Just had rear brakes adjusted...now nasty smell!!

Yep, I was having some squealing coming from the rear and took it in to midas. The re-adjusted and now I smell nasty brake smell after a 20 mile drive.
I called them and they said that they purposefully overcorrected.

Is this normal??

Thx

If they get hot enough they will crack. If they are bonded and not riveted, the lining can seperate from the shoes. They are self adjusters, if everything is working right, a few times backing up and pushing the brakes and they will adjust on there own.

In my opinion, the brakes are over-adjusted. Adjusting is something you can do yourself. If you jack up the rear, you should just be able to turn each wheel (out of gear, or in nuetral- use chocks!) by hand with a little resistance.

When you get good at it, you can do it without lifting the vehicle by feeling the tension on the self-adjusting wheel, though not at accurate. And, yes, I have over-adjusted them myself once or twice and had to back the adjuster wheel off.

The shop really said that they 'purposefully' overadjusted them and rec'd that I drive them 50-100 miles and they will be fine.

So whats their deal...I'm susposed to wear it down so everything is even?

It definitely feels tight as it doesnt roll as well in neutral...

jtszymano said:

The shop really said that they 'purposefully' overadjusted them and rec'd that I drive them 50-100 miles and they will be fine.

So whats their deal...I'm susposed to wear it down so everything is even?

It definitely feels tight as it doesnt roll as well in neutral...

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I'm not a mechanic, so maybe there are differant methods of adjusting them. But, from my experiance, they're on the tight side. If you use a screwdriver to push the self-adjuster away from the star part of the wheel, you can turn it with a brake spoon or another screwdriver so it "loosens them up some. If I remember, the teeth of the wheel closest to the access hole move down to loosen. I'll have to check tomorrow. My 44 is sitting on jackstands in the backyard waiting for a few welds. They shoes will ware some in not too much time, but overtightening can cause a lot of unwanted heat- like riding the brakes I suppose.

My advise is to learn how to do it yourself, either through someone else or by studying a brakedown picture. It really isn't that hard.

If they were tight cold, they get tighter when they get hot. Hot enough can leave hard spots in the drum (usually black or blue circles) that cause problems down the road (the drums get hard to turn and the shoe linings wear grooves). Overheating can cause cracking in the shoe linings and even seperation of the lining from the shoe.
They don't need to be that tight. I adjust mine loose, apply the parking brake a little and then back up and brake a few times. If the brake parts are OK and the adjusters aren't frozen or stiff, the self adjustment is good enough.
The cure for noisy rears, is clean all the junk out. I wash mine out with mild soap and hot water twice a year. And sand the shoes and drum. My drums wear evenly and last forever.
Possible a leaky wheel cylinder, is causing the shoes to screetch or squeal a little. But it is usually glaze, dirt or junk.
I'd have them loosen them up and check to see if the adjusters are turning freely and let them self adjust.
Raybestos put me through two, three month courses, that's what they taught me.
If you put on *new* shoes and don't turn the drums and arch the shoes, a tight adjustment is OK (not over tight) because the crown will wear fairly fast, until the shoes wear to fit the drum.
New shoes and front pads, sometime require sanding, sometime they don't depending on the manufacturer. But sanding really helps the break in process and helps avoid glazing. Its also often a cure for screeching brakes, the glaze often causes much of the squeel.
Sand the shoes, pads, drums or disc against the direction of rotation. A 45 degree angle is ideal, then reverse direction and do a 45 degree sanding angle the other direction, so you end up with a diamond type pattern. The sanding also helps avoid deep ridges in the disc and drum, by knocking a little of the crown off the ridges and helping them to wear more evenly.

8Mud said:

If they get hot enough they will crack. If they are bonded and not riveted, the lining can seperate from the shoes. They are self adjusters, if everything is working right, a few times backing up and pushing the brakes and they will adjust on there own.

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No they won't. Self-adjusters only self-tighten, they don't self-loosen if some moron cranks the star wheel too tight manually.

jtszymano said:

Yep, I was having some squealing coming from the rear and took it in to midas. The re-adjusted and now I smell nasty brake smell after a 20 mile drive.
I called them and they said that they purposefully overcorrected.

Is this normal??

Thx

Click to expand...

Wow! Proper way to adjust the rear drum brakes.
1. Using a jack lift rearend off the ground and set on jack stands.
2. Set parting brake handle 1 click.
3. Adjust so that when wheel is turned brakes just touch
4. Brakes shouldn't rub when parking brake handle is released.
5. Test drive.

If your brakes are heating up then there set to tight. I would take it to another shop and have them checked. If damaged, and this can get expensive, make Midas pay for the repairs.

Eagle said:

No they won't. Self-adjusters only self-tighten, they don't self-loosen if some moron cranks the star wheel too tight manually.

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Correct, I was thinking when they are properly installed and everything is working properly, they will self adjust. The adjusters are unlikely to loosen themselves up. I know, either say what I mean or mean what I say.:flipoff:

I keep tools off of the star wheel. the teeth are fine and not all that hard. The teeth aren't designed to fit a brake spoon and a screwdriver fits poorly. Other than a stuck adjuster, the teeth being rounded on the star wheel adjuster and the adjuster lever being rusted/corroded are the main reason the self adjusters, don't!
A typical adjustment for brakes, old style manual adjuster, is to adjust until the shoes drag just a little and back off two or three clicks, to allow for expansion and avoid hanging.
If you finger adjust the star wheel (push the lever out of the way) until the shoes just catch the drum ridge when sliding on the drum (and twisting a little), it's usually close enough to adjust itself. A quick check is if the parking brake catches at all. You *can* adjust the star wheel with a screw driver (with the drums on) until the shoes just touch and back off a click or three also, but like I said, the screwdriver burrs the teeth on the star wheeel eventually.
If you apply a little parking brake, the self adjusting process works better and faster, when you back up and brake a few , four or five times.
Being carefull, whenever adjusting or working on the brakes is wise. They may not catch well, the first time you drive the XJ. Just like new front brake pads, have the habit of not grabbing the first few applications or until the top coating wears off.
Overtightening the rears can also help you to swap ends on a rainy street. If the rears grab or lock, before/or stronger than the fronts, the rear can swing out, causing loss of control.

Thanks fellas!
I dont have a place to work on it this weekend so Im going to swing by the shop since they say it only takes a few minutes once its off the ground.
Until then I'll be inhaling asbestos...
JS

The people at your Midas shop are idiots. Drum brakes properly adjusted will not drag at all. If they overtightened and you drove til you could smell resins burning out of your brakes your brake shoes are most likely ruined, and possibly also the drums, hardware, and cylinders.

Thats just grrrreeeaat.

Does anyone have any photos of 'ruined' rear brakes to the likes of what Dave in Eugene mentioned?
So, when I go in there I will be able to make an educated decision....

You won't be able to see it, because adjusting the shoes does not require removing the drums. (In fact, it can't be done with the drums off.) You would be looking for "hot spots" or a blueish, overheated look on the contact sirface inside the drums, and for evidence of glazing on the shoes (or cracks in the surface of the shoe wearing material).

What your shop told you is idiotic. There is only one way to adjust brakes -- correctly. If they are loose, they get adjusted to where they are supposed to be. I have never heard of "over-correcting" on brakes, because the ONLY possible result of doing so is overheating, premature wear, and damage to the drums.

Alright, so Im going to check the drums and shoes for abnormal patterns compared to a new one right out of the box. If there are any signs of abnormality... they will replace.
I know you guys mentioned other things that may be messed up. What should I look for...leaking cylinders...what else?

On other notes...how many times around should the wheel spin or how easy should it be to spin after a PROPER adjustment...Thanks again, your knowledge base is fantastic!

The metal part of new shoes is usually painted with a thin coat of transparent varnish. If it is flaking, peeling, or discolored the brakes have been too hot. Drums might have blue spots or heat check (small cracks). Excess heat can transfer to springs & other hardware. Visually, look for rust or discolored paint. When off you can drop springs on a cement floor and if they ring they are no good. Wheel cylinders, if not obviously leaking, pull the outer boot away from the cylinder body. If wet inside the seals are no good.

Damage will be easier to spot if things are nice and clean. To wash the brake dust away you can spray it down with a garden hose if you are outside, then drip dry or blow dry with an air hose. Way cheaper than Brakleen and unless there is oil on the brake assembly, will work just as well.

jtszymano said:

...how many times around should the wheel spin or how easy should it be to spin after a PROPER adjustment...Thanks again, your knowledge base is fantastic!

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There are too many other things going on in the rear axle & driveline to tell much from freewheeling. If you turn the adjuster wheel while spinning the wheel you will probably hear the brake drag before you feel it. You can overtighten a bit to make sure things are centered and seated, then back off until the drag is all gone. Ending up a couple notches loose isn't a problem - the self adjuster will take it up as you go about your business.

Shall do, thanks. JS

I'll snap some photos if things look odd...