Folks,

Hopefully I can explain... I'm not up to date on Chryslers, but have done enough others. The top pin is fixed, the wheel cylinder presses out the pads, and they contact the drum. The bottom of the brake pads rotate a bit forward or back depending on the rotation of the wheel. Most adjusters are designed to active on reverse braking.

When the pads expand they contact the drum, and rotate at the bottom... there is usually a cable attached to the top pin that goes around a holder about midway on the brake drum and then goes down to the adjuster arm. The arm is also usually attached with a spring to the other pad.

The cable keeps the adjuster arm in place, but the bottom of the pad assembly moves with the rotation. You can do this with the drums off to see some of the motion. If the brake pad has worn, the pads rotate more, and the adjuster arm will catch the next bump on the adjuster star wheel. The star wheel is attached to a threaded shaft that lengthens as it is turned. When the brakes are released, the springs attached to the pads pull them back to the central location. If the adjuster arm caught the next notch, it will turn it in the direction to expand it as it returns to rest position. This makes the bottom of the brake pads wider, so next time they don't rotate as much and maybe no adjustment is made. The adjuster arm also prevents the star wheel from turning so they don't loosen.

So what usually goes wrong??? In the initial setup you can have the brakes either too tight or too loose. Too tight and it will be hard to get the drum on. Once you have it on it will be very hard to turn. If they are too loose, they may not catch enough to adjust.

Once you install the brakes, put on the drum and wheel. Turn the wheel and if there is no drag it should be tightened a bit. In my experience you want just a slight bit - usually attributed to high spots that wear away quickly. If too tight you want to loosen the adjuster. They make tools for adjusting or use a screwdriver. There is usually an access window on the bottom of the backing plate. Put the tool in there and rotate the star wheel in the direction to tighten or loosen as needed. You should be able to hear the click - click of the adjuster arm on the other side of the wheel.

Drive the car a bit, do a couple of backup stops to have the adjuster system work by itself.

Hope I didn't confuse the issue more...

Chuck