Breaking SFA Hand Brakes (Breaks)

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 7:30 pm

It's important (and lawful) to have an effective handbrake.

When I took possession of my Toy, I did the Roadworthy and it passed on everything except....

The handbrake Test :roll:

Fortunately the Examiner was so taken with the great condition of my Lux that he permitted me to show him the "snatch and hold" technique that requires much brute strength but gets the best outa a Hilux handbrake nÃª

Another Forum Member :

Castos' handbrake is not working and mine is almost ineffectual nou. :x

Therefore:

Please Technical People; what could be the cause of an operative handbrake and how is it fixed please

Many thanks :!:

Rich

Post by **Family_Dog** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:23 pm

I don't know the answer to this, suffice to say that Bulldog's hand brake is extremely effective! I will not be able to pull away with the hand brake on in 1st High, maybe 1st L, but I'm not going to try that. So the hand brake is indeed capable when it is in good working condition.

Cable not stretched?

-F_D

BenHur · Post by **BenHur** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:30 pm

Have yo tested it in reverse as well Eric?

Post by **Family_Dog** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:37 pm

Haven't tried to drive off in reverse, but I have had the hand brake holding Bulldog on one or other incline, can't remember which one? But it held without any problem.

Bennie, come to think of it... at the slipway at the river, the last piece of slip way where it enters the river is quite steep, and the brakes held the boat with trailer quite easily. This is where the rear wheels of Bulldog are in water. Pulling the boat out of the water, the hand brake holds it easily on the slipway as well.

-F_D

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:38 pm

Family_BullDog wrote:I don't know the answer to this, suffice to say that Bulldog's hand brake is extremely effective! I will not be able to pull away with the hand brake on in 1st High, maybe 1st L, but I'm not going to try that. So the hand brake is indeed capable when it is in good working condition.

Cable not stretched?

-F_D

Jeepers Eric, what's your Secret

:?

I've shortened my cable so that it now becomes tight after 1/3rd of the handle is pulled out; however it's not activating the brake at all :?

Is there something that is prone to jamming I wonder :?

Sounds like this is the issue with Castos' too

I'm hoping we get lots of replies, could even turn out to be another "sticky" hey brother Bennie

Rich

Rich

GTO · Post by **GTO** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:39 pm

My 2.4SRX's is also pathetic and it only a 4x2.

My 2700i is a vast improvement. :D

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:45 pm

Eric

Wonder what Mr.Ellery has got to say on the subject

Have you got your Manual handy please, sorry mine's not too accessable right now

:roll:

Let's see if we can get to the bottom of this one hey

Rich

BenHur · Post by **BenHur** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:46 pm

Rich

Try adjusting your rears up a bit if the shorting of the cable did not work. I normally adjust them until it just about starts to grip.

Eric

That very first time I did Hennops with Ewald and Mac in Bulldog we mos had to go through the water at the one spot where there was no other way around ( remember the video). A kilometre or so later I stalled against a steep climb. I could not get the handbrake to hold me as I tried to restart the engine. I had to do some fancy foot work (brake and accelerator together to pull off from there)

Stephen
The 2.7 has a much wider drum and uses bigger shoes to match

BenHur · Post by **BenHur** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:54 pm

Rich Look at the file at viewtopic.php?f=44&t=746 again. Service your rear brakes according to the manual. I think the mai issue is that the self adjusting cable thingie over time stops working. My first car was a Baja bug with drums front and rear. Once a month on a weekend she got har monthly polish and brake adjustment otherwise she had no brakes at all.

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 8:57 pm

BenHur wrote:Rich

Try adjusting your rears up a bit if the shorting of the cable did not work. I normally adjust them until it just about starts to grip.

Eric

That very first time I did Hennops with Ewald and Mac in Bulldog we mos had to go through the water at the one spot where there was no other way around ( remember the video). A kilometre or so later I stalled against a steep climb. I could not get the handbrake to hold me as I tried to restart the engine. I had to do some fancy foot work (brake and accelerator together to pull off from there)

Stephen
The 2.7 has a much wider drum and uses bigger shoes to match

Thanks Bennie

I ended up doing as you suggested and doing two turns around a M10 Bolt with body washers and locking nut.

However, it just feels like the cable is stretching and not operating the shoes. :?

I'll open up the drums 2mrw and give it all a good de-dusting and spray down with brake cleaner (a bought an aerosol last week as the passenger side front was lethargic - it worked a treat)

Will post the name of the product nou nou if anyone is interested, it's non-lubing just a very strong detergent cleaner :Geek:

Could it be the cable that's dry in the sleeve I wonder

My old BSA Bantam motorbike's front brake cable used to require annual hanging and oiling. :roll:

Could it be anything else chaps

Rich

BenHur · Post by **BenHur** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 9:39 pm

As long as you dont use PTFE spray in there

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 9:48 pm

BenHur wrote:As long as you dont use PTFE spray in there

What's that stuff then

Rich

Tinman · Post by **Tinman** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 4:21 am

iv had a couple of prolems with my hb aswell
the problem with mine was were the hand braked connnected to the back of the brake was restricted by the leaf springs. i solved this by extending the hb lever that comes out of the back of the drum brake. now it holds on every slope iv tried it on. when the motors running

ill try and post pics asap

Post by **CasKru** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 6:43 am

I serviced my brakes not to long ago and replaced all teh hydraulic seals etc. I also cleaned the inside of the drums and aligned all the parts according to what I believe it need to be.

You can ask Riaan... I demonstrated to him that I got the rear wheels to squeal with the foot brake and lock up with the hand brake doing speeds of 80km/h or so. Just service them, clean them, apply some grease at the contact points where the shoe touches the back plate and Bob's your uncle... :) (worked for me)

ThysdJ · Post by **ThysdJ** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 7:40 am

CasKru wrote:I serviced my brakes not to long ago and replaced all teh hydraulic seals etc. I also cleaned the inside of the drums and aligned all the parts according to what I believe it need to be.

I am with Cassie on this one. On both my SA spec Hilux's the handbrake works 100% after it had a service. After about 8000km I can feel that it starting to not work so good anymore, but then i hold out until service time, and when it comes back, it is 100% again. I do not know what Allan does, but I guess it is just the same as what Cassie suggests. No shortening of cables or any fancy aerosol cleaners, just a good service.

After our Namibia trip when we removed the self-tensioner in the right rear drum, I noticed that the handbrake is no longer working as a result of the pads wearing down and not being reset any longer. What this tells me is that BOTH rear brakes must be set correctly for the HB to work properly.

Post by **CasKru** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 8:04 am

Kaspaas wrote:
CasKru wrote:I serviced my brakes not to long ago and replaced all teh hydraulic seals etc. I also cleaned the inside of the drums and aligned all the parts according to what I believe it need to be.
I am with Cassie on this one. On both my SA spec Hilux's the handbrake works 100% after it had a service. After about 8000km I can feel that it starting to not work so good anymore, but then i hold out until service time, and when it comes back, it is 100% again. I do not know what Allan does, but I guess it is just the same as what Cassie suggests. No shortening of cables or any fancy aerosol cleaners, just a good service.

After our Namibia trip when we removed the self-tensioner in the right rear drum, I noticed that the handbrake is no longer working as a result of the pads wearing down and not being reset any longer. What this tells me is that BOTH rear brakes must be set correctly for the HB to work properly.

It can balance the load to each wheel but only to a limited extend. My handbrake used to be crap at best and after installing the new shoes, aligning everything properly, adjusting the brakes so that I can just turn the wheel by hand, drive for a few kilometers and adjusting the brakes again, It all is fine now and it's been about 2 to 3 moths now and it's still working like a bomb:) (or actually like a handbrake)

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:13 am

Hi guys,

Richard sorry I don't have the manual close, I am checking the forum from work at present, my laptop is supposedly beyond repair(uneconomical to repair), so I am now waiting for the insurance process to be completed, also hence to lag in getting the pics off my camera.

Ok, now the SFA brake, one of the biggest issues is that the auto-adjusters don't work well. What I do is jack up the rear one side at a time, leave the handbrake off, and manually adjust them via the inspection/adjustment hole at the back of the drum, you will need a smallish flat screwdriver to turn the ratchet! Turn the ratchet until the brakes just begin to take and then do the other side! This probably needs to be done every 5000km.

B

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 9:21 am

snipes wrote:Hi guys,

Richard sorry I don't have the manual close, I am checking the forum from work at present, my laptop is supposedly beyond repair(uneconomical to repair), so I am now waiting for the insurance process to be completed, also hence to lag in getting the pics off my camera.

Ok, now the SFA brake, one of the biggest issues is that the auto-adjusters don't work well. What I do is jack up the rear one side at a time, leave the handbrake off, and manually adjust them via the inspection/adjustment hole at the back of the drum, you will need a smallish flat screwdriver to turn the ratchet! Turn the ratchet until the brakes just begin to take and then do the other side! This probably needs to be done every 5000km.

B

Finally; some simple concise advice

Thanks B

Rich

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 6:27 pm

Success

I'm very pleased to announce that Dadz Toy now has:

An Awesome Hand brake

With many many thanks to Bennie and Bretton for your great advice

It only took me 20mins per wheel and I now have a handbrake that holds the vehicle tight, tight

Now I know what you were referring to Eric - I never thought an SFA could have a handbrake that worked so effectively

Rich

Post by **Family_Dog** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 6:58 pm

Feels good when it's right, eh? Fellow Hiluxite from JHB once drove Bulldog during a visit to K-Town and was pleasantly surprised to see how effective the hand brake can actually be!

-F_D

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 7:03 pm

Yeh Eric "feels great"

Particularly when I've the two kids onboard, I was quite frankly getting very worried about their safety:P

After the fix; I couldn't pull away in 1st 2H hey with it on

Rich

Scooter · Post by **Scooter** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 6:29 am

So come on Rich, make hast and do a right up on what you did, so the rest of the guys can get cracking with making their handbrakes work. :D

I can't say Ive ever really had a problem with mine. A quick adjustment every now and then and all is well, but that is too be expected with any handbrake.

dalkill · Post by **dalkill** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:07 am

Has this topis moved somewhere else.

my hadbrake is non existent and I think I found the problem.
yesterday , having nothing better to do, I decided to simply take a time out and have a lay down under the lux... some people like to lay under the stars, I like to lay under my lux

this is when I noticed something danging loose on the handbrake cable. did a search on the net and found this pic of the loose part I'm referring to , here still attached to the diff. So if 1+1 = 2, then mine has to be attached to the diff as well. The part is behind the blueish breather pipe... can someone pls tell me where I can buy the nut + bolt for this, as it looks very speciallised. I tried to fit standard bolt on there yesterdat, but the diameter of the loose part, and the diff attachment hole, made it difficult.

So what is this bolt called?

Irishman · Post by **Irishman** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:35 am

Me too, The secret as revealed above is to adjust the brakes, and then the hand brake cable. I've just roadworthied my Lux and it failed the hand brake test. one side wasn't working at all. I took it to a fundi, who just sand papered the pads, and drums, drove carefully back to the testing center, only 500 meters, and passed the test with flying colours. I've had them done properly since.
Ron.

cprinsloo · Post by **cprinsloo** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 2:53 pm

Hi guys,

I can also confirm that the SFA self-adjuster is FTD. Rather rely on manual adjustment when needed. Also, if you played in the sand and water, take off the brake drums ASAP and clean, those sand grains is like grinding paste for the shoes. I also lengthened the hand brake levers so that the cable connector clear the springs (have a Load Hog extra spring).

Cheers,

Chris

dalkill · Post by **dalkill** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 8:15 am

can someone pls help me find this bolt for the hand brake cable.. not even toyota knows what I'm on about....

Scooter · Post by **Scooter** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 8:26 am

It's at the top, a little to the left of center of the picture

Seriously though, is yours missing or stripped? Is it not a normal bolt?

dalkill · Post by **dalkill** » Wed Dec 17, 2008 8:42 am

mine is missing. got the bakkie without it, so I never saw what it's supposed to look like.
prev owner also prob struggled to find it.

It does not look like normal bolt. the diameter of the two plates to be connected is different, with the one being much larger than the other. so if I put a bolt to go thru the smaller diameter, it simply slides straing thru the bigger one.

One could prob use washer etc, but I would rather get the proper bolt as it seems to be designed that way for a purpose

dalkill · Post by **dalkill** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 7:24 am

I'm still looking for this bolt.... anyone ?????
plssssss help. toyota has no clue what I'm on about. anybody have a part number for it?

I even dreamnt about this bolt last night. I dreamnt we were driving next to a lux in the rolla, and I hung out the window to point to the bolt, telling my buddy, that's what I'm looking for ... stroosbob, this bolt is giving me sleepless night

Irishman · Post by **Irishman** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 8:14 am

My lux failed the roadworthy because of the hand brake. I took it to a Toyota fundi who said it was a weak point with the SFA's, and requires regular adjustment. He took some coarse emery paper, used it on the drum and the pads. I then drove carefully back to the test center, not using brakes(it was only about 500m) and it passed with flying colours.

Ron.

Scooter · Post by **Scooter** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 9:53 am

dalkill wrote:I'm still looking for this bolt.... anyone ?????
plssssss help. toyota has no clue what I'm on about. anybody have a part number for it?

I even dreamnt about this bolt last night. I dreamnt we were driving next to a lux in the rolla, and I hung out the window to point to the bolt, telling my buddy, that's what I'm looking for ... stroosbob, this bolt is giving me sleepless night

Shaaks, ill check this weekend. Ill be doing the front calipers and will have to strip and clean the rear drums too, so Ill strip the bolt out and have a look at what it is.

Dawid · Post by **Dawid** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 10:46 am

I found this photo of my bakkie's setup, not sure if it will help..

dalkill · Post by **dalkill** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 11:40 am

thanks dawid.
I will take this to toyota.
hopefully this will help.

scooter if this fails, could you take me a pic of the bolt on it's own.

I'm currently living on flat lands of Goodwood, but will be moving to CT CBD soon, which is just HILLS. I need brakes, else good old brick will have to do

Scooter · Post by **Scooter** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 12:22 pm

You're looking for the bolt securing the cable to the diff right?

Ill loosen mine on the weekedn and take a pic and measurements, perhaps you can get one at a nut and bolt place.

Post by **LouisZ** » Thu Feb 19, 2009 5:57 pm

The blueish pipe is for a ARB Locker, but more to the right the bigger diameter transparent pipe with the red is your diff breather.

I will take mine apart tommorow on the handbrake and take pics.

dalkill · Post by **dalkill** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:21 am

thanks for the help guys.
Toyota has finally found the part I'm looking for after I showed them this pics of the bolt in question.
Thanks dawid for the closeup pic - that helped alot.
Coming from pretoria and should be here by wednesday.... not a moment too soon.
Yesterday I parked in my sister's driveway with slight incline, put it into first , it still moved back in slightly jerky movements

. I thought putting a car in gear supposed to stop it from moving, considering the incline was not that steep

Scooter · Post by **Scooter** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 8:17 am

For those that might need to make their own bolt and bushes.

: Bolt & Bush.JPG (15.62 KiB) Viewed 6971 times

: Bolt.JPG (19.57 KiB) Viewed 6969 times

Scooter · Post by **Scooter** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:26 am

Cleaned out the drums and tightened up the self "loosening" system, now all is grand in handbrake land again.
lever gets tugged to about 5 clicks, beats pulling it to the rear window.

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:30 am

Scooter wrote:Cleaned out the drums and tightened up the self "loosening" system, now all is grand in handbrake land again.
lever gets tugged to about 5 clicks, beats pulling it to the rear window.

Doesn't take a lot of effort does it Scoots, then you wonder "why didn't I do this earlier" :roll:

Scooter · Post by **Scooter** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 9:56 am

Rich, I try to get to it every two months but this time I have let it slip longer.

I see I have to have the drums skimmed, the ridges and rungs are ruining the shoes. Gave them a quick sand but the drum will just score them again. Thanks to all the dust and stones etc that collect in them. :evil:

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:03 am

My driver's side drim has a piece missing and a nasty fracture in it (as well as a step)

Hope I don't have to go to a Stealers for a replacement pair of drums as Commercial sell only 5 Stud drums :problem:

Post by **JohanM** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:44 am

Rich, why dont you visit Allan down the road from you and see if he knows where maybe could find out where to get a new set. I know that the Agents would be a bit steep, and most likely not have stock.

Otherwise maybe visit Toyota Spares there just off the R 311. ( if i remember correctly). :roll:

Scooter · Post by **Scooter** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:46 am

Might be worthwhile having it checked. If it is fractured then it would be worth replacing, then do both at the same time so you have the same inner diameter drums on both sides.

Give Gemini a call, I saw they had complete rear brake systems for sale, so perhaps they have drums too and could send them down to you.

But a quick skim of the drum would reveal if it is cracked all the way through or just on surface.

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:25 pm

All this talk of handbrake mainternance had me stripping the drums again :roll:

Fortunately the damage to the rear drum looks superfitial and shouldn't jeopodise it's strength nê

I've attached a pic, seems like it's been damaged by a flying rock or something and the damage is to the outer rim only yeh

:shifty:

I was suprised by how much sand and brake dust was in there and once I'd washed it all down, emery papered the brake linings and taken the slack up on the adjusting ratchet, my handbrake it 100% again - well worth the exercise nê

Mr_B · Post by **Mr_B** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:30 pm

Hi Richard,

When I still had my Honda, I was able to get replacement drums for Triangle Clutch and Break(for Thys), in Stikland. The prices were very reasonable and they stocked an extremely large range... Won't Commercial have? I know how you love to support them!

Bretton

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:47 pm

snipes wrote:Hi Richard,

When I still had my Honda, I was able to get replacement drums for Triangle Clutch and Break(for Thys), in Stikland. The prices were very reasonable and they stocked an extremely large range... Won't Commercial have? I know how you love to support them!

Bretton

At the risk of repeating myself:

Dadz Toy BFI wrote:Hope I don't have to go to a Stealers for a replacement pair of drums as Commercial sell only 5 Stud drums :problem:

Commercial nogat Break Drums Bossy mos

Toybox · Post by **Toybox** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:43 pm

Rich,

Why all the stress over finding drums? I got a set at my local Midas for cheap enough...

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:46 pm

Toybox wrote:Rich,

Why all the stress over finding drums? I got a set at my local Midas for cheap enough...

Eish Jono :roll: :!:

I didn't even think to try Midas nê :roll:

Did you get the 256mm dia. drums, and what did you pay please:?:

Toybox · Post by **Toybox** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:53 pm

No idea on the diameter I'm afraid, wasnt aware there were different diameters

I had already had the drums skimmed once or twice so needed to replace them and the shoes back down to original spec (not bonded with the extra 3mm or whatever they skim off the drums)

IIRC they were in the region of R700 for the set. I could be wrong though, it was bout 6 months ago....

Dadz Toy BFI · Post by **Dadz Toy BFI** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 8:39 pm

Toybox wrote:No idea on the diameter I'm afraid, wasnt aware there were different diameters

I had already had the drums skimmed once or twice so needed to replace them and the shoes back down to original spec (not bonded with the extra 3mm or whatever they skim off the drums)

IIRC they were in the region of R700 for the set. I could be wrong though, it was bout 6 months ago....

IIRC SFA later models had a larger diameter drum :Geek:

Thanks for the heads-up, I think I'm gonna try and get another skim out of them Jono

Scooter · Post by **Scooter** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:42 am

Rich, if you look on the drum, there is a figure imprinted on it: maximum diameter = 256mm (or something like that)
So you can measure the working diameter of the drum and see if you will get a skim out of them or not.
Your drums look smooth though, mine are worse than bumpy thigh

dalkill · Post by **dalkill** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 7:20 am

YIPPPPEEEE, got the bolt last night, fitted it immediately when I got home, jumped in the bakkie, pulled up the hand brake, tried to pulll away.........

............. yep you guessed it..........................

it stilll moved !!!!! :evil:

Ah well, now I has to take of the drums, clean it all out and fiddle with the auto adjusting thingy. I can't do more harm

Scooter · Post by **Scooter** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 8:15 am

Ag shame man, but getting the bolt was the right thing to do anyway.

How far does your handbrake pull out? By the sounds of things it pulls to the rear window?

It is a fairly easy job to adjust the rear adjusters but it is also a job that needs doing regularly as they tend to self adjust.

When doing it, first you should release the handbrake, then slacken off the cable adjuster in front of the tank (the one where both cables from the rear come into one).
Then remove the drums and cleand them out and check for cracks or excessive wear (like mine) and skim if necessary (i will soon, I promise)
Once cleaned and replaced (if necessary), put the drum back on and climb underneath, you will see a small hole at the back and bottom of the drum plate where the adjuster is.
Stick a flat screwdriver in and turn the adjuster till the drum locks (checking every now and then to make sure ou dont go to far)
Then turn the adjuster the other way by a turn or so, until the drum is just loose.
Too tight and they will bind with heat, too loose and the handbrake wont work.
Adjust both the same, as best you can.

Then pull the handbrake and it will probably still feel loose.
Adjust the cable adjuster by tightening it, check the handbrake again, do this till the handbrake only pulls out by 5 or 6 clicks (a third of what it is now)

If your handbrake still isn't right and too loose then your cables might be stretched or you shoes are worn or not matched to the size of the drums.

dalkill · Post by **dalkill** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:16 am

thanks scooter

will give this a try tonight.

Werner · Post by **Werner** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 1:59 pm

You can get some drums at Goodhope spares in Brackenfell as well. (021) 981-4501.

When I still had my Hilux I bought a set of springs and all the rest of the cables and stuff from them and replaced everything.....then it worked fine....can't reverse or pull away forward when the handbrake is up.

Just make sure that you get the correct set for your Hilux as there are a lot of different things there.

dalkill · Post by **dalkill** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 8:11 am

OK so last night I finally got a chance to slide under the lux.
took off the wheel, and cleaned out the dust. Is them brakes made from asbestos ??? could be dangerous then all that dust.

anyhow, fitted back the drum, started turning the little adjuster. It did not want to turn. screwdriver kept slipping. took off the drum, and turn it with my fingers. could only go one way as it was full tightened already. back on with the drum, now screwdriver working nicely.

Turn quite a few times, and low and behold, after a while, I could not move the drum by hand any longer. Put the wheel back on and tried to push the lux back. No movement !!! success. Alas when I pushed it forwards, it went no problem. How can this be??

Anyhow, will do the other one tonight. Hopefully I will have fully functional brakes again.

Scooter · Post by **Scooter** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 10:50 am

You did release the shoes a little before putting the wheel back on right?

The only reason that I can think of for it to move forward and not backward with the handbrake on is that when it is moved back the already touching shoes are pulled further apart by the springs as the shoes bind to the drum (if that makes any sense)

Then when you push forward, the springs release a little more. Perhaps your shoes are out of round and maybe even the drum.
Might be an idea to get the drums skimmed and new shoes made up.

dalkill · Post by **dalkill** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 11:21 am

Scooter wrote:You did release the shoes a little before putting the wheel back on right?

no, should I have?

ThysdJ · Post by **ThysdJ** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 11:24 am

Scooter wrote:when it is moved back the already touching shoes are pulled further apart by the springs as the shoes bind to the drum (if that makes any sense)

Then when you push forward, the springs release a little more. Perhaps your shoes are out of round and maybe even the drum.

This is indeed what happens. Release the brake shoes only slightly and this will not happen.

Scooter · Post by **Scooter** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 11:45 am

dalkill wrote:
Scooter wrote:You did release the shoes a little before putting the wheel back on right?
no, should I have?

Dude, when you adjust the brake shoes, you must first release the adjuster under the middle of the vehicle, where the cable goes from one into two. The adjust at the wheels, until the drum doesn't turn by hand anymore. The give the adjuster a turn back so the drum loosend a little and can be turnde by hand. If you dont do this then the brake shoes, although letting the car drive, will get hot and will bind to the drum and will cause problems such as smoke, heat on bearings, damage to drum etc.

Once you are happy with the wheels then you can adjust the cable adjuster again to set the hanbrake lever as you want it, mine is set at around 4 clicks or so.

So what to do: jack up the rear again, no need to remove wheels. Just make sure they are off the ground.
Give the adjusters a turn backwards but dont go too much (try doing a turn at a time and checking, it will probably only need half or 1 full turn to loosen up.) once the wheels turn freely you should be set, you can adjust the cable split adjuster again if necessary.

Adjusting brake shoes on drums is something that you will get the hang of after a few tries. Always remember though, too tight and you will bind your brakes, even if they feel loose to your hand, heat will do strange things.