Do I really need rear brakes?

The star wheel adjusters sometimes stop working for lubricant failure or corrosion. Take them apart and lubricate the threads with a high quality "anti-seize" type of lubricant. If they were loose as you say, this could cause a delay in application of the shoes and make it fail a braking differential test. You do need rear brakes, to sort of straighten you out in a stop. The wear you are describing sounds normal for 90k miles.

Earle

Looks can be deceiving. I've had shoes glaze on me, soaked up grease or brake fluid (see any leaks in that wheel?) and wheel cylinders freeze. All "looked" good.

Since you know there was something amiss, try this: lightly sand the shoes - just enough to break any glaze. Loosen the parking brake cable to the point it just flops. Press one end of the wheel cylinder and see if the other side moves. Pull the rubber cap back and look for fluid in the cap - if it's wet at all, replace the wheel cylinder or put in new cups (do they still sell those things?) and change the shoes. Remount the brakes and adjust them so that the wheel locks, then back of about 4 clicks on the star wheel. Last step is to adjust the parking brake. NEVER adjust the brakes with the parking brake cable tightened - always back it off, adjust the brakes, then reset the parking brake! Bleed the brakes carefully - you may just have a little air in the rear lines.

If the shoes were glazed, the sanding will probably get you by the inspection but they will glaze again real soon.

Shoes are cheap - cheaper than your labor to remove and re-install them - but it might take a while to get new ones to set if you don't arc them.

Beyond that, you are looking at the proportioner valve not dividing the pressure correctly

Look behind the star wheel, there should be a rubber plug (or a hole) This is for adjusting the brakes once they are on. Put the drum on and use a flatblade screwdriver to slowly turn the star wheel till the drum just starts to rub the pads. (they make a release tool to move the adjuster arm back, the arm will keep you from turning the star wheel the wrong way) I use a second screwdriver. If your comfortable with this then turn the star wheel till the drum can't be turned easily by hand, then release the adjuster arm and back the star wheel off a couple of notches.

Those pads and drum look worn. Hard to tell how deep the ridge is in there but I'd check prices for new drums and pads. Sometimes it's actually cheaper than having them turned.

They self adjust (sometimes). I've found that every so often if the jeep is level and I don't have the brakes on, that pulling up on the e-brake a few times tightens things up.

One of the big problems is the adjusting wheel (star wheel) getting full of crud. I prefer to clean the whole thing out and use some chassis lube on the threads.

If those were mine, I'd replace the drums due to the scoring. And because it's a good idea to replace pads on new discs / drums, I'd replace the pads as well. I've never had a vehicle in which the automatic adjusters worked that well, but yes you are right in theory that they should adjust when you reverse.

Out of interest, what is your handbrake like ?

Dave Milne, Scotland

That is what I used to adjust them to get the drum off.

Hmmm - I was able to move the star both directions in getting the drum off...

Cost is $15 each for turning and $40 each for new drums. Hardware kit is $15 and the pads ate about $65 for the set (Raybestos). The surface where the 2 pad parallel mating surfaces run on the drum surface is perfectly flat. The middle ridge is between those 2 parallel pad surfaces.

The e-brake is something I very rarely use. Maybe I ought to.

It is actually pretty clean in there - no crud on the star wheel at all.

Thanks Doug - much appreciated. Tomes

Hi Dave, I do not think that it is really scored, it is just that the shiny part is the only surface that the pads are running on. The pads that are in there have these 2 parallel surfaces instead of one big flat surface. The other 'crud' on there is on the sides or between the mating surfaces.

The handbrake is something that I rarely use, but when I do it is normal. Perhaps I ought to use it more... Tomes

"Dave Milne" ...

Ah, ok. It is difficult to tell from the photos.

Dave

Tomes, If there is a lip on the drum and you have to "de-adjust" the shoes just to get the drums off, then you need to machine the drums so they're uniform all the way across the face. Then, clean and lube all the friction points where the shoes ride on the backing plate, clean and lube the star wheel adjuster and threads, re-assemble, and adjust just exactly the way you described in your first post on the matter, and recheck the adjustments every couple of months or so. Adjusters aren't perfect, so they don't perform correctly the more they get dirty and brake dust on them. You will notice a marked improvement in your braking, and pedal response. Good luck,

Spdloader

Thanks.

"Spdloader" ...

Since we are having a snowstorm here and I am off from school as a result I had the opportunity to go to the inspection station and have them run it through the brake test. It passed no problem. I just put the drums back on and tightened up the star wheel.

It also gave me an excuse for going out and driving in all this snow.....

Thanks for the help everyone, it is much appreciated. Tomes