Rear Drums Auto-Adjusting Too Tight

[Sherwood4Runner]

I changed out my rear shoes after my axle seal failed and re-assembled everything almost a month ago (living hell). Since then I have to had take my drums off 5-6 times to re-adjust the shoes so they aren't so tight against the drum. Usually I'll know it's time do loosen them because I'll smell burning brakes, the car will shake while driving, and the drums will be extremely hot. The last two times they adjusted themselves so tight that I had to spend 20 minutes on each side just trying to pry the drum off. When I adjust them to the correct tightness they only stay like that for a few days and then they somehow tighten up. Any insight into why this is happening?

 

[AZTOY]

Bad adjuster? You can also adjust them from the back side, with wheel still on. How tight does your emergency brake feel? Do you use it a lot when parked?

 

[Sherwood4Runner]

I'm not sure how I'd adjust them from the back? The adjuster is the cog inbetween the shoes that you can rotate up and down right?

E-Brake is 7-9 Clicks as per Toyota Manual. I use the e-brake everytime I park. It's never been an issue in the past with the other set of shoes I had on previously.

 

[AZTOY]

Only mentioned e brake because my over use caused my rear driver to over tighten and lock or stick after being parked.

If you look behind your wheel (axle side) you will see a long oval slot. If you shine a light in there, you will see the wheel with teeth. You can adjust it with a screwdriver by turning it the opposite way you would from the wheel side. Meaning wheel side rotate down = axle side rotate up. Or vica versa.

 

[Sherwood4Runner]

Thank's for the tips AZTOY! I'll look into those items tomorrow.

 

[TheDurk]

Also verify the bellcrank adjusting screw gap on the backside of the drum. If those are too wide, the pawl will grab an extra tooth on the self-adjuster and over-tighten. If the gap is too small, it won't adjust at all. Weird that it happens on both sides. Any chance someone set them both wrong?

Also make sure everything is assembled correctly and parts are on the correct side of the vehicle.

http://www.ncttora.com/fsm/1996/SIL/techinfo.toyota.com/ileaf/02toyrm/02toypdf/02rmsour/2002/024runne/br/rdb/inst.pdf

 

[Sawgunner]

I wish a company would make a bolt on rear disc kit...I (and many others!) would be all over it for sure!

 

[Dous]

Make sure your drums aren't warped. Mine were warped pretty bad and no matter the adjustment they would rub bad on certain spots

 

[agloukhoff]

Verify your springs are all hooked up correctly. The very first time I did drums I didn't hook up a spring right, it was too loose and it resulted in similar symptoms. My shoes would not fully retract and would adjust way too tight resulting in constant rubbing.

 

[Doc2012]

I wish a company would make a bolt on rear disc kit...I (and many others!) would be all over it for sure!

My brother's thread on his Taco. Kit says it'll work with 4Runners as well. Going to try to get more info and see what the deal is with it.


Rear Disc Conversion Tips - TTORA Forum

 

[Gerdo]

I had this issue with aftermarket brake shoes. They must not be exactly the proper size/shape. I switched to OE and have had very little problem.

Mine will get over tight sometimes when wheeling. My 4runner is a manual trans and I use the e-brake to hold on up hill obstacles. This can be some pretty hard yanks at times. This hard use does cause them to over tighten. With day to day use, I don't pull the brake nearly as hard so it's fine.

 

[Sherwood4Runner]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I'm about to pull off the drums, yet again, to double check everything you have thrown at me. I am running NAPA shoes, so Gerdo you could be right I might need to switch to OE. Drums shouldn't be warped because I had them milled right before putting the new shoes on. Fingers crossed this is the last time I have to pull these drums off.

 

[wjamyers]

Thanks for all the tips guys. I'm about to pull off the drums, yet again, to double check everything you have thrown at me. I am running NAPA shoes, so Gerdo you could be right I might need to switch to OE. Drums shouldn't be warped because I had them milled right before putting the new shoes on. Fingers crossed this is the last time I have to pull these drums off.

did u ever figure it out?

 

[nissanh]

This happens only when you install the right side brake adjuster parts on the left side and vise versa.

 

[Yoter]

This happens only when you install the right side brake adjuster parts on the left side and vise versa.

^^I can say from experience that many other things can cause this, Wheel cylinders, Oil saturated shoes etc....

I had this exact same problem on the drivers side after replacing my axle seals. It was so frustrating removing the hot, smoking, stuck on drums!!
Finally after not being able to diagnose the issue and resetting the adjustment 6 times, I replaced the wheel cylinders and shoes. Its been 200 miles and so far they havent locked up... yet, Fingers crossed.
I assume it was the wheel cylinder on the drivers side causing the issue even though it wasn't leaking or seized its the only thing that I can come up with as the cause.
Also as others have said check the limiter screw on the bell crank as well as the in cab adjustment on the handbrake and make sure (with the drums off) that there is no tension on the system when the hand brake is down. There should be just enough tension that the cable from the bell crank to the adjustment arm cant slip off but it should still be loose.

 

[Sherwood4Runner]

Yes I did figure this out. The bell crank housing adjuster was out of spec. I had to keep playing with the adjustment until I got it correct on the left and right side. I had been measuring the gapping in the incorrect spot so I had to fix that. The gap has to be so small that i was using the thickness of a few pieces of paper to get the clearance right. Meticulous, but won't ever have to do it again now.

 

[wjamyers]

This happens only when you install the right side brake adjuster parts on the left side and vise versa.

It happened to me because I tried to clean and reuse my brake shoes after replacing my leaking axle seals. I soaked the shoes in isopropyl alcohol over night and baked them in a toaster over at 450 all day. Then I took them back to the inspector and passed inspection (had failed for "contaminated brakes").

A few weeks late that drum starting dragging bigtime. I took it apart and the only problem was that heat cycling caused more gear oil to come out and cook which turned into glue that was causing my drum to drag.

Don't bother trying to save shoes contaminated with gear oil unless you're just temporarily ensuring your seal leak is fixed. Once you've done your bearings and seals, get new shoes.

 

[jmildoc]

why would you try and save brake shoes anyway? they are less that $20 a set.

 

[UTEP]

I fought this issue for about a month!

I kept being told it was wheel cylinders but that made no sense to me. Bell crack was adjusted properly, new hardware, shoes, all nicely cleaned and lubed, no leaking seal. WC's were OEM and pristine! Still had this issue and it would get worse at times!

I finally replaced WC's….problem solved!

Although at the time I decided to replace it ALL once again since shoes are cheap. I noticed the Duralast shoes I had on where they contact the backing plate, were sort of angled and sharp edges, some paint was actually scraped on the back plate. The OEM were much more flat and smooth. The retaining springs are also more tight than other drums I have done holding the shoes tightly against the backing plate. They could have been ratcheting out and sticking in, but that was the 1st replacement set and perhaps only made the original problem worse.

I went with NAPA that sells USA made shoes and Italian WC's! They had a similar, but not as bad, angled contact. I filed it down smooth as well as the contacts on the back plate and greased well.

Point being if you encounter this don't screw around, it was less than $75 for parts at NAPA, just replace the entire assembly and clean smooth as I suggested. Despite the full replacement I think it was the WC's but like I said; just replace it all if your time is worth anything.

BTW Kudos to Autozone. I just showed up with the Duralasts and my suspicions and they refunded on the spot. No receipt, used shoes….

HTH

Utep

 

[wjamyers]

why would you try and save brake shoes anyway? they are less that $20 a set.

It happened to me because I tried to clean and reuse my brake shoes after replacing my leaking axle seals. I soaked the shoes in isopropyl alcohol over night and baked them in a toaster over at 450 all day. Then I took them back to the inspector and passed inspection (had failed for "contaminated brakes").

A few weeks late that drum starting dragging bigtime. I took it apart and the only problem was that heat cycling caused more gear oil to come out and cook which turned into glue that was causing my drum to drag.

Don't bother trying to save shoes contaminated with gear oil unless you're just temporarily ensuring your seal leak is fixed. Once you've done your bearings and seals, get new shoes.

If I HAD put new shoes on I would have had to buy a THIRD set. And I'm not messing around with cheap aftermarket crap the way I guess you guys are:

SHOES for 1999 Toyota 4Runner|04495-35230
Sale Price: $72.73

No doubt you do everything right the first time. Some of us aren't so clever.