How to Adjust the Drum Brakes of your Car By Backing Up?

If you properly maintain the drum brakes of your car, then it can run for a longer period of time. At the time of periodic adjustment of the drum brakes, make sure that when you are driving do not drag the brakes that may rob the power from your car and make the drum brake wear out very quickly. These brakes are usually needed when the brake pedal of your car has to be pressed down before the brakes engage.

If your car is operating with a drum brake, then it needs to be adjusted manually. But the adjustment of the drum brakes is only possible when they are in good shape. Make sure that drum brakes of different cars are not adjustable. For adjusting the drum brakes on your car, you need the necessary tools such as the eye protectors, paper towels, jack, jack stands, socket, and ratchet test, screwdriver and a torque wrench.

Get ready your car

For adjusting the drum brakes of your car, first, you have to safely and effectively raise the car's wheel high enough the floor. So, it will easily pull the wheels of your car for accessing the wheel's braking system directly. After raising your car at the rear end, keep it safely elevated while working on it. By using a jack to hoist the rear end, put a jack stand under the car frame on each side of your car to prevent the slip. Then, you can adjust the jack at the lower end of your car until its complete weight hold by the jack stands.

Pull out the wheel and lug nuts

To access the drum brakes of your car's, you need to remove the car's rear wheels. By using a lug wrench, you can remove the wheel's lug nuts and set them in a proper place to find them easily at the time of replacement. At last, pull the wheel off and set it flat on the floor.

Locate the star wheels

You will find a porthole on the inside surface of your car's wheel backing plate which is three inches down from the top of the plate. If you are unable to saw inside the backing plate of your car easily, then you can also use a flashlight or drop light. Once you have found the portholes from the backing plate, remove the rubber plug and insert the adjustment tool or a flashes screwdriver at the end of a brake spoon or into this hole. In this way, you can reach to the teeth of the star wheel. Between the teeth of the star wheel, use a tip of adjustment tool and press down at its one end.

Adjusted the brakes

After adjusting the star wheel of your car, then you need to make sure that how much you need to tighten it. For determining the tighten part, you need to move the brake drum in a circular motion like the way it moves with the car's rear wheel in turns.

Integrate the parking brake

Simultaneously apply your parking brakes and foot brakes to center the brake shoes and to integrate the parking brake mechanisms.

Check the brake balance

By taking the help of a neighbor or friend put slight pressure on the foot brake, then it can automatically tighten the brake shoes and allow to turn the drum. If both the rear wheel drums seem to operate in the same direction, then it should balance the brakes. If the rear wheel drugs unable to balance the brakes, then you can adjust the star wheels until the brakes are balanced. At last, replace the rubber plugs into the porthole, both wheels, and the lug nuts. To make the wheels resting firmly on the floor, lower the cars and then tighten the lug nuts.

Conclusion

After brake drum removing process is completed, before driving the car pump the brake pedals for few times so that the brakes will seat and confirm that they are operating properly. Then drive the car in a safe location and make sure that the brakes are functioning properly. Adjusting the drum brakes of your car will allow them to run last longer and prevent the dragging brake issues. If the brake of your car drags, then it can cause a loss of power and lower the fuel mileage of your car.

A & M auto serives are a full service automotive repair and maintenance facility serving the Charlotte, Pineville, Matthews, and Ballantyne areas with many years of consistent, high quality, friendly service.