Drum Brakes Error?

[Samurai0]

Hi,

I think I messed it up. I followed the instructions for refurbishing the Drum Brakes on my '87 MGM like a real pro.
Everything was real clean, and real pretty.
All fittings cleaned and greased well.............maybe too well.

Everything put together, the book says to drive forwards and backwards a bunch of times to make the "Star" adjuster calibrate the "Adjuster Screw". I do so.
And then I drive it around the block. No Dice.
The pedal goes to the floor and slows slowly.

From what I remember I followed the directions to a T, and they're worse than the worn brakes.

The factory service manual says if grease is on the "lining" of the brake shoe, it is contaminated and must be replaced with new shoes.
That sucks. I wiped my hands as good as I could to get the lithium grease off my hands.

I was told that brake Rotors and Drums do not need cutting anymore since they are precision made at the factory. I'd beg to differ, unless I missed some vital "unwritten rule".

Anybody have advice? Does even a little bit of grease affect the brake shoes?

[GTP Dad]

Did you spray everything down with brake cleaner prior to reassembly? This should have removed all the oil and grease on the drums and the shoes. If you used new drums then they should have had a coating of oil that needed to be cleaned off. If you used the old drums and they were worn significantly, you may need to replace them with new ones as they may have exceeded the wear limit recommended by the manufacturer.
It sounds to me like you need to remove the brake drums again and check the adjustment. The shoes should have some contact with the drums prior to relying on the adjustment screw to take up the distance between the shoes and the drum surface. Try doing this and I believe you will see a difference. Also, did you break into the hydraulic system? If you did, then you will need to bleed the brakes to insure that there is no air in the system. If you opened the bleeder screw or removed the end of the wheel cylinder, this will need to be done. I hopes this helps you diagnose your problem.

[fredjacksonsan]

My adjusters on the back didn't work right after I replaced the shoes either. I had to take the whole thing off and tighten them up by hand, then they worked fine. And nope,didn't use brake cleaner on all the parts. A little grease will bother the braking for a bit, but will burn off after awhile.

Oh yeah, and your emergency brake cable will need to be adjusted too. It'll likely have so much slack that it won't hold at all.