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Sun May 05, 2013 4:04 pm

My front brakes are binding when I adjust them correctly. If I back them off they are fine but if the slack is taken up the drums are too hot to touch after a mile or so.
Any advice?

Sun May 05, 2013 4:14 pm

Do you have the front brake lines connected to where they should be??

How much play between brake pedal push rod and MC piston??

Sun May 05, 2013 4:26 pm

Are your drums out of round?

Mon May 06, 2013 10:49 am

Eric&Barb wrote: Do you have the front brake lines connected to where they should be??

How much play between brake pedal push rod and MC piston??

Not sure, what play should there be? Would that affect just the front drums?

Mon May 06, 2013 10:59 am

So when they are backed too far out, they work well, except for a longer pedal travel?

Perhaps your brake shoes are not returning properly when you let off the pedal. Are your springs in good condition? Also, check the little 'nubs' on the backing plate where the shoes ride. I once had one of these with such a heavy ridge in the nib, that the shoe would get stuck at it and not move smoothly back and forth.

Get a helper, jack up the front, spin the wheel and have them step on the brake and release. Can you hear or feel anything odd? Does the wheel spin freely after the pedal is released?

Mon May 06, 2013 11:04 am

Failure to release pressure could result in hot drums. The brake rod can become effectively too long through a number of ways, from a new master cylinder to a bump on the vehicle's nose. If your shoes are adjusted correctly and your cylinders are returning to rest properly, your drums will not get hot. There's a locknut on the rod; break it free, screw the rod down shorter until is spins freely, then press the brake pedal a few times and let it return to the full up position.

Now lengthen the rod until you feel it touch both sides, shorten it a quarter turn, and lock it down. If your drums are out of round, you will notice when you spin them as you adjust the shoes.

Replace out-of-round drums if you can. Turning reduces mass.

You might have a dirty wheel cylinder, moving but refusing to return fully. Front drums are easy to pull off; have you looked?

Mon May 06, 2013 6:18 pm

Are you running dual or single circuit MC??

Page 4 shows how not having proper push rod play can result in not releasing rear brake pressure. If you have the front lines connected to where the rear lines should be.....

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/archives/manuals/looklisten_2.php