try giving the drum a good bang with a heavy bit of wood, you may be able to free the shoes enough to take it to the scrapper, as the drums are cast use of a lump hammer may damage them. I have a home made wooden mallet that weighs nearly 5 lb made out of a cherry tree trunk, I call it the "pursuader", usually works.
IS it the nut as well as the drum you're concerned about getting off??
The drum, as Aidan says, can strike to flex it, shock it and loosen it hopefully
I actually do use a steel club and have never broken one, think they're malleable cast iron. Some hit the face outboard of the hub support so it rapidly flexes in and out and breaks seal around hub (where the two diameters tend to seize together)
I usually strike it right on the edge coming in from where the tyre would be, but always rotating it between blows..
As far as shoes that can't be backed off (sure you can't twiddle auto adjuster from behind?):-
If the drums aren't too stepped and worn, if there are drum retaining setscrew holes, a thin screwdriver driven in sideways, alternately each side and then leave one in jamming that side off, swap to the other one and use a levering action - once its jammed half way you should be able to tap/knock it right off unless the shoes really do bind up - moving from side to side is usually the answer, and try to get behind it as early as possible with a few well placed blows.
Last edited by HarryMann on 29 Mar 2006, 23:23, edited 1 time in total.
one of the brake shoes will have broken up and gone over the top of the other, very common problem on all french cars. Lots of force required, big the hammer the better.
Bloody hell Andy, I have to see that I've taken a helluva lot of brakes apart (starting in 1966 ish) and haven't seen that, whate the frell are these (young turk) engineers up to these days... bunch of ejeets?
HarryMann wrote:Bloody hell Andy, I have to see that I've taken a helluva lot of brakes apart (starting in 1966 ish) and haven't seen that, whate the frell are these (young turk) engineers up to these days... bunch of ejeets?
They have been doing it for about the last 15 years, they are just making the them cheaper and cheaper. The germans rivet linings onto shoes, other cars makers put glue over the back and stick them on, the french put about 10 tiny spots of glue on each lining, damp gets between, the shoe starts to rust and pops off the lining.
Ah, misread that, thought the whole shoe jumped off its perches!
Just done my T25's rears, and the linings look well bonded to the shoes, thought they were all bonded all over these days, like properly autoclaved. Had a lot of Italian cars, Fiats and Lancias, and never heard of this - nice behaviour
doesn't it tend to lock the whole thing up?
The whole thing is totally locked up, the tyre will only drag along the ground - never seen rear lock up like this before. I tried the hammer thing but with no joy.
The hub nut is still to come off, hopefully get that off tonight but it looks like I'll be doing a lot of swearing soon.
Best method!!! Remove hub nut, remove outer bearing, this allows drum to move, now strike drum on outer edge (not the braking face)at 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock this should loosen the drum. If the cylinder is seized and the cause of the problem, this is probably the only way you'll get it off.
occasionally you can get a meaty screwdriver or drift through from an acces hole in the backplate onto the edge of a shoe, and drive it outwards that way, combined with all above. Might have to remove a shocker or other bits to get a good blow in...
HarryMann wrote:Ah, misread that, thought the whole shoe jumped off its perches!
Just done my T25's rears, and the linings look well bonded to the shoes, thought they were all bonded all over these days, like properly autoclaved. Had a lot of Italian cars, Fiats and Lancias, and never heard of this - nice behaviour
doesn't it tend to lock the whole thing up?
I have never seen any geniune vw shoes that are bonded but all the aftermarket crap are.
Yes it always results in a lock up, you can sometimes free it off by going backwords and forwards.
I think with italian cars they don't get a chance to corrode because they wear out so quick, i have seen punto ones go metal to metal in 9000 miles.
diviy wrote:check the flexi they collapse and jam on
but all the aftermarket crap are.
e90 have a look at this spec this is what after market have to meet
The standards for aftermarket suspsension, brakes and wheels is virtually non existant and need serious attention, take a look at what the germans say is ok and whats not for their TUV. There is alsso the price issue, vw geniune parts are normally about the same as aftermarket and sometimes much cheaper, they fit properly and last much longer.
I think with italian cars they don't get a chance to corrode because they wear out so quick, i have seen punto ones go metal to metal in 9000 miles.
Mmmm... well, well that's not encouraging... I can only speak as I find, and as you will have sensed, somewhat in the past, but the best braked and suspended car I've driven behind, for many thousands of miles at high speed, are Lancias (with genuine parts). I have to say I about pulled a steering wheel off one due to brake fade down a BIG hill, cow-dung aftermarket shoes, I was assured was the problem (after the event!) by the guy who asked me to drive it back for him... the smell of that experience didn't leave me or the car for days, think I finally stopped a foot or two behind the car waiting at a min-roundabout..
Guess the standards of aftermarket stuff does need a good looking at then... thought rogue pads like that had been a short term far-eastern spares episode long since outlawed.
There isn't an access hole in the back plate and tried to release it by using a screwdriver through the wheel bolt holes but no joy.
Haynes manual says the hub nut is torqued to 159 lb/ft. Will one of those proper breaker bar things get this off or am I a little stuffed without air tools?
The offside rear is fine
