Forum Discussion
Tom_Anderson
Jun 06, 2013Explorer
FormerBoater wrote:
-Automatic slacks adjust themselves only if the brakes are engaged > 60%.
-In normal operation the brakes are engaged far less than 60%
The spring brakes engage the brakes at least 60%. So, as long as you use the parking brake regularly, you're covered.
One of the posters here said that going through the adjustment procedure will not effect brake pedal travel. In my coach (Meritor brakes) this is certainly not true. If the slacks are not calibrated/adjusted you may encounter a situation where you are fully stroking the brake pedal (pedal to the metal) and your brakes are not 100% engaged.
I didn't say the brakes would be 100% engaged if they were out of adjustment. I said the pedal travel wouldn't change. Are you saying that if your pushrod travel is 1", your brake pedal won't go down as far as it will if travel is 1-1/2"?
For those who leave their opinion here that you should be measuring or having mechanics adjusting automatic slacks...here is a video with a read from the NHTSA manual.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnGi_lqueo0
I couldn't bring myself to watch that whole video, but I skimmed through it and I didn't see the part where it said not to check or measure pushrod travel. And I missed the part in this thread where anybody said you should manually adjust automatic slack adjusters.
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