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How Should Power Drums Pedal Feel?

767 views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  ImmDanny 
#1 ·
Just got my brakes rebuilt front and back all drums as well as added a booster and new MC. There is a lot of travel with the brake pedal. Not sure exactly how much but it takes a while for the brakes to actually engage and once I hit that spot its then really stiff. Not sure if this is just how it is supposed to feel or if something is incorrect. Had manual drums before and the guys at the shop showed me a ton of things that were really concerning like basically my rear brakes weren't working at all and my emergency brakes barely worked (this I could tell as my car would still roll with the emergency brake engaged). One thing I should note is that when I do have the emergency brake on the pedal feels normal like it would in any other cars like sort of firm squishy. Right now its just completely loose while traveling then stiff when I'm pressing the pedal almost all the way down.
 
#2 ·
I have power drums. The pedal travel could be helped with shoe adjustment, (go in reverse and brake firmly). The fact that the brakes are better with e-brake on kinda confirms the rear shoes at least need adjustment (tighter!). The stiff feel is what I experience too. Hard braking will start some fading, pulsing the pedal helps a little :)
 
#3 ·
Went and did a little testing and the pedal felt more normal when the car was off. Not sure if its related to the emergency brake being engaged. Checked to make sure the brake pedal arm was in the bottom hole and it was. Think I'll just call up my shop tomorrow and see what they say. I would do more tinkering but if this is install error I'd rather not mess with anything. Unless they say its fine then I might do more digging because it doesnt feel right.
 
#5 ·
I'm not sure what you mean by "a lot" of pedal travel before the brakes engage, but the fact you describe it that way tells me you have too much pedal travel. Look in the AIM, it might tell you how much pedal travel there should be.
If it were me, I would start with making sure the rear brakes are properly adjusted. There is a small slot in the back of the brake backing plate that the brake spoon fits into. It's been a while since I've done it, but I think that if you spin the star-wheel downward, it pushes the shoes further away from the center and closer to the inside of the brake drum. Do this with the rear wheels off the ground and while spinning the wheel that you're adjusting. There should be some drag of the rear shoes on the drum. Not a lot of drag. Not so much drag that the wheel is hard to turn, but just enough that you can hear it and feel it. If it's too tight, use a screwdriver to lift the e-brake adjustment lever and spin the star-wheel the opposite direction. You can do all of this with the wheels on the car.
As Kevin stated, driving in reverse and braking will do the same thing. But it is slower.
 
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