Brakes out of adjustment?

My friend's mother is like that. Recently, she was driving past a cop on the side of the road. She went to start breaking (yeah, like he wouldn't notice that) and somehow managed to honk her horn at the guy. Sly, real sly.

 

The more I look at the research the more it says not to adjust the ASA's If you have to manually adjust them then they are defective and you're asking for trouble. They're mandated to be on the equipment and it wouldn't surprise me if the inspectors start cracking down on drivers that adjust the ASA's. Don't get me wrong here because I was one of those drivers that always checked and adjusted my own brakes. But I was wrong not to go to the shop and have the ASA replaced when it was out of adjustment. I found this site just to show the complexity of the ASA's and how they are maintained.

http://www.vosa.gov.uk/vosacorp/repository/Automatic Slack Adjusters - Guide to Maintenance.pdf

 

Yet another good find, GasHauler. Trying to adjust an automatic slack adjuster out on the road is definitely something the average driver doesn't need to be doing.

I still have all my old notebooks from Ohio Diesel Tech in 1983. Now I have to go look, for nostalgia's sake, to see what I was taught about them back then.

 

OK Here's a question for ya. Both of those links are to govt. web sites and
most people are in agreement that bureaurats are all wet on HOS, so why
would anyone have anymore confidence in their guidelines regarding mechanical matters? Just curious...

 

I'd take the word from the NTSB for two reasons. 1. They are only a department to investigate and recommend changes and their on the side of reality. Today's air travel is much safer because of them. 2. Their past record is above all. I've read that in all their investigations with plane crashes in the U.S. there has been only 2 that they could not find the cause. They take as long as it takes to find the real cause and not some report that the industry wants to hear.

To have confidence in any regulations, letters, or warnings it must make sense and this one does. Let me ask you a question. Just because the HOS are all screwed up are you going to loose confidense in all the FMCSR? I don't think that most people are in agreement with you on that and most welcome safe sound driving regulations.

 

Adjusting self adjusters is the same as manual. There a little harder to turn and the make a clicking sound when you turn them. On the side of the adjuster is a little round release button type thing, not sure what the correct term for it is but, you put a flat screw driver between it and the slack adjuster and pry it out away from the adjuster to back them off. I have self slacks on my truck, but I turn them in by hand once a week, sometimes there in, and sometimes I find some out of adjustment. But, manual or self adjusting no matter which, drivers need to keep an eye on them.

 

Thanks for posting this. I just checked it out and learned a few things, think Ill go back to manuals now. I have a few that stopped clicking awhile back, and generally find at least 2 of them a couple turns out.

 

If you have manual self adjusters and you are actually adjusting them you pretty much have it. The only thing with the self adjusters is the pawls on the early adjusters has to be pulled out, I use a pair of needle nose just seems to be the tool thats the easiest. Tighten them up, back it off 1/2 turn ans away you go. Actually quicker then the measuring routine. Do not forget to tap the drum the check for cracks.