Hi,
Got a replacement axle housing in over the weekend and everything back in, and now it's time to bleed the rear brakes (drums, of course, on this '93 pickup). We didn't have time yesterday. Before I get into that, shouldn't I crank the pads back out manually?

Sadly, my bellcranks were frozen (shot) and are undergoing a PB bath...so no ebrake yet. I'll have to do this manually. I have figgered out that you roll the adjuster down to pull the shoes in, so they gotta go up to spread them...question is, how much 'drag' should I put on them to get them into an initially OK place? Just extremely lightly touching as you roll the wheel forward?
BTW, Yes, my mechanic is going over the truck before I put in on the road (ha ha), but I want to have it close so I don't look like a chump!
Thanks, I'm sure it's just another dumb newb question...

 

No need to crank out front pads. If rears are that bad you might need to replace some components.

Check out the FSM for troubleshooting and brake help.

:wabbit2:

 

Definitely check out the FSM. For the initial adjustment I like to adjust them until I can hear them starting to barely touch the drum. That'll get you close enough and the automatic adjusters will be able to do the rest.

 

Thanks, guys. Think it's in hand, following NV4Runner's method. The deal is, I cranked them ALL the way in when taking off the drums (nice - stinks to be a newbie!). Now I have to put them back to where they were....their removal wasn't a wear issue - I replaced the rear end. The shoes have something like 7/16" of meat left to 'em!

I'll jack up each side in turn, adjust them to slightly rub, and then let the parking brake do its work....