Brakes - Anchor pin default location?

[Ryan_M]

I'm having trouble with a spongy brake pedal. Every brake system component is new except for the pedal and drums. All new cylinders, pads, lines, hoses, fittings, etc etc. The drums are original but I had them turned.

I've bled the brakes numerous times and added speed bleeders the last time around in hopes of doing a better job at it. During the bleeds, there are no bubbles visible in the fluid and I have made sure not to let the MC run too low on fluid.

Tonight I decided to check and adjust the brake pads. I did not have a feeler gauge when I initially put everything together so I just locked up the drums and then backed off the eccentrics a bit.

I now have feeler gauges and cannot get the bottom anchor pins anywhere close to the 0.005" as stated in the manual. I can get the upper eccentrics to their 0.008" without any trouble. I know that having the drums turned could be contributing to the problem but I'm not sure I'm adjusting them correctly either. I've read all the posts I can find on brake adjustment (Rocketeer's posts were especially informative) but I still have questions:

1. Where is the starting point for the lower anchor pins? Once the lock nut is loosened a bit, should I turn the eccentrics all the way clockwise or counter clockwise? Or does it matter? I can't remember if the lock nut just pulls the anchor pin tight or if there's more to it.

2. On each brake drum, do I need to adjust the front and rear shoes concurrently or can I adjust one and then the other? In other words, does the adjustment of the front shoe on a given drum have any effect on the rear shoe and vice versa?

Any other suggestions are welcomed.

[Carls_jeep]

An eccentric is just that but on the Jeep brakes the position of the eccentric against the brake shoe locates the shoe in the drum as well as adjusting them. The top eccentrics are turned away from each other and the lower eccentrics are turned toward each other. If you have a Willys shop manual it will show a photo indicating the directions to turn them. If you turn them the wrong way the shoes could be located to high in the drum bore and may be the reason you can't get the lower eccentrics to push the shoe all the way out to the drum.

I set the lower eccentric first then the top eccentric on each shoe. Then I go back and check the gap on the bottom eccentric and if needed readjust it then check the top gap. I don't use a feeler gauge anymore, just adjust to get drag on drum and back adjuster off slightly.

If your adjusters are working right you should be able to push the shoe against the top and bottom of the drum, however, if the drum has been turned to big the shoes won't fit unless they are oversize shoes. In the old days you would turn the drums and get extra thick pads that fit the size the drum was bored to and rivet them on the old shoe. You may have to get some extra thick brake pads.�

[WTB853]

In response to your second question, I can't see how adjusting one shoe (front or rear) would affect the other at the bottom adjustment on a given corner. �The bottom eccentrics should not affect each other even though the anchor pins share the anchor plate. �I can, however, see how there may be some feedback between the upper eccentrics via a new, tight brake spring. �(Just my .02) There is not much holding the upper portion of the brake shoes. �If everything was perfectly rigid and there was no slop @ the bottom anchor plate, then no, one upper cam should not affect the other. �However, with the upper cams being inboard of the spring and 4-5" inches from the only solid anchor point, I can visualize how pushing one shoe outward could create a slight twisting effect on the other and moving the backing plate side of the other outward if only slightly. � �

[Ryan_M]

I gave up adjusting late last night out of frustration but was right back at it this morning. I had started with the drivers rear wheel, then drivers front, then passenger front. Each time I made an adjustment I'd press the brake pedal hoping for some change it the spongy feel - there was never any change and the frustration continued to build.

By the time I got to the rear passenger wheel I noticed a pretty good sized puddle around the tire. At first I thought one of my mischievous Jack Russel Terriers had lifted their leg on the tire, which they have been known to do (I'm pretty sure they find it hilarious). Turns out it was a puddle of brake fluid. Uh-oh. It appears that even though I had bled the brakes 4x in the past couple weeks, the last time around I did not quite tighten the speed bleeder all the way. Duh. So I've been chasing brake adjustment problems while the whole time brake fluid was spraying out on to the floor with every press of the pedal. The MC was down about 1/3.  I bled again and tightened everything up.  The pedal is now rock solid and I have more continuing proof that I am my own worst enemy.

There is no doubt still something wrong with the shoe adjustment. I'm thinking the turned drums really are the culprit there. However, the morning test drive resulted in being able to lock the wheels at 35mph (albeit on a snow covered dirt road) but it's exponentially better than it was. I'm likely wearing the shoes at horrendously uneven rates but I'll continue to drive it as long as I can. When it comes time to properly address it I'll replace all 4 drums and shoes.

[Comanche_County]

Hey, I forgot to tighten the radiator cap on my 5.9 ZJ after I replaced the water pump recently. �My girlfriend then proceeded to drive it until it wouldn't drive anymore. � When she called me and told me steam was coming out, then I remembered the cap....

Got it stripped to the block in the garage right now. �The heads are toast....tell me about it, I know how you feel! �;)

[Carls_jeep]

Comanche, I never tighten the radiator cap on my Jeep and have never had it lose the coolant or cause engine damage. Leaving the radiator cap lose didn't cause your problem, it was something else.

The reason I leave the cap lose is because I don't want to stress the radiator anymore than I have to.

[BMIC]

Ryan I share your frustration, I spent a good part of Saturday trying to adjust my brakes and decided to leave it for another day. What is everyone using for tools to adjusting them?

[athawk11]

Two very handy tools.

First is for the lower ecentric lock bolts hiding behind the lower King Pins on the front axle.

Take a cheap offset wrench and grind the surface down to fit...


[size=8]I don't have my own photo of this. �I borrowed this from the JeepRoger on the 2A.[/size]

This is a tool specifically for these type of brakes. � These were made by Cornwell, Snap On and one other. �Can't remember right now. � They show up occasionally on Ebay....

[BMIC]

Thanks Tim, picture is worth a 1000 words...