I replaced the rear brake shoes on both sides, replaced both wheel cylinders and bled both rear brakes (or at least I thought I bled them good enough). Problem is I have alot of free play in the brake pedal. It has to get almost all the way to the floor until I feel the brakes kicking in.
I take it the star wheel adjusters need to be rotated to push out the shoes some on each side. I had them turned all the way in, so they were about their shortest distance.
Is it necessary to use a brake spoon and screwdriver through the back hole or can I just adjust and put the drum back on, adjust and put the drum back on until I get the right setting? Guess I should have cranked the car and felt for the correct feel of the bake pedal before I claimed the job was done.
Another thing I learned during the brake job is how things can go so bad after lots of miles. For example, one of my wheel cylinders had a frozen piston. The other wheel cylinder worked but it didn't look so good. One of the star wheel adjusters had corroded and welded itself to the shaft its supposed to rotate on so it wouldn't let the star wheel rotate at all. And of course, the condition of the brake shoes themselves (lining fell of one of the shoes and broke up inside the drum, causing some grinding and bumping noises which is what got my attention to begin with!).