Originally Posted by
csangster
I just put new brakes all the way around my 1994 F350 4x4.
If both sides of the front brakes smell hot, I would think that both calipers are working and there are no problems.
Could my rear brakes not be adjusted correctly and causing the front brakes to work too hard?
Anything helps.
What is the proper adjustment routine for setting up the rear brakes?
Please advise,
Chris
You have drum brakes for the rear axle. How far down can you push the emergency brake pedal? Seeing how much travel your emergency brake pedal has is a way to determine if the rear brakes are tight enough. Now, if you have the emergency brake on the driveshaft, at the rear of the transmission, what I just posted doesn't matter.
When you step on the emergency brake pedal, it should go pretty far down, close to the floor, but not hit the floor. Check this on a hill and see if it will hold the truck there. If it hits the floor and won't hold the truck, they are too loose. If they grab with 3 clicks on the pedal, they are tight, probably too tight. The first two clicks, the brakes shouldn't be catching yet, the 3rd, it should start to take hold.
This is how I check them. I don't know what the service manual would say about how to check them.