I finally took off the rear drums on my '99 and it looks like a regular drum brake set up. I just don't see any self adjusting mechanism here.

 

its just the e-brake that is supposed to self adjust, if your e-brake isnt holding spin that wheel some till there is slight drag when you put the drum back on and spin it. then it should all be good.

 

Nop, that is them alright. The part that adjusts is the fork that goes between the two shoes. It is threaded and has that wheel on it, and that peice of metal on the right is the adjuster (the one that is touching the wheel with the teeth).

Don't know exactly how they work, but I know that they adjust when you go in reverse.

 

That piece of metal is the clicker, so the wheel can't turn in the "loosening" direction. The clicker physically can not move the wheel, and I don't see anything else that would be able to move the wheel, as that's what needs to happen to adjust the brake

 

Is the pad wears, the mechanism has to push farther to get the same braking effort. Once it goes past a certain point, the adjuster wheel is forced to click over and can't go back.

MadCityRich

 

The adjuster or clicker has nothing to do with physically moving the wheel. It is to adjust the brake shoes(the pads). The adjuster only adjusts when the brake is applyed.
Here is how they work, google is good stuff
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-p...rum-brake2.htm

I believe that Jeeny is also right, some of them adjust when you apply the parking brake.

 

you just go backwards at a good speed and slam the brakes. something in there moves that little wheel that looks like a star with a hundred points. And when that little star wheel turns... it adjusts your brake shoes(pads) closer to the drum. it has nothing to do with your parking brake except that when your done backing up at a good speed and slammin the brakes(repeat a few times) the brakes adjust them selves and the e- brake will work better too.
When you go to put new brakes on you will have to readjust this little star wheel to make room for the extra thickness of the new pads.


Star wheel is just above the wheel stud in your picture.

 

Everybody keeps repeating that, yet can't point out how that something works, or even where it is

 

The adjuster wheel is turned by the flap that sits on top of it.

Often the mechanism will seize up and refuse to budge under normal adjusting circumstances and will need help from your little screwdriver.

 

The one outlined in red is where the adjuster wheel and an fork(that move in and out to increase and decrease the distance between the shoes) are.

The part outlined in yellow is the other part of the adjuster, it rotates the adjuster the way it needs to go and stops it from rotating the way it doesn't need to go.

If you want to know how they work use
READ http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-p...rum-brake2.htm

 

I think I sort of see how it might work.

For it to work, you have to apply the emergency brake and go in reverse, then forward, then reverse, then forward, while the e-break is engaged. Don't even have move on the road, just rock the vehicle back and forth, so the pads engage against the drum and rock back and forth with it. The method of going in reverse and repeatedly pulling the e-brake that I've read about here will accomplish nothing beyond the first pull from what it looks like.

But the whole mechanism does not instill confidence of reliability, and I think it wasn't working for me. The adjusting star spins freely, but only after manually adjusting it I'm back to 3 clicks of the parking break to full engagement. Brakes much better on road now.

 

Also a question for everyone: it appears that to properly adjust the rear drum shoes, the adjusting bolt on the emergency brake bell crank has to be.... adjusted. Otherwise it looks like when the hydralic brakes are activated, only the top portions of the shoes will be used for braking.

Why isn't this bolt ever mentioned when adjusting rear brakes?