chaseincats

@Zed Head If I know the adjustment gear turns since I backed the pads in, does that mean the system is good? I really don't want to fight to pull the drum off again.

Awesome, that's exactly what I was hoping to hear, thanks @Zed Head. Does it matter that one drum's shoes are currently further-in than the other side's since I didn't need to loosen the passenger side's shoes to get the drum off/on but I needed to loosen the drivers side's? Basically I'm asking if the drums will permanently be unevenly tight, or if the automatic adjustment system will handle tightening the drivers side only so it matches the passenger's side and if that system has an adjustment limit. As an extreme example, if the drums are pulled all the way in using the adjustment wheel, would pulling the emergency brake 100 times get the car to the same/correct shoe adjustment level as if someone followed the FSM using the method you noted (albeit just taking considerably longer by contrast)? Also, the auto adjustment system is only calibrated using the emergency brake and not the brake pedal, right?

Hi gang, I'm a bit confused regarding adjusting the rear shoes after replacing the wheel cylinders. I was able to yank the drum off without bringing the shoes in on one side but the other I had to play with that little shoe adjustment wheel to bring the shoes in before the drum would pop back on. I am reading in the FSM that pulling the e-brake a few times adjusts the shoes back out automatically, but I'm reading on the forums you have to play with that gear again to bring the shoes back out. Any ideas which it is?

gotcha - so in that case, are the curved edges of the washer really necessary for proper operation or will a flat washer do? I called courtesy nissan down the road and they can get it but its $22 for a washer - I couldn't believe it!

Sounds good, I'll give it a shot. Should I replace the cup washer on the other side with this to keep it symmetrical or does it not matter?

Nope, I'm talking about #19 - sorry about that. I'll update the link now.

When I pulled the brake-drum cover off with the puller, the shoe retaining clip's cup-washer flew off (the one that sits between the spring and shoe) and is nowhere to be found. Can I use any washer that fits, or does it have to have those cup-like ends? This is the part I'm referencing: Courtesy Nissan Car Part Manual The part I think it's referencing

It was just due to the shoes pushing outward and me unable to find the gear to bring the shoes in. That said, after looking at the gear's position and the hole location in the drums, they don't line up at all so I'm not sure how people are accessing the gear...

Well, I gave up trying to find it and just yanked it off with a puller lol

Mine has 2 of those holes - does it matter which I use?

Wait i thought the cog was accessed through the hole on the front of the drum?

Sounds good - I'll give it a shot. Thanks

Mine actually has 2 holes on it which is weird since all of the drums I've seen online only have 1. So I just spin the drum until the hole is near the wheel cylinder then use a small screwdriver to turn the shoes in?

Gotcha, I'll halt the screw hunt. How do I gain access to the area with the adjusting wheel on the back?

So I crank the shoes in and the drum should come off? All of the other car drums I've worked on have a locking screw that needs to be removed first...

Yep the wheels turn fine. Isn't there a lock screw that holds the drum on?

Hi all - I have a leaky right rear wheel cylinder and can't figure out how to get the rear drum off and the FSM basically says 'take it off.' On most cars, there's a lock screw somewhere then you just smack the cover and yank it off but I can't find that screw and its driving me nuts lol Anyone have an idea? -chase

That picture is wild and fun story - thanks for sharing

Sounds good - I wasn't sure if that damaged it making it fail faster. Could the process of it polishing off the rust spots damage the things that spin (I don't know how these work internally)?

@Zed Head Do you think I will need a new fuel pump or I'm good as-is now that I smacked the pump to get it running? The pump is only about a year old when I let it sit.

But I thought the inside is stainless steel/aluminum, no? If there's corrosion/rust but its running fine now, should I replace it? The pump is only a couple of years old. This is the one I got: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00496VHGC

If the fuel didn't crystalize, what do you think caused the fuel pump to seize after it sitting that long? The wires were hot to the touch and the pump didn't spin until I smacked it, so something was keeping it from working.

Ok gang - after it sitting for another few weeks I started it with great difficulty, but after it started, it ran great. I was curious so I looked under the car and the filter between the tank and the pump's gas was a cloudy yellow. I read online that it is the gas and water separating - could that have rusted the pump and I broke it free? If the rollers are stainless steel/aluminum like @Zed Head said, maybe it was crystalized fuel? The cloudy yellow fuel is confusing though. As a side note, I'd drain the tank but it is quite literally full and I don't know where to get rid of that much fuel, so I'll continue driving it and add gas when it gets down to the quarterish mark. With that and the cloudy yellow fuel in the pre-pump filter in mind, would adding Heet to the tank help? I added fuel stabilizer a few weeks ago and ran it for about 30 minutes, but the fuel is already fouling so I don't think that will do all that much.

Hi all - I am re-doing the carpet in my '78 280z which entails sanding some rust, POR15 sealer, dynamat, etc. When I took off the carpet and sound deadener, I found these two holes that look like they're supposed to have body plugs, but don't. Any idea if these are supposed to stay open, or if there are plugs that are supposed to be in here, are they're available at a local parts store? These are in the passenger side footwell to the left of the fuse box. The one on the left is at the beginning of the transmission tunnel and the one on the right is through the firewall. NOTE: I've boxed both holes in blue with arrows pointing to them. The gray shown on the left side is just the lighting - that is a hole.

Ya - I had one of those clear paper filters that everyone has. fuel pump filter