Can anyone point me to any info on how these work?
Simply put, mine comprises of a threaded rod forked at both ends with a
rachet & pawl assembly.
I read differing accounts as how to get them to actuate. Some say the hand
brake does it & if you rarely use it the brakes won't self adjust. Others
say that they only adjust when braking while in reverse. Another account
says you just pump the brake pedal.

So, what's the story? How can I be sure they're both working OK? ('cause I
have a suspicion one isn't)

"Skokiaan"  wrote in message 
news:tvu4e19p747q95tf8n9ttb3gvjh906k02l@4ax.com...

> Can anyone point me to any info on how these work?
> Simply put, mine comprises of a threaded rod forked at both ends with a
> rachet & pawl assembly.
> I read differing accounts as how to get them to actuate. Some say the hand
> brake does it & if you rarely use it the brakes won't self adjust. Others
> say that they only adjust when braking while in reverse. Another account
> says you just pump the brake pedal.
>
> So, what's the story? How can I be sure they're both working OK? ('cause I
> have a suspicion one isn't)


Every time the pedal is pushed the brakes have the opportunity to adjust if 
needed, the pawl moves to the side of the wheel and as the brake is released 
the wheel turns.  Normally as long as all the bits are there and clean 
everything will work.  When fitting it is worth winding out the wheel bit 
till the drum can just be fitted.  It takes several thousand miles before 
you will know if it working ok (IE you could just adjust them each service, 
like the old days)

mrcheerful

"Skokiaan"  wrote in message
news:tvu4e19p747q95tf8n9ttb3gvjh906k02l@4ax.com...

> Can anyone point me to any info on how these work?
> Simply put, mine comprises of a threaded rod forked at both ends with a
> rachet & pawl assembly.
> I read differing accounts as how to get them to actuate. Some say the hand
> brake does it & if you rarely use it the brakes won't self adjust. Others
> say that they only adjust when braking while in reverse. Another account
> says you just pump the brake pedal.
>
> So, what's the story? How can I be sure they're both working OK? ('cause I
> have a suspicion one isn't)


You're very probably right. This type were very prone to not self-adjusting
after a not very long time. But first you need to establish which side if
either is not working. And then you need to have the drum(s) off to be sure
your lack of brakes is not due to fluid having leaked on to the shoes.

If all else looks ok, do as someone else suggested and adjust it up manually
until the drum just goes on. Then spin the wheel to make sure it's not
binding, and pull the handbrake on to make sure it now works.

Steve

The message 
from Skokiaan  contains these words:


> So, what's the story? How can I be sure they're both working OK? 


The ratchet operates the wheel every time the shoes retract far enough
for the pawl to catch on the next tooth. If reassembled fully closed it
can take a fair number of presses before the slack is fully taken up. I
forget how many teeth there are on each wheel, but assume 40. If it has
to go round five times that's 200 presses if only one tooth is caught at
a time.

You can tell whether any slack is being take out by how far the
handbrake cable can be pulled.

-- 
Skipweasel.
Ivor Cutler - "Never knowingly understood."

The message <dbu3p6$cp1$1@news6.svr.pol.co.uk>
from "shazzbat"  contains these words:


> If all else looks ok, do as someone else suggested and adjust it up manually
> until the drum just goes on. Then spin the wheel to make sure it's not
> binding, and pull the handbrake on to make sure it now works.


I always watch 'em work a few times before putting the drum back on to
check they're actually going round.

-- 
Skipweasel.
Ivor Cutler - "Never knowingly understood."

Skokiaan wrote:

> Can anyone point me to any info on how these work?
> Simply put, mine comprises of a threaded rod forked at both ends with a
> rachet & pawl assembly.
> I read differing accounts as how to get them to actuate. Some say the hand
> brake does it & if you rarely use it the brakes won't self adjust. Others
> say that they only adjust when braking while in reverse. Another account
> says you just pump the brake pedal.


I'm not sure if the rear brakes on my Peugeot 205 were girling or not, 
but they did have ratchety style self adjusters that either worked or 
didn't work.   The adjusters IME didn't need actuating, thats why they 
were called "self adjusting".  (c:

New OEM shoes came with new self adjusters, cheap pattern parts did not, 
so if you fitted shoes from the motor factors, you had to fit the old 
adjusters which were invariably buggered.  In my experience, you could 
make old ones appear to work but they never did for very long.


> So, what's the story? How can I be sure they're both working OK? ('cause I
> have a suspicion one isn't)


One rear brake not working properly could be knackered self adjuster, 
weepy brake cylinder or worn out shoes.  Might also be none of the 
above, those are just the problems I came across.

Douglas

In article ,
   Skokiaan  wrote:

> Can anyone point me to any info on how these work? Simply put, mine
> comprises of a threaded rod forked at both ends with a rachet & pawl
> assembly. I read differing accounts as how to get them to actuate. Some
> say the hand brake does it & if you rarely use it the brakes won't self
> adjust. Others say that they only adjust when braking while in reverse.
> Another account says you just pump the brake pedal.

> So, what's the story? How can I be sure they're both working OK? ('cause
> I have a suspicion one isn't)


They're notoriously unreliable. Best to simply replace them and pray the
new ones work. They adjust with the footbrake, but it can take many pumps
to set them fully from new.

I got a new set for my SD1 from Ebay, and they actually do work. Slightly
different design from the originals which didn't.

-- 
*When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane *

    Dave Plowman        dave@davenoise.co.uk           London SW
                  To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Skokiaan  wrote:

Previous stuff Snipped.

Many thanks for all the replies, I had already replaced the wheel cylinders
& shoes & dismantled & cleaned the self adjusters a couple of months ago,
so there shouldn't be anything wrong. Its just that I thought that there
was a might too much brake pedal travel compared to some of the other
vehicles I drive.

It passed the MOT last week & when I picked it up I noticed much of the
pedal travel had diminished & the pedal was quite hard, so I thought
perhaps something they did on the brake tester had wound in the adjusters. 
Hence the question on what activates the adjusters.

"Skokiaan"  wrote in message
news:7119e15hkqaelttt0e85dgm8pr1mgfquib@4ax.com...

> Skokiaan  wrote:
>
> Previous stuff Snipped.
>
> Many thanks for all the replies, I had already replaced the wheel
cylinders
> & shoes & dismantled & cleaned the self adjusters a couple of months ago,
> so there shouldn't be anything wrong. Its just that I thought that there
> was a might too much brake pedal travel compared to some of the other
> vehicles I drive.
>
> It passed the MOT last week & when I picked it up I noticed much of the
> pedal travel had diminished & the pedal was quite hard, so I thought
> perhaps something they did on the brake tester had wound in the adjusters.
> Hence the question on what activates the adjusters.


They will have been quite enthusiastically heaving on the handbrake, and
pressing the footbrake, especially if it was a bit inefficient or one-sided.
This may have taught your self-adjusters what they're supposed to be doing.

Steve