2000 neon automatic adjuster lever!

[juanito115]

Hi guys! i was checking the brakes on my uncle's 2000 neon and when i got to the right (sitting inside vehicle) rear brakes, I noticed that there was no adjuster lever. Then i got the other side and it did have it! Then, I went to the jyard where I found another 2000 neon but that same side didn't have the lever either! is this how they are supposed to come, with only one automotic adjuster lever? or its just missing from when they replaced the brake shoes! I went to autozone and found a brake drum adjusting kit which has a lever for both sides! so, if anyone has any feedback please i would appreciate it a lot! thanks!!

[denisond3]

Both sides are meant to be identical. The self-adjusters tend to get stiff and cease adjusting after a decade or so...or when a spring breaks. I have been known to remove the non-fuctioning self adjusters, since I -Always -check my rear brakes before I take a car in for annual inspection. I dont find the rear brakes wear all that much with the way we drive. (If you drive a lot you may have a different result). In our part of Texas they dont remove the brake drums when they inspect - they just slam-on the brakes on a side street to see if the car stops in a straight line with no-hands-on-the-wheel. In Virginia they are supposed to (and usually do) remove a rear drum to have a look at the conditions inside, and linings. A missing self-adjuster is grounds for failing the safety inspection.
And if you sell a car, I would strongly advise having the self-adjusters installed and working.
On our Neon we have already had springs fail inside the rear drums - once on each side! Its a 97 with 147,000 miles on it. I blame some of the corrosion on the salt used on the roads where the first owners lived (Nothern Illinois).

[juanito115]

hahaha! it just so happens that I live in northern Illinois! thanks for the reply! im going to go to autozone to get the left side adjusting mechanism!