620 front adjustment springs

[perrydime]

I've been having trouble with the front brakes on my 620 locking up. Essentially, they won't always release at low speeds when i let off the brake pedal.

 

Is it probably a broken/missing pull-off spring or an after (trailing) shoe pull-off spring?

[datzenmike]

I assume this is for both brakes?

 

First check that you have some free play on the brake peddle. Push down with thumb on the peddle against the force of the return spring. It should move about 1/16" before the resistance increases. Without this space the master cylinder cannot return fully to it's rest position and release all the pressure and the residual pressure holds the brakes on.

 

Raise the front wheels and turn by hand. If tight, they may be adjusted improperly. Remove drum and adjust so there is slight drag when turning by hand. You can also look to see if all the springs are there.

[datsunaholic]

If they don't release unless you come to a complete stop, you have one of 2 problems:

 

1) One of the return springs is broken/missing

 

2) The shoes are on backwards. They may LOOK identical, but they aren't (the shoes have a leading/trailing design, so the lining is glues/riveted in different locations of the shoe). Having them backwards also shows up as poor braking performance, sometimes working better in reverse than forward.

 

 

If they don't release AND the pedal gets really hard to push, usually that's pedal endplay adjustment, but it can also be a crushed line or debris in the lines.