Hi, I was going to reassemble my front drum brakes when I hit a snag. I replaced the brake hose and attached the wheel cylinder. I placed the center links into the rubber and they went in all though not as far as they did in the old one. When I was putting on the shoes, the center links prevented the shoes from settling. I know from my expreiences with the rears that the shoes should settle on the top post. Do I need to adjust the cylinders somehow or are they stuck in the extended position. They are brand new and straight out of the bag. They are Raybestos made in USA. Thanks, Wayne
Two thoughts on this. 1) You have the wrong wheels cylinders. If you still have the old ones take a look and compare them to the new ones to see that they are the same length. 2) The much more likely problem is that one or both of the shoes is catching on the backing plate not allowing full travel, or the cross link for the parking brake is not seated properly in the slots. I think if you take a real close look at them you will find the problem.
Hi, the old cylinders and the new ones have the same external dimensions. They bolt the same and have the same hose angle. The problem is on the inside. The center links don't travel as far in the cylinder as the old ones did. The end result is that the center links poke out further and don't allow the shoes to seat in the retracted position. It's as if the piston is stuck in engaged mode even though I have not pressed the brake pedal or applied brake pressure. It's a brand new cylinder and hose. I don't think I need to press the links in. Should I open the bleeder and see if I have air trapped? I was thinking maybe they gave me a wrong cylinder (internally) or I have a defective one. Update: I believe I found the problem. I needed to push the links in further. I'll verify later today.
Thank You for all the help. I figured out what was wrong. First, I needed to work the links in the cylinder. It was a little sticky for sitting for a while. Second, my replacement self adjusting screw was the wrong size. After installing the shoes and hardware, I noticed that the link on the secondary shoe wouldn't fit right. I tried putting on the drum and that didn't work also. I went to kragen and got the right screw. After disassembling and reassembly, everything fits great. I am going to do the other side tomorrow and bleed the brakes. Thanks, Wayne
