How many of you know how to adjust auto adjusting brakes. I never did till today a RM driver told me. Worked great I had one drum that would never hook up till now. What you do is: stomp twice hard then push and hold the pedal.

are you moving or sitting still when hitting the brakes.

the story i heard was travel in reverse to adjust but i would use the spoon tool and jack the wheel up so when you spin it to make sure that its not too tight, kinda hard to back them off like when you do a drum removal.

Sitting Ed.

i was taught to make three full brake applications holding each one for 5-7 seconds. make sure you have at least 90psi in your tank for each application. and you definitely want to be stopped before you do this! ;)

I've been trying to stay out of this, but I can't help it.  Everyone reading these posts, PLEASE don't think that these boneheads know what they're talking about.  At the very least you will get redflagged at a scale, and at the very worst you'll get a homicide charge.  Trust me, "I was told to slam on the brakes really hard and they would work again" ain't going to hold up in court.  Jack all the tires off the ground with the outriggers, 7/16 (11 mm) wrench, tighten down the adjuster bolt on the slack adjuster until it's all the way tight.  Then back off 1/4 of a turn (according to the USDOT).  Check to see if the brakes drag at all.  If they do, back off one notch at a time until the tires spin freely.  Do one axle at a time.  Repeat this for every axle on the truck.  A lot of long haul truckers like to keep the steer axles turned back a 1/2 turn, but do what you feel with that.  Just don't get safety tips which could result in life and death from some half-drunk half-asleep mixer driver.

By the way, my post pertains to Mack trucks and other heavy duty rigs, not medium- duty isuzus and pickups, which I know Eugene was referring to.  Those are a SOB to adjust.

I agree with cp1 that's how I was taught to do them and always have done them.

What year is your Mack CP1 thats not how you adjust "auto adjusting brakes". Doesn't work not even close. The travel on manual adjusting brakes is totally different than auto.

It is illegal to operate equipment 1994 and newer without auto adjusting slacks.  They are all the same, and governed by federal law.  Even though they're "auto adjusting" it is still mechanical, and gets out of adjustment from time to time.  They all have adjuster bolts on them that take a 7/16" wrench.  This is how you do it for every truck that has auto slack adjusters.  Like I said, medium and light duty is a different story.  I guess I should also clarify, I'm speaking about in the US.  I have no idea about other areas. 

Manually adjusting this style brake is not recommended. S-cam Brake with Automatic Slack Adjuster Automatic slack adjusters adjust themselves during brake applications to accommodate for brake lining and drum wear. However, they must be checked daily to ensure they are maintaining proper push rod travel which normally is two inches when the brake is applied. Normally two to four brake applications of 80-100 psi per day will keep the brakes properly adjusted, a driver may be required to consciously make these applications when starting out for the day or during the trip when possible. If they are badly out of adjustment, a qualified mechanic should inspect them. Adjusting automatic slack adjusters by hand is not recommended unless you are thoroughly trained on the proper adjustment procedures as dictated by the manufacturer. If an automatic slack adjuster requires adjusting by hand the slack adjuster may not be working properly and should be inspected or replaced by a qualified mechanic as soon as possible

I used to "try" and manually adjust auto slacks until I learned. They are called auto slacks for a reason. If they require manual adjustment they are malfunctioning. ASE cert. in 5 areas including brakes... but don't take my word for it, do your own research. You'll find out they way's of the world.

Thank god for disc brakes! :)

Haha. How shall we call this toppic? 100 ways to adjust your auto adjustable brakes. :-)

measure the push rod travel if it is more than 2" on a self adjuster or 1.5" on a old style they are out of adjustment.  Then either manually adjust them or replace them because they do wear out and not keep their adjustment.

The auto adjusters work by normal braking. If you have a brake out of adjustment replace the slack adjuster. Also if your brake lining is 1/4" or less the auto adjuster may be working fine but the S cam is now over rotated.

I'm with cp1 on this we have newer macks and theyre auto adjusting but you can still adjust as he is saying, anything with autoadjusters I dont trust , if you do not know how to adjust your brakes which is sounding like is the case , you really need to learn very important if you expect to drive that pump safely,keep in mind statements made about qualified personnel doing this is a must , if you dont know how to do it dont mess with them, get a qualified person to teach you how to do this.

Ok so it appears that there are a lot of confused drivers that aren't entirely sure how to adjust your autoslacks. The full brake apps as we have learned simply cause the sutoslacks to do their job: automatically adjust for componant wear. this should still be done regularily BUT IT IS NOT going to do ANYTHING if your autoslacks are worn out or improperly installed. so how do you adjust your autoslacks when they are out of adjustment? well there are many different types of automatic slack adjuster (i found 12 searching online) but i also found a great video that actually shows you how to adjust almost every type of autoslack and here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnGi_lqueo0

Deaner thats a good you tube. That Johny T has some other stuff also, thanks for the tip. I like the one about what to do if you have a tire fire. Just keep driving, (that would be kind of fun)..

yeah b-alto no kidding. i'm not sure if i could do that (keep driving) my first instinct would be to pull over and hit it with my fire extinguisher...

Heres some info that hits the nail on the head... www.gunite.com/literature/pdf/pcktgde.pdf I find this better than all the other posts on here... THIS is the proper procedures on adjusting Auto slack adjusters. Very detailed to even what grease not to use.

Good info but I don't have that kind of auto adjusting brakes on my 02 Mack. Seems there are many different types? Mine has a steel horizontal flat pin for the adjuster. Haldex i think.