My Brakes suck

[Vegas]

the guy i got it from said they were new (less than 300 miles)

but they needed bled.

 

so i bled them the other day. and they still suck.

 

in reverse, i have no brakes at all.

and regular driving i have to slow down waaay ahead of time, cuz there is no tellin if its gonna stop.

 

WTF is wrong

[fisch]

Have you adjusted them? Turning the little star wheels inside the drum?

[moparvwfreak]

adjust em. thats what they need. every 3000 miles or so i have to do that with my 620. it sucks but gotta be done.

[Vegas]

i have not. ill pull the wheels off tomorrow and mess with them.

i know nothing about drum brakes.

 

if my father-in-law is around, he knows alot bout them. but no tellin lol

[fisch]

You need a manual! You don't need to take the wheels off, there is an adjuster window on the back of the drum at the bottom. You stick a flat screwdriver in there and turn click the star wheel up until the wheel can't move, then back if off just till it can turn again.

 

It was recommended to me that I adjust them, then go pound on the brake pedal a few times and adjust them again.

 

Go here, download the manual and then thank Mike Klots (who hosts them for everyone!!)

 

620 manual!

[DISLEXICDIME]

go to datsun510.com sin up and use the free on line mauals

[Vegas]

You need a manual! You don't need to take the wheels off, there is an adjuster window on the back of the drum at the bottom. You stick a flat screwdriver in there and turn click the star wheel up until the wheel can't move, then back if off just till it can turn again.

 

It was recommended to me that I adjust them, then go pound on the brake pedal a few times and adjust them again.

 

Go here, download the manual and then thank Mike Klots (who hosts them for everyone!!)

 

620 manual!

 

hahaha ok sweet, even better if i dont have to remove the wheels

[datsunaholic]

You don't have to remove the wheels- unless an adjuster is stuck, and that happens frequently especially when the dust caps are no longer present.

 

As Fisch said, you adjust them, THEN step on the brake pedal a couple times then adjust again. The shoes slide around a lot, and pressing the pedal after adjusting re-centers them and they will be somewhat loose again (not as loose as they were). I did this Sunday and it took a couple rounds each wheel to center them.

 

One thing to be ware of- if the shoes are installed backwards they won't work properly. They LOOK symmetrical, as the steel portions are, but the linings are oriented differently. They will still "kind of" work when installed backwards but they will NOT work properly. Never, ever assume the prior owner or shop did it right- I've found plenty that were installed backwards. That's where having a GOOD shop manual comes in handy.

[Vegas]

good to know. when i get home tonight ill piss with it if im not tired.

 

if adjustment doesnt work, ill maybe try flippin the shoes around

 

thanks guys

[lilhustler521]

If I were you I would rip those drum brakes off the front and buy a set of my brackets to convert to disc ;) ...shameless plug http://community.ratsun.net/topic/19655-truck-cnc-aluminum-brake-brackets/

that way you wont have to adjust them every 3000 miles.

[Vegas]

If I were you I would rip those drum brakes off the front and buy a set of my brackets to convert to disc ...shameless plug http://community.rat...brake-brackets/

that way you wont have to adjust them every 3000 miles.

 

 

is it that simple? and the lines etc are all the same??

 

i have to do this on the cheap. cant spend hardly any money on this truck.

not cuz im broke, im not.

 

the Mrs. will kill me if i have 2 money-pit nissans.

 

 

so if adjusting them every 3k is cheaper than the conversion....im stickin with that

[datsunaholic]

Cheap is relative. The brackets are one price, then you have to still buy the calipers, discs, hubs, brake pads, master cylinder, brake hoses... Some of the parts are sourceable from junkyards, some I wouldn't trust JY parts. You're still looking at around $500 or so for the conversion even on the cheap.

 

That's why I've never bothered doing a conversion on mine. I'm used to the drum brakes. Better to be used to how the drums work and always leave a little (or a lot) more room, then get used to discs and forget you've got drums in an emergency situation.

[Vegas]

haha yea see now way i can drop that into brakes. this aint a race car lol

[Vegas]

welll i went to adjust the brakes today, but i couldnt see any kind of "star" key to adjust it. i moved this little piece, thinkin that was it, but i dont think so, cuz now there is a scraping noise from that brake

[420n620]

since you don't know what the condition or how worn down the shoes are, take off the drum, blow the dust off and clean and lube the brake shoe adjuster, both sides, put a little dap of grease on the brake shoe contact points which are located on the backing plate, they look like very small flat pads (6) I believe per wheel.

When adjusting the the brake pads, tighten them up till the drum can hardly move on both sides then push down on the brake pedal so it will center the shoes inside the drum, now loosen one side at a time till you can bearly hear the shoes rubbing on the drums. You should be good to go.

[Vegas]

ok. seems easy enough. just time is pressed. got 2 cars not road worthy lol

[Radim]

The brakes are supposed to have slight drag and the drag is what causes the scraping noise.

[Vegas]

well i went to adjust the brakes this morning. and i started with the front. passenger side. got it all dialed in. moved on to next front wheel. there was NO adjustment wheel.

 

moved onto the rears. same. no adjustment sprocket. at least not that i could find. idk WTF that mean. but it cant be good.

 

also think this MIGHT be a pawn in the problem with my brakes. popped the hood, was inspecting the master cylinder eetc. and saw this:

 

the back right is scraping hella bad now.

 

i think its just time to get all new shoes. and re-do what that tard did that i got it from

[fastdadd]

disk brake conversion might be looking like the cheapest way out

[datzenmike]

:hyper: :hyper: :hyper:

 

 

Someone out this in the archives! Previous owners!!!

.

[Vegas]

 

 

Someone out this in the archives! Previous owners!!!

.

 

 

haha yea. soo how do i fix that lol

[420n620]

don't bother fixing it, just get another one from the jy or maybe someone has one on the form for ya.

[74datsun620]

Dont fix it find another one.