MassillonBuckeye

They can't seem to get the rears right. The brakes are dragging a bit again. Had it back into the garage where they've done e-brake cables, drums, shoes, springs, wheel cylinders. I've had it back since Friday and now today I felt them bind up a bit after a stop. Any ideas? Seems like its the drivers side but I can't be sure. I know I sick of taking it back there. Ugh!

I also feel a "clunk" sometimes when I take off from a stop. Coming from the rear. Its like something is rotating when it shouldn't be. Its hard to describe. But as soon as I let off the brakes to go, theres a quick Thunk when they let go. Any ideas?

gpeade

Was it giving you this same issue when you took it in originally? If they have replaced everything you say they have I would venture to guess that either they have something on incorrectly (actually easy to do) or your problem isn't related to the brakes. I would take it to another shop and have them take a glance at it. If the parts are assembled incorrectly they should see it and if they find its something other than the brakes, well you needed a new mechanic anyway.

rklettke

Just convert to discs? lol

MassillonBuckeye

Nope. Didn't convert lol. Well they were pretty bad before I took em in. Ground em down to nubs I dunno. Ebrake cables were also frozen solid so they had to replace. I bought it 2 years ago and it needed brake work withing the first few months. I drove it a lot longer than I should have without getting them done. The fronts are fine. I had my neighbor take a shot at the rears about a month before this garage. He had them put together, but didn't do the ebrake because the lines were junk. So thats the only difference. Maybe the ebrake needs adjusted out? It doesn't engage until near the top of the travel and seems a bit weak. That was my kinda my plan to have another garage look at em unless you guys have a better idea.

Oh, I believe the neighbor may have cut a bit out of one or both of the flat metal bars that hold the shoes apart to get everything to fit together right. He had a heck of a time getting the drums back on. Which would be part# 11b in this diagram.


He made those channels on the ends a bit deeper so the shoes would pull a little closer together.

gpeade

First of all you need to replace any part that was modified. There is an adjuster on the bottom of the drums for this purpose.(part #13) If the old shoes wore worn completely out then most likely the adjusters were opened up pretty far. I honesty don't know how he got them on without turning in the adjusters. I can only assume the shop has done this during the ebrake cable install. The part you say was modified is used to keep tension against the springs while the pedal is not being pushed. This part being modified may allow slack or movement when the brakes are at rest. I'm thinking that maybe the shoes are getting out of align because of this.
I'm just guessing but either way you want to replace those parts. I wouldnt recommend anyone ever modifying an prake component. At least not like this anyway. While you are at it I would go ahead and replace all the springs as well. They can get weak over time and, not to talk bad about your friend, he may have made some other mods that he failed to mention.
One last thought here, If your bud did infact screw the adjusters in completely but still had to cut that part to make everything fit then either he installed things wrong or you have the incorrect shoes on the truck.

freegdr

get part that was ground down from another jy xj and install

nickxj94

Almost sounds like they got the shoes on backwards,it can be done I've seen it on fords here at work LOL may want to get that checked first

Firestorm500

You are wasting your shop's time and money making them try to trace down a problem they didn't cause.

You need to man up and tell them what you admitted to us. Pay them to replace all the other parts.

Stay away from the shadetree guys that don't know what they are doing. Your life and property are at stake.

MassillonBuckeye

I did tell them. They didn't think it was a big deal. All of the problems up until now Were their fault. They replaced all hardware, shoes, drums, wheel cylinders, e-brake cables. I handed them the keys and said make them work.

The neighbor Did have the adjusters adjusted all the way in, and the Passenger side Was installed backwards.. They had the small shoe leading I believe. Or the other way around. They had the primary and the secondary pads reversed on the passenger side. We assumed it was because they were having trouble making everything fit. Which, at the time, had us wondering if we had the wrong parts. 2 different kits for this year, a 9" and a 10". He measured the backing plates I believe and it was definitely the 9" kit. He had to sand the shoes. This was my neighbor, before I took it to the garage. The garage didn't mention anything about poor fit. We are just having trouble keeping them from rubbing/grabbing occasionally now. I'll suggest they replace that spacer bar or whatever its called. I'm afraid its going to be a difficult piece to find outside of a junk yard. Might be something I have to find myself I don't know. Thanks for the input guys.

*edit: Just found the brake bars on Napa. Was easier than I thought. I'll verify with my neighbor first whether he actually cut em or not. I know he wanted to.

Firestorm500

The neighbor probably had trouble getting the new shoes on because of the lip on the drum--if the drum hadn't been turned.

What was the source of the shoes? I hope not AutoZone.

weebur

If your shoes were correctly installed (with the smaller shoes toward the front of the vehicle) and the adjuster turned all the way in and the cylinder compressed (squeeze the shoes together with the palms of your hands then you can use a small ratchet strap or tie wraps to hold them together while you're installing the hardware) the drums should slide on without any force. The parking brake should also be loose. Adjust the shoes until they drag slightly, and then adjust the parking brake.

I would double check the diameter of the new drums (probably 9", 10" were for the "Police Package") and measure the width of the shoes and double check the part numbers.
Here's a photo to help with the assembly (it's hard to see everything with the axle flange in the way).

These are not the easiest rear brakes to work on. Make sure all the return springs are installed correctly as well as the parking brake cable guide (I use a small C-clamp to hold it into the hole in the shoe).

CPLSeraphim

I redid my brakes myself, calipers drums, springs, pads brake lines, and didn't have an issue. If you have an hour, I would jack it up and look. It really isn't a complicated system, and if a shop messed it up... well, that is a pretty sad shop. On the other hand, it may not be the brakes, and if you can look at it... and get pics, maybe we could help more.

This just sounds like a very awkward issue... especially after taking it to a shop.

MassillonBuckeye

Thanks for all the input guys. Also big thanks for the pic. I'll update this thread as necessary.

MassillonBuckeye

Wrong hardware kit. You could almost pull the springs off with your hand....