Keeping Drum Adjustors Moving

[calvin1]

I recently overhauled a friend's drum brakes and was wondering if there was something I could do to make sure the adjusters don't eventually rust solid like the factory originals did. The pads and drums were a long way from used up. What caused all the trouble was that the adjusters stopped adjusting and after a while the cylinder just couldn't reach far enough to actuate the shoes. The parts I took out looked like something from a shipwreck.

I coated the new parts with a slime of Ford spec lithium grease (3% moly?) about the thickness of a stick of gum. I used that because it's what I had in the grease gun at the time. Will the regular grease do any good in this application? Is there something else I should use to keep the adjusters clicking?

Calvin

 

[eljefino]

If you're talking about the threaded part in the middle far away from brake dust you may be on to something. I personally like a tiny smidgen of antisieze if I have to lube something that will get brake dust on it. Sometimes I just check for galling and leave it clean and dry.

Did you check the backing plates for missing adjuster covers etc? While the insides of a drum are a hostile environment they shouldn't be "shipwreck" hostile.

 

[Quest]

With the adjusters off, clean and inspect the threads for corrosions and debris. With the clean parts, check and rotate the threads to see if they tend to have a slightest possibility of binding, and if so, replace the unit with a new one.

If the old ones can be reused, all you need to do then is to lubricate the treads and then reinstall. I have 2 choices of lubricant (but leaning towards the 2nd option): (a) use molybdenum based bearing grease (the one that are extremely liquid, not a thick cream type) and then apply it sparingly on the threads and then turn the treads in-n-out a few times to spread the lube. (b)the second option is to use synthetic high temp caliper grease that is/are available from Permatex, or similar.

Again, it all depends on whether your adjuster is in good shape. When in doubt, replace the unit.

Q.

 

[Kestas]

A wire wheel would clear the adjuster threads for lubrication and further service. Every shadetree mechanic should have a wire wheel opposite the grinding wheel on their bench grinder.

I use either antiseize or silicone grease to lube adjusters and other brake drum parts.

 

[Tempest]

Ceramlube.

 

[calvin1]

Originally Posted By: Tempest
Ceramlube.


Do you have a source? Google wasn't much help

Calvin

 

[calvin1]

this stuff?

http://www.autobarn.net/bl1.html

Looks interesting. How much experience do you have with it? How much better than the regular lubes is it?

Calvin

 

[doitmyself]

calvin1,

You might go to the Bendix website to find out if there are any local Bendix "jobbers" that you could buy the grease from close to you.

A bit of history on Ceramlub (spelled this way gets google results). The US marketer for Ceramlub is this company:

http://www.gwrauto.com/gwrmain.html

Their Paste Lube is another magnificient product I feel would work even better for your application (metal to metal).

Gary at GWR told me he supplies the Bendix product.

The advantage of these products are: their synthetic base will not affect rubber brake parts like dino grease/anti-seize, they are very high temp., they have very high solids for boundary lube (40% +/-), and they are next to impossible to wash out with water (tried it on my hands).