A typical system employs disc brakes in the front and drum brakes in the rear.
Typically, the handbrake operates on the rear shoes via a mechanical linkage consisting of a cable and a few levers and pivots.
To make brake adjustments, wheels are always raised — and in many cases removed. Raise the car to the nearest jacking point to the wheel you’re working on and support it with an axle stand.
Disc brake pads adjust automatically for wear, whether the car has disc brakes on only the front wheels or all four.
Automatic adjuster
Some cars with rear drum brakes have automatic shoe adjustment as the linings wear down, keeping the shoes’ contact surface close to the drum and reducing brake pedal travel.
If the drum system does not self-adjust, you can move the shoes closer to the drum’s inner surface as the lining material wears down.
When there is an increase in the travel of the brake pedal before the brakes engage, they must be adjusted.
Drum-brake shoes are set up so that each shoe almost touches the inside of the drum. Each shoe instantly presses against its drum when the brake pedal is depressed.
The footbrake pedal travel increases as the brake linings wear down, increasing your braking time.
Excessive brake pedal travel occurs when the pedal reaches the floor before the brakes lock and you must pump the pedal to regain full braking power.
Most manually adjusted drum brakes have a single adjuster, but some do have two, especially on the front wheels.
Examine the brake backplate, which is located behind the wheel and drum. There are two hydraulic wheel cylinders and possibly two adjusters if there are two brake pipes or a bridge pipe across the backplate.
The end of the adjuster is frequently a square-ended rod that protrudes from the backplate, and the adjuster can be a wedge or a snail-cam type. Some of them may have hexagonal ends.
The ends are frequently partially recessed or otherwise obscured, making adjustment with an open-ended spanner difficult. Always use the correct brake spanner for the car to avoid damaging the adjuster.
The adjuster could also be a star wheel that can be accessed through a hole in the backplate or the front of the brake drum. You might have to remove the wheel to get to it.
The adjusters are subjected to weather and dirt, and they are susceptible to seizures. Apply penetrating oil to them an hour or two before you begin working, and again just before you turn them.
Disc brake pads are always in close proximity to the discs. If you spin the front wheel while the car is jacked up, you will feel or hear this.
To read our blog on “Electric brake system by Brembo will change the way of stop cars,” click here
