drum brakes pull to left

[1969c10joe]

Thanks for all the help. I have new drums, shoes, springs, wheel cylinders, replaced right front twice, wheel bearings, new hard and rubber lines, no sign of fluid or grease on shoes. Left side shoes have all the wear.The lines just got replaced. maybe i should start over with new shoes. Two people said adjuster on right is out pretty far

[Gmc.guy]

It might help to compare everything for each side to make sure they are the same. Measure your drums inside too. There may be enough of a difference to drag, make sure your hardware matches. Check wheel bearings too They take some tinkering compared to discs and once you get it dialed in you will notice a huge difference

[1969c10joe]

thankyou for your help having trouble with this phone and internet and website

[toolboxchev]

Sounds like the adjuster is either working on one side and not the other. I always use some copper anti-sieze on the threads.

Or on one is working too well and the other normally. At work today we took in a rental for service and the customer placed their cheese snack lunch bag in the engine compartment of our boat.

I thought I had seen it all!

[1969c10joe]

thankyou for your reply the adjusters are pretty new threads are clean does anyone know if shoes can be switched from side to side for diagnostic purposes?

[toolboxchev]

Yes they can, but one has to be on the rearward side and usually has more material on it. Its called the primary shoe.

[cdowns]

have you checked to see that the adjusters are right for each side as they are different as far as threads are concerned

[demian5]

You didn't say if you had new components for front and rear or just front.
I had a pulling problem on my 64 impala ss, turned out it was a rear axle bearing seal allowing fluid onto my rear drum, causing it to pull.
I adjusted fronts a couple times before i pulled rears.

Centric makes a performance shoe that has better anti-fade qualities FYI.

[1969c10joe]

Thankyou I read something about that. What is the difference? Are they supposed to be reverse threads?

[1969c10joe]

thankyou ill remember centric next timeI buy shoes. I have new bearings infront and the only parts i have not replaced are the rear lines.I feel the drums and shoes are low quality. The mechanic that did the work was a ripoff artist as I lost half a tank of gas while my truck was in his shop

[demian5]

Put it on all 4 jack stands and have someone lightly press on the brakes while you try and turn the wheels. this should identify the wheel with the issue.

[1969c10joe]

I have checked the rear brakes they are clean and dry. I feel its the right front 1due to lack ofwear on right front 2the pull is rather abrupt. what is the difference between right and left self adjusters?

[1969c10joe]

Thankyou I only have two jackstands. The left stopsand right still spins until more brake is applied

[demian5]

Originally Posted by 1969c10joe

Thank you I only have two jack stands. The left stops and right still spins until more brake is applied

Re-adjust and diagnose. Maybe when you replaced the hard and rubber lines you got chassis crap in the line and its blocking it. Try bleeding them and see if the fluid flow is the same for each side. If not, i suspect a blockage.

[1969c10joe]

flow seems good on both sides i opened bleeder on right side and fluid comes right out. I have a theory... right rubber line degraded and ruined right wheel cylinder replaced both rubber lines then wheel cylinder now shoes on left are making more contact.

[1969c10joe]

I have readjusted brakes. The self adjuster on the right has reverse threads is that CORRECT?

[1969c10joe]

ok thankyou everyone im going for a test ride. If not right yet i might remove shoes compare them for any flaws then swap readjust and test drive if it pulls to right then ill buy new shoes

[demian5]

Originally Posted by 1969c10joe

ok thankyou everyone im going for a test ride. If not right yet i might remove shoes compare them for any flaws then swap readjust and test drive if it pulls to right then ill buy new shoes

Post pictures of both sides for us to see if anything is incorrect.

[1969c10joe]

back from test drive still pulls to left after adjusting right brakes a tad tighter than left tried backing up to adjust also. NEW INFO i forgot to mention this its always worse after sitting overnight if i push the pedal down a few times firmly the pull almost disappears.Could it be brass t junction?i reused old one auto parts didnt have one in stock. I bled lines but ill do it again if you advise. The pedal doesnt 'pump up' as has been my experience

[1969c10joe]

Oh about those pics....not to good at working this phone would like to post pics of engine cause imrather proud of it. I will figure it out before i pull drums and take photos. Thank you for sticking with me. Did you see my first post in the welcome section? You are doing everything but hand me tools.

[BILT4ME]

If your shoes have been soaked in brake fluid or grease, they will have a tendency to stick.

Did you replace BOTH hoses as well? If not, you may have an internal failing hose.

I have not looked in the GM book for the drum brakes on these trucks, but the Studebakers I drive have drums on all 4 corners and no auto-adjusters. The Stude manual says to tighten the adjuster until it is TIGHT. (The wheel does not even need to be off the ground)

Then back it off 8 clicks. The number of clicks is based on the fact that they have a very COARSE tooth pattern on the adjuster wheel. The GM's appear to have a FINE tooth pattern, so I would be more inclined to do something like 12 clicks. Do them both the same on the same axle.

There are multiple possibilities on the adjuster. Yes, one side is left-hand thread and one side is right-hand thread. (I do NOT know which is which.)

Next, make sure that you have BOTH the SPRING and the ADJUSTER on the brake shoes in the CORRECT orientation. If the spring is in backwards, the adjuster wheel may spin freely. If the adjuster wheel is in backwards, it may spin freely or not at all. Typically, if the adjuster wheel on the left side is toward the REAR of the truck, then the adjuster wheel on the right is toward the REAR of the truck (Again, I don't know WHICH direction is correct) The spring is USUALLY on the inside, not the outside of the shoes. Again, check you manual.

I suggest you download the FREE Service and Overhaul manuals from this site for an accurate picture and assembly procedure.

[1969c10joe]

sorry guys I took pics but cant figure out how to send them. From what you guys have said it could be auto adjuster im going to check spring orientation thats a good idea. Ill try to download those manuals if i can outsmart my smart phone.P.S. im older than my truck.

[1969c10joe]

to bilt4me thankyou for idea about service manual. Yes i replaced both rubber lines thanks for asking . I DID NOT replace brass t junction auto parts didnt have one it looked ok though

[1969c10joe]

and another thing oops no hole in drum to access adjuster have to take drum off adjust then put drum back

[garyd1961]

I have been going through this with my truck. Mine would pull to the right. I kept trying to adjust the left side up to match the right side but it didn't work. Finally I backed off the tight side and it took about 2 full turns before they were even. I took the wheel off about five times adjusting driving and adjusting again. Don't worry if the adjusters don't look even as long as the brakes pull even. After I got mine even the pedal would go about an inch further than normal but after driving it a while it came back up and remained even.