# PLEASE HELP! Question about putting my brake shoes on my 88 pulsar. PLease help me



## 88pulsar (Dec 14, 2006)

I'm just putting on new brake shoes on my 88 pulsar and I just need some help please. I put the new shoes and and went to put the drum back on but it doesn't fit. No the e-brake isn't on. When I put the shoes on the lifterd them up as high as they go (where the grove is on them) all the way up. But now the drum won't fit over them. If I push the shoes down a bit, then the drum will fit. I assume the shoes are suppose to be up all the way and that I can't leave them down some what.....or can I? Will it be a problem if I leave them down a little? Or do I leave to bleed the brakes or something to try and make the piston in the wheel cyclinder go in some?? thanks


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## Two Bills (Jan 15, 2007)

Sounds like you have to back off on the self adjusters. Did you get the drums turned?


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## Matt93SE (Sep 17, 2003)

As said above, you'll have to turn back the self-adjusting screw several turns in order to get the drum back on, depending on how worn out your old shoes were.


but once you do that, do whatever you have to do to get the drums on- as long as the shoes stay on top of the wheel cylinder plungers.

get the drum on the car and around the wheel studs, then see if there's any binding. you want to just barely have the shoes catching on the drum. once you put the drum on, give it a few turns by hand in both directions to help seat the shoes, then go inside the car and check to see how your parking brake feels. if you can pull it all the way up, then you've got something wrong back there.


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## 88pulsar (Dec 14, 2006)

I did back off the self adjuster all the way. Just the pads alone don't seem to fit. Yes I turned the drums too. Do I have to bleed the system to make the wheel cyclinder piston go in some what?


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## BlizzardStormSR (Mar 22, 2007)

no, the wheel cylinder is pretty simple from there... 

go buy a turkey baster... suck some of the brake fluid from the resivoir and leave the cap off. then take some clamps to the wheel cylinder to push them back in. it will help slightly. plus you wont need to bleed the system. be careful not to damage the seals, use a soft cover over the wheel cylinder to prevent from screwing anything up. 

as a side note, brake fluid has a tendency to absorb moisture. even from the atmosphere. so try to keep the cap off of the resivoir for a minimum ammount of time... otherwise you'll lose your braking capabilities when they start to heat up.

it's likely that this will be the easiest way. dont forget to adjust the brakes so that they have a light drag. otherwise you're just not going to feel the brakes apply


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## 88pulsar (Dec 14, 2006)

oh ok, thanks thats very helpful!!! I will try that tommorrow and hopefully it'll work. thanks again.


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## 88pulsar (Dec 14, 2006)

I tried using a clamp on the piston to compress it in but it didn't work, doesn't go in enought. looks like my self adjuster bolt might be stopping it??


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## BlizzardStormSR (Mar 22, 2007)

is the adjuster adjusted all the way down? 

or are the pads not fitting inside the drum? 

take a picture???


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## 88pulsar (Dec 14, 2006)

adjuster is the smallest it can go. yes the pads won't fit inside the drums......... I'm going to try and get a picture if I can.


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