Ok, I changed my rear drum brakes and the test drive was interesting. The brake pedal pushes way further towards the floor than it did before and breaking is really soft. I%26#039;m guessing that I didn%26#039;t turn the adjusting screw for the shoes far enough and now the shoes aren%26#039;t fully pressing against the drum to provide enough stopping power.
A reasonable assumption?
The directions said to press the shoes against the drum and then back off a bit. Well, I find it a tad difficult to tell when the shoes are touching the drum. I turn the wheel and the noises all sound the same to me. Any ideas?
Also, is it necessary to adjust the parking break after installing rear shoes and drums?
%26#039;03 Ford Taurus Sedan|||As you say it may be shoe to drum Clearance or air has got into the hydraulic system so may have to bleed the brakes.
Once that is fine you should be able to tell if your handbrake needs adjusting.|||I don%26#039;t know much about the taurus but it sounds like you might have air in your line, which would cause the symptoms you are talking about.|||Well so long as you have replaced all the parts, Spreader, spring and tensioner and such properly then you need to pump the brake pads just a bit more to adjust the brakes. roll the car in drive in a neighborhood a bit at slow speed and work the line out.
What you do need to be sure is that the Brake line is not leaking near the brake drums, then check the fluid levels in the brake cylinder at the reservoir.
if you cannot correct or tighten the brakes within an hour call a friend to come over who knows more about brakes than you do to trouble shoot.
You may have a air bubble in the line when you were removing the brakes or adjusting the fluid.
If you two cannot figure it out, then take it to a garage immediately.
Good luck|||The self adjusting mechanism should take out the slack, eventually. While parked, step on the brake pedal hard a few times, that should make them adjust. Some require you to step on the brake pedal while moving backwards to adjust.
After the brakes are adjusted, make sure the parking brake is working properly. Might need adjusting.
