum and brake shoes which is precisely what I have concerns about doing by using this method.

 

well then they should be adjusted correctly by now so I guess the issue for my truck is just that my new pads have not yet "seated" or "worn in" so whats the best way to speed up this process? should I randomly pull the e-brake out just enough to feel drag at speed then let off every now and then for a few weeks?

 

Let me rephrase what you just quoted. "You can individually bring each side " close PERFECT" after a brake job by manually cycling the bellcrank back and forth." Like the other fellow said, it will not let you go too far.
FWIW my e-brake will lock the wheels 100% with no "seating or wearing in" after a brake job.

The self adjusters on 1st gens are very fussy about dirt/wear/corrosion. Maybe they are not functioning correctly. It is all in the FSM.

 

My self adjusters and e-brake linkage was all changed when I did the rear shoes.

New Drums as well adjusted them up and was good to go.

 

I tried this reverse ebrake adjustment method. didnt seem to work so i said f it and pulled off the rear drums myself, for the first time in eleven years. Adjusted them with the star wheel. I read the measurement in the fsm but for the life of me cant remember it. Its small.. Besides, doing it that way lets you INSPECT!

 

yes, im aware of the sliders and the adjusters need to be serviced in a brake job and not just the pads. I took the adjusters apart and they were in great shape. I cleaned and greased them and tested them for function before I put the drums back on.

I didn't change drums so im thinking the pads just haven't "bedded" into the drums yet

 

Inspect!?! every 11 years whether it needs it or not

 

the rear brakes were always weak on 1st Gens. using the E-brake was never an issue. It's the pressure from the valve for the rear. inherently drum brakes use/have half the pressure of disc calipers and as most noted even raising the arm on the axle doesn't really net much improvement for the rears