brake adjuster...is it a must?

I put new brake shoes on my 8.25 axle and cant figure out the auto adjuster, does it have to been on there or can I just leave it off. I bought the axle with no brakes at all so dont grill me, I didnt tear it appart myself

The adjuster needs to be there. Without it, the shoes have nothing at the bottom to keep them apart, or to adjust for wear.

ChiXJeff said:

The adjuster needs to be there. Without it, the shoes have nothing at the bottom to keep them apart, or to adjust for wear.

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Hallo. But you have to admit, that the engineering of the adjustment part of the brakes are !@#$%. I can understand the reaction of a rebuilder.:laugh:

'92 XJ

Depends on what part you're talking about. The threaded adjuster? Absolutely. The arm connected to the cable that moves the star wheel on the threaded adjuster. Maybe not. But you'd have to manually adjust the brakes periodically to account for shoe wear.

If you're unsure how it all goes back together, there are lot's of pics here and elsewhere. Try using the search.

sorry we got this all wrong, I have both adjusters on, but not the thing that clicks against the adjuster, to hold it in place.

do I need that ?

You do not need that thing that clicks against the adjuster. If you eliminate that though, you will need to manually adjust them every few months, depending on use. Your brake pedal will go further and further down as the rear brake shoes wear until you are forced into a readjustment. (Hopefully before you run out of brake in a critical situation). In reality, the self adjusters don't work well about 30% of the time anyway. My old air-cooled Beetles were like that anyway. You just reach in through the backing plate and adjust them up until the only rub VERY slightly.

The self adjusters don't seem to wory very well. I will vouch for that. Although for some people they work properly. I always have a problem with the thing that spins the adjuster keeping proper contact with the gear. I got fresh springs and everything but it seems to stick out too far. Buy good hardware, not AutoZone, that's for sure.

When I did the rear brakes on my recently puchased XJ, one of the adjuster cables that holds the thingie that moves the star adjuster was too long. No f*** way would it work. Now I hear that there are two different sizes of rear brakes, so did a PO use the wrong parts or was it the factory?????????

Maybe.

For a trail rig the adjuster cable is optional. Any time on the street - it's practically mandatory. If your state inspection requirements include a least one brake examination, you could easily fail for lack of safety equipment if they pull a rear drum.

So, if you have it licensed for street use, do the right thing.

In the day, all brakes were drum brakes. It's a little easier now, but they haven't gone away yet.

surf2snow said:

You need to take a look at some kind of service manual. If you don’t have one its some thing that you should have, it will help. And yes you do need the adjuster arm for your breaks to work correct.

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Please explain why you need the adjuster arm. I agree that it is nice to have, but as long as you stay up on the manual adjustment, it will work just fine. (actually it will work better, because the self adjusters may cause a little extra drag and cut your gas mileage) If big government snoops inside your brakes and tells you that they don't look like their book shows, that is another story. But I guess that you better not convert to rear disc brakes either or lift your rig. It won't look like the book.

You do not need that thing that clicks against the adjuster.
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NOT ON A JEEP. But I have seen the adjuster back off do to vibration. When the kicker was left off.
Kicker is just what I call it.

There are 9" brakes and 10" brakes, if he used the 10" brakes in a 9" drum it would not fit, but the other way around, it might I suppose....not sure.

In order for the brakes to work correctly (all around function), you need to have the bar that separates the shoes at the top installed, the adjuster cable must be installed on the top peg and run along the guide that is held on one shoe with a spring. The cable end clips in the adjuster ratchet and a spring goes from the adjuster ratchet to the opposite shoe.

The star wheel adjuster should be easy to rotate. If it is not, remove it, dissasemble it and clean & lube it with anti-seize.

The longer shoe should go to the back, the shorter to the front on both wheels.

After you have installed all the brake components, the star should "ratchet" as you turn in the direction that will result in the shoes moving further apart. Install the drum, and wheel, and remove the plug at the backing plate. Adjust the shoes so they just drag as you rotate the tire by hand, then back it off a couple of clicks.


You do not need the cable or the ratchet, but you still need to tie the shoes together at the bottom with that spring.

It is no safety hazard not running a self adjuster, you just need to adjust the shoes yourself the way I indicated above. If the vehicle is not on stands, adjust until you feel resistance, then back off a couple clicks.