[T3] Brake issues....

[Jim Adney]

On 21 Jul 2011 at 10:01, Don Robertson wrote:

> My money is on incorrectly adjusted hand brake cables.  The old drums 
> were very likely a lot oversize from wear, and someone adjusted the 
> cables so the hand brake would work properly.  Now with new drums the 
> cables are too tight to adjust the shoes correctly. 

While maladjusted brake cables are common, on second thought I don't 
thing this is the cause of his current symptoms. If the cables were 
adjusted too tight, which is the mistake that gets made, it would 
mean that the brake adjustment (at the wheel) wouldn't be able to 
back the shoes away from the drum enough.  

In other words, a misadjusted cable would make the shoes too tight, 
not too loose.

At this point, I think our best guess is that they are adjusted all 
the way IN. It should be noted that there IS a min, but there is no 
max. At the max end, the adjuster would just unscrew and fall off, 
and I don't think that's even possible with the drum and shoes in 
place, no matter how worn.

Functionally, the "max" occurs when the shoe is adjusted tight 
against the drum.

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Jim Adney, jadney at vwtype3.org
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
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