Adjust Break Release For Free

Increase in Pedal Pressure Under normal conditions, your brake pedal should operate smoothly with no need for much force to depress the pedal. As the actuator begins to fail, you may notice that the pedal is harder to press and seems to require significantly more force to completely depress.

The actuator is connected to the cables for the rear drum-in-hat brake shoes or caliper parking brake mechanism. When the parking brake actuator is activated, the actuator retracts the cables attached to the caliper or the shoe mechanism.

Brake actuators and diaphragm actuators play a key role in the braking system. Their purpose is to convert the pressure exerted on the brake pedal into braking force. Wheel brake actuators, for instance in drum brakes, transfer the pressure built up by the master brake actuator in the braking system to the brake shoes.

Simply put, the brake actuator's primary job is to ensure that your brakes are working alongside your Lexus' ABS system. As pressure is applied to the brake pedal, the brake actuator pushes against the brake drum, which ultimately causes the vehicle to slow down or come to a complete stop.

You can easily access the brake adjuster at the rear base of the brake drum. Remove the dust cover with a flat screwdriver. Turn the brake adjuster clockwise or anti-clockwise to feel where you need to turn it to. It is important to note that the most drum brake adjustment direction is clockwise.

Lever the spoon up and down to adjust the brakes by spreading the adjuster. The star wheel will only turn in one direction because of the notches. If you have to loosen the brakes, you will need to insert a screwdriver to push the adjuster arm off of the star wheel, and then turn the spoon in the opposite direction.

They operate using two brake shoes with attached friction material commonly referred to as the brake lining. At the bottom, an adjuster joins the two shoes together. An electromagnet, connected to an actuating arm, is energized by electric current from the brake controller in the cab of the tow vehicle.