Brake Pushrod Adjustment?

Topic: Brake Pushrod Adjustment? (Read 1477 times) previous topic - next topic

Brake Pushrod Adjustment?

November 03, 2010, 02:14:44 AM

Hey guys and gals, got a brake pushrod question for you.

The history:
About a year back I had replaced the vacume brake booster on my 85 Thunderbird. While I was in there, I moved the pushrod out a little in hopes of getting better pedal as the pedal would travel pretty low. Didn't seem to do much for me really, never gave it more thought.

About a month and a half ago, I had the front brakes start dragging after I put new pads and rotors on, since the calipers were really old I figured it was caused by them just being worn worn out and catching from the new pad install.

Everythng was working great, nice stiff responsive pedal for once. Then yesterday my wife advised me she felt there was something a little odd with the cars performance on the highway, like she had to give it a little more gas then usuall. As she doesn't drive my car much, I dismissed it as her being used to her 92 Sport.

On to last night:
On the way to work. I drive 44 miles over a mountain one way and was stuck behind a semi most of it. At the bottom of the mountain after the truck turned off I could feel what the wife was talking about. The front pads are dragging again. I limped it the rest of the way in as I was only a few minutes from work.

So the real question here, am I right in figuring I need to adjust the brake pushrod in some to loosen them up?

I will check everything else I know, which ain't much when I get home. But this seems to make sense to me, but it seems so simple a fix.

Is there any tips or instruction on propper adjustment of these things?

Sorry for the long read, just wanted to get everything in there as best I could. Thanks ahead of time for the help

Brake Pushrod Adjustment?

Reply #1 – November 04, 2010, 10:12:22 AM

Okay, so after I got home I checked everything I could as best I could. Looked okay to me, so I went ahead and did a little adjusting to the push rod. Then, I passed out. Work has been crazy, but I took last night off so in a while I will give it a good drive for a while and see how it goes.

Brake Pushrod Adjustment?

Reply #2 – November 04, 2010, 12:53:44 PM

You're not supposed to adjust that rod..

If the calipers are really old, odds are the pistons/bores are rusty or gunky...mine were just from sitting.

If you adjust that push rod the wrong way, the brakes will lock up when you barely touch the pedal.
You need to fix the problem the right way and not band-aid it

I'm not trying to be a dick, but brakes are one thing you don't want to half-ass...you might even save your own life.

Brake Pushrod Adjustment?

Reply #3 – November 04, 2010, 02:14:01 PM

I didn't take it as you being rude, I am just getting suggestions on how not to kill myself or the family with the car. I take it all as great advise. There is no better knowledge of these cars then on here.

Money is tight, we never have enough to get a shop to fix the car so I have learned a lot over the years on this one working out the issues. Since I have found this site I am now learning a lot more from reading. Search feature is awesome, but I couldn't find much on this topic, probably cause you are not supposed to adjust it. :o

Unfortunately I suppose, last year I had friend borrow my car and the brake booster was going out. He advised me since the system was old I should adjust that rod a little when I did the booster as the pedal would not start applying the brakes until it was almost 1/3 of the way down. Since he was a retired mechanic I figured he knew something I didn't. Mind you, he retired in the early 80's. So he was most likely used to something a lot older.

I didn't do much, and it never made a difference I could tell. And I left it thinking this was just the way they were, my friend had passed soon after and I never got to asking him about it more before he had gone.

Then I did the brake pads and rotors a little over a month ago, and the brakes were dragging on the passenger side. Since the calipers looked like I replaced those, and had a good pedal for once.

I felt it was a little off, but didn't give it much thought. Just felt underpowered, but I had to borrow a car for a week while I tried to get the right calipers and figured I was used to the other car having more pep then my bird.

I did notice the brakes getting warm at times, but attributed it to new pads and the fact I am always driving on mountains with traffic.

After the wife told me of the highway driving and the car not feeling right to her, I started to think more on it. And then when going in to work I payed really close attention to the brakes, something I hadn't been doing as I have just been dead tired with a lot of overtime trying to pay some bills.

So, I figured since I had moved the push rod out I needed to move it back to about where it was as it might be dragging the brakes. Really hoping I got it right, but it felt better going across town this morning. I am waiting for a bit and then need to take a drive a few towns over and will know if I really messed up.

Since the calipers, pads and rotors are new I don't suspect those are the issue yet.

Thanks for the help.

Brake Pushrod Adjustment?

Reply #4 – November 06, 2010, 12:11:54 PM

Well in the first post, you said the calipers were old, older than the rest of the brake parts.
Very old, or corroded calipers will cause what you describe, but now you're saying their new as well?

If you once adjusted that rod to increase pedal response/feel, now with the new calipers, better pads, and perhaps new (thicker) rotors, that will also cause the brakes to drag excessively.

In 1998 I was working at a place that supplied parts to GM, when they had the big strike. I was laid off for awhile, so I bought this POS Dodge Aries since it got better mileage than my Jeep J-series truck I had.

Well, unbeknownst to me, the dodge had sat in a guy's back yard for 6 years after he'd passed away.

The first time I drove the car after licensing it and all, the rotors were glowing red and stuff was smoking from the front end.
How it didn't catch on fire I don't know.
Turns out the calipers were seized on it from sitting so long.

Irony at it's finest; I spent more money on that car in parts than I would've on gas had I stayed in the jeep...at least the J-10 was reliable, as long as you didn't get in mud deeper than 10 inches or get more than 100 miles from a gas station..lol

Brake Pushrod Adjustment?

Reply #5 – November 06, 2010, 03:27:35 PM

Oops, yeah new calipers/pads/rotors about a month and a half ago. Must have missed that when I was typing. After the install of the new pads and rotors I went back in and did the calipers.

So far, it ain't much better if any. They are not dragging hard, but won't let the tire spin freely when I have the front lifted off the ground.

I am going to try new front rubber hoses today now that I got my check. In the of-chance they have collapsed on the inside and are making a one way valve effect of some sort.

And re grease the pins on the calipers. Kinda thinking it may have to go to a shop on Monday as I am running out of ideas.

Brake Pushrod Adjustment?

Reply #6 – November 20, 2010, 09:33:39 PM

Are you sure the low pedal feel wasn't because your back drum brakes need to be adjusted?

Brake Pushrod Adjustment?

Reply #7 – November 21, 2010, 03:40:04 AM

I don't honestly know, I seem to have it fixed. Over 800 miles now with out an issue. I did the new front brake hoses as after a better look when my head was clear as it appeared the passenger side had gotten hotter then the driver side. I also did the rear wheel cylinders since I had new calipers up front I figured it couldn't hurt to have new ones. Then I changed the fluid and pulled the old out with one of them handy vacuum pump devices and adjusted everything.

I want to thank you all for your help with this, with out this place I would be severely lost.