Drum Brake Shoes; Parking Brake - Chrysler Stratus RHD 1999 Electronic Service Manual

5 - 66 BRAKES
CLEANING AND INSPECTION (Continued)
• Ensure that the knurled pin (Fig. 190) is
securely attached to the adjuster mechanism and
that its teeth are not damaged.
• Overall, examine the adjuster mechanism for
excessive wear or damage and replace if necessary.
If the adjuster mechanism is reusable, apply a
light coat of Mopar Multi-Purpose Lubricant or
equivalent, between the quadrant and the strut of
the adjuster mechanism (Fig. 190).
Fig. 190 Automatic Self Adjuster Mechanism
If old springs have overheated or are damaged,
replace. Overheating indications are paint discolora-
tion or distorted end coils.
DRUM BRAKE WHEEL CYLINDER
With brake drums removed, inspect the wheel cyl-
inder boots for evidence of a brake fluid leak. Visu-
ally check the boots for cuts, tears, or heat cracks. If
any of these conditions exist, the wheel cylinders
should be completely cleaned, inspected and new
parts installed.
If a wheel cylinder is leaking and the brake lining
material is saturated with brake fluid, the brake
shoes must be replaced.
BRAKE TUBES AND HOSES
Flexible rubber hose is used at both front and rear
brakes. Inspection of brake hoses should be per-
formed whenever the brake system is serviced and
every 7,500 miles or 12 months, whichever comes
first (every engine oil change). Inspect hydraulic
brake hoses for severe surface cracking, scuffing,
worn spots or physical damage. If the fabric casing of
the rubber hose becomes exposed due to cracks or
abrasions in the rubber hose cover, the hose should
be replaced immediately. Eventual deterioration of
the hose can take place with possible burst failure.
Faulty installation can cause twisting, resulting in
wheel, tire, or chassis interference.
The steel brake tubing should be inspected period-
ically for evidence of corrosion, physical damage or
contact with moving or hot components of the vehi-
cle.
ADJUSTMENTS

DRUM BRAKE SHOES

NOTE: Unique to this vehicle is a new fully auto-
matic adjusting mechanism (Fig. 191) for the rear
drum brakes. The rear drum brakes used on this
vehicle have no provisions to be manually adjusted
and should not require manual brake shoe adjust-
ment for the life of the linings. Although in the
event of a brake reline, it will require the automatic
adjuster to be reset. After resetting the automatic
adjuster the initial adjustment procedure must be
done prior to driving the vehicle.
Fig. 191 Rear Drum Brake Automatic Self Adjuster
Mechanism
REAR DRUM BRAKE INITIAL ADJUSTMENT
PROCEDURE
(1) Be sure parking brake lever is fully
released.
(2) Fully apply the vehicles service brakes 2 to 3
times by depressing the brake pedal as far as possi-
ble. This will cause the automatic adjuster mecha-
nism to correctly adjust the rear drum brakes.
(3) Apply and release the park brake lever one
time after the service brakes have been correctly
adjusted.
(4) This procedure has correctly adjusted the vehi-
cle's rear service brakes.

PARKING BRAKE

This vehicle uses a bent nail type park brake cable
tension equalizer (Fig. 192). The bent nail tension
equalizer it to be used only one time to set the park
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