How to fix your SFA Hilux's Hand Brake

Original topic, click here - By LeeBoy

I read "disfunctional hand brake" and actually had to remove my brake drum to refresh my memory as to what it looks like with all those cables, springs and levers . Its quite simple but difficult to explain, here goes.

Just in case, pull the hand brake up and look above the clutch lever and spray Q20 or the likes into the slot where the HB goes through the fire wall. The little tag that opperates the HB light sticks out of this slot. Repeat this after an hour until you see oil seeping out from the rubber which protects the cable(under the SFA).

Jack up a wheel and if you look behind the brake drum(backing plate) there is a lever with an ajustable stopper(HB cable is attached to this lever). With the HB released, loosen the hand brake cable until the lever stopper touchers the backing plate(this should happen on both sides). Now on the raised wheel side through the slot at the bottom of the backing plate adjust the self adjuster until the brake shoes are just touching the drum(turn wheel while adjusting).

On same side remove the wheel and drum and just below the hydraulic cylinder there is a flat bar with a "square" spring around one end, this is "pushed" by the HB lever which is fixed to one brake shoe against the other brake shoe. After many years of use this bar wears shorter which results in those levers sticking out of the backing plate being adjusted closer to the rear spring blade and eventually hitting the blades.The more they move out the less leverage they have.

So , all you have to do is remove the flat bar and weld and grind the ends (to make it longer) .I don't know the exact length but there should be a little play (2mm). When my HB is applied, there is a 10 mm gap between the backing plate and lever stopper and it works like a bomb. I hope someone will make sence of this and try it, its easy.