rear drum brake removal and refitting and adjusting please any diagrams i can print and step by step guids please as i have done them once and took me the whole day to do both sides a rear pain in the behind but they seem very tight on the drums after refitting and i haven't tightened up the handbrake cable yet.

any help here would be great please

General procedure is to undo the handbrake take the drum off and adjust whichever way. Slide drum back on. You want to just be able to hear the pads catching the drum. This will mate the pads to the drum perfectly.

Is it the handbrake or pedal brake your having problems with or both?

You may well find that if the hand brake is simply released and the automatic adjusters are released, you can then remove the brake drum without any trouble.

The problems start if the drum is badly worn and/or there is a lot of rust and crud on the small area of the drum mouth that is not contacted by the brake linings. Slakening off the hand brake cable then becomes a neccesity.

Releasing the auto adjuster:

Turn the drum so that two of the wheel bolt holes are horizontal and two are vertical (bolt holes are NOT at an angle)

Working through the top bolt hole, use a screwdriver blade to lift the auto adjusting wedge, doing this will allow the brake shoes to retract.

As you pull the drum towards you, rotate it at the same time - If it is difficult to remove, then slaken the hand brake cable. If it is still dificult to move, tap round the edge od the drum with a PLASTIC hammer (a metal one may dammage the drum.

If the bearing seems to be holding the drumm, tap it on the face (between the bolt holes.

If you are not too familiar with what is inside the drum, I suggest that you either photograph or sketch the parts before removal - also, deal with one side at a time, that way, if you do need a reference, you can look at the other side.

Before removing the shoes, place a cable tie round the pistons or you may find that they come out and cause fluid loss.

Regards.

i had a real problem getting the drums off i rebuilt using new kit even though the old shoes and springs did not look bad just a leaking cylinder ever so slightly . but what a nightmare setting up the adjusters then getting the drums back on now they feel very tight like a binding but i haven't even adjusted handbrake yet but the seem to work is this right

youre sposed to set the ajuster on minimum then fit the drum , it should then self ajust but sometimes you need to prise the ajuster a bit more through a bolt hole

for drum removal poke the ajuster through the bolt hole to release the shoes

hi cool but what bolt hole are you talking about please

the bolts that hold the wheel on...take one off and spin the wheel until it lines up with the wedge , you will need a torch to shine in and check when its in the right place

right catch your drift, and it the tensioner need adjusting will i be able to push this up with a screwdriver is this correct thus then being able to release the drum.

then when refitting ..like i say it should self ajust but i pull the wedge down so the shoes scrape with the hanndbrake on one click

Edited 23 June, 201412 yr by steveo3002

top man thank you very much i am going to have another go on Tuesday