Brake Drums Are A Pile Of $%$

[Mitchen]

Ok so I've had 3 different mechanics look at my brake drums and not been able to resolve it. I've had an on going issue where the handbrake cable keeps coming loose and it has a knock on affect on my brake pedal ability. Once tightening the handbrake at the lever it's ok for a couple of days but then back to square one again.

I've had all new pads, discs, shoes, fluid, drums, rear pipes, cylinders and handbrake cables. But still the same problem.

It's got to be something to do with the clips and springs in the drum but I be damned if I know what.

Before anyone says it, I do wish I had a rear disc conversion but it's not something I can do personally without all the apparatus and would probably cock it up anyway.

[Speedtouch]

Did you fit a new handbrake cable? Perhaps it's stretching...

[Motorhole]

Handbrake isn”˜t tightened at the lever - perhaps that”˜s the source of your problems? Inside the the drums is a little star wheel you turn by lining up a wheel-lug hole with the star wheel thrn turning it with a screwdriver. Adjust one side at a time until the shoes just bind, then wind back 1/4 turn or so. The adjustment at the lever is only for taking up any slack in the cable.

Don”˜t ask me which way to turn the wheels to adjust in/out though! I can never remember. If you take the drum off though, you”˜ll see the mech at work and will be able to tell which way to spin the wheel to adjust.

[sweep]

Adjusters in drums backing off?

[rich318i]

Ok so I've had 3 different mechanics look at my brake drums and not been able to resolve it. I've had an on going issue where the handbrake cable keeps coming loose and it has a knock on affect on my brake pedal ability. Once tightening the handbrake at the lever it's ok for a couple of days but then back to square one again.

I've had all new pads, discs, shoes, fluid, drums, rear pipes, cylinders and handbrake cables. But still the same problem.

It's got to be something to do with the clips and springs in the drum but I be damned if I know what.

Before anyone says it, I do wish I had a rear disc conversion but it's not something I can do personally without all the apparatus and would probably c**k it up anyway.

Where in london are you? I know a great E30 guru based in the SE

[Mitchen]

Did you fit a new handbrake cable? Perhaps it's stretching...

Already fitted a new pair.

Handbrake isn”˜t tightened at the lever - perhaps that”˜s the source of your problems? Inside the the drums is a little star wheel you turn by lining up a wheel-lug hole with the star wheel thrn turning it with a screwdriver. Adjust one side at a time until the shoes just bind, then wind back 1/4 turn or so. The adjustment at the lever is only for taking up any slack in the cable.

Don”˜t ask me which way to turn the wheels to adjust in/out though! I can never remember. If you take the drum off though, you”˜ll see the mech at work and will be able to tell which way to spin the wheel to adjust.

I'll give it a look. Cheers pal.

Where in london are you? I know a great E30 guru based in the SE

I'm from south west London cheers

[daimlerman]

Drum brakes are a swine to set up properly.
Even with a rear disc conversion,you will still have the same problem getting the handbrake set up properly.

As said,you need to adjust at the gadget at the top of the backplate.I can never get a car high enough to be able to do this adjustment with the drum on,what I do is to remove the drum,wind the adjuster out a few clicks,try the drum,take the sodding thing off,wind the adjuster and so on until I am satisfied that the shoes are as close to the drum as possible.
Then you can take up any slack in the cable at the handbrake lever.

Be aware that as drum brakes wear,a 'lip' is worn into the working surface,this will need to be removed with Mr Angle Grinder for 'my' way to work properly!

[Mitchen]

Thanks daimlerman, it's been causing me grief since I got the poxy car! I will give it a crack. As it stands I dont think I have any rear brakes because of this, so I'm probably running down my EBC front pads at lightening speed!

[daimlerman]

Unlikely!

Rear brakes take a very small part of the load.

To test this,once you have your handbrake set up properly,see just how much road space you need to stop,just using the handbrake!

[capnmchl]

Nothing wrong with drum brakes. Most frustration comes from not understanding them, poor servicing, and the fact it's fiddly to change the shoes. I would take an educated guess and say that the drums on the rear of an E30 are equal to or greater in stopping power than the standard disc option.

Take the drums off. Make sure that the shoes move freely, that the cylinders aren't leaking or seized, that the shoes aren't lifting off their backing or cracked, and that the handbrake arm is against its stop. If the arm is not against its stop this indicates either a seized arm, cable, or poor servicing (where someone has adjusted inside on the lever).

Rough up the shoes and drums with some emery paper, get rid of any lips on the drums, and blow off. You can also grease the points on the backplate where the shoes contact it at this point with copper grease.

Put the drum on, and using one of the holes, adjust the wheel until it will move no more. Then back it off 2 or 3 'clicks' (teeth). This is definately true for handbrake drums. For the combined units being discussed here, I can't remember if the adjuster wheel has a ratchet on it to stop it rewinding. In this case, you'll have to use a bit of guess work. Get it so the shoes are just brushing the drums, and pull the handbrake a few times to get the shoes to sit properly, and re adjust.

Adjust the cable to eliminate any slack.

This should result in a perfect handbrake and footbrake at the rear. Remember, poor adjustment at the rear will lead to a longer travel on the brake pedal. If you set them up properly in the first place, then they should require the same as I said above every year when servicing the car. When you know what you're doing, this should take no longer than 10 minutes each side, quicker than doing the same to a rear disc/handbrake drum setup.

[Mitchen]

Thanks guys for your help. I've got a long week of engine work coming up, so I'll cover this while I'm at it! Much appreciated.