Spongy Pedal

[MorganMcCann]

My rear drums were making some sort of clunking noise, and I finally got around to changing them. After changing the drums, shoes, hardware and self adjusters. Now I have a what feels like a slightly spongy brake pedal. I can stop, it just feels like the pedal goes further to the ground to do the same amount of stopping power.

Any thought as to what is wrong?
Thanks!

 

[martin]

Did you adjust up the brakes after you installed the new parts? It might also take a few stops for the new parts to bed in.

 

[MorganMcCann]

How exactly do you adjust drums? Wouldn't the self adjuster take care of it?

 

[adsm08]

The self adjuster is supposed to, but you need to use the screw to manually set the initial adjustment close to being right.

Also, if you put the shoes on backwards it can make the pedal feel soft.

 

[MorganMcCann]

I don't think I could have put the shoes on backwards, because one has that pin for the auto adjuster.
When you adjust the auto adjusters how tight do you adjust them?

 

[martin]

turn the adjuster until you can only just get the drums on without dragging when you turn them.

 

[MorganMcCann]

Turns out the adjuster lever piece decided to slowly break, and then proceeded to go outside of the shoe and destroy the shoe and drum in the process. However, all of the parts were warrantied. So it wasn't too bad.