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Changed a tire, and of course, snapped the last stud. In my case, that would be the seventh- 99f250, IE f150 7700.
Went to remove the drum, and of course could not.
Adjusted the starwheel- I think the wrong way. I turned it upward, which I think has tightened the brakes. As in, I put the screwdriver through the slot, grabbed a tooth on the wheel that was low down, and pulled downward on the screwdriver, moving the wheel upward.
I have moved it both ways, and still cant rotate the hub. I want to be absolutely certain that I am turning the right way to retract the shoes.
So- to retract the shoes: Turn wheel downward? And, do I have to push on some sort of plate to release it?
Any help would be appreciated, as the truck is now up on stands. I don't want to mess with it until I am certain I am going the right way, and really dont want to strip the starwheel.
Yes, generally speaking all star adjusters are the same, regardless of what side of the vehicle. Turn "up" to tighten the shoes closer to drum. If you stop and visualize how the self-adjusters work for a moment this makes sense. (Note it is possible to install a R/H adjuster on the L/H side and so on. heh..)
250 series trucks may be different than general brake service for the last 50 years but I doubt it. To actually loosen shoes, the self-adjuster lever has (should) to be pushed out of the way at the same time the star wheel is adjusted downward (from the backing plate access perspective)
Brakes should never loosen on their own, in a correctly adjusted and lubed drum brake they can be tightened though, with just a screwdriver or "brakespoon" from the backing plate access. Once they and everything else gets gummed up and corroded, forget about it. You can try cracking the hose at the wheel cylinder if necessary as a last resort.
Part of the problem was, the wheel would spin both ways. Possible I caused this problem, by not pushing the little plate out of the way. I bent the plate a bit so now the wheel only turns one way unless retracted.
Only one little problem.....
Is this a problem? Should I be breaking out duct tape?
I have seen pieces of the drum gone on several vehicles. You would think it might be slightly out of balance, but not noticeable. Check for any cracks around that missing part that may let other pieces flake off. You could touch up slightly with a die grinder, but not necessary. Just reassemble and your ready to go.
