(T) Rear brake auto adjuster......how to?

I have by accident hit the brake pedal while I have a rear brake drum off the back axle.....
Is there a quick way of resetting the adjuster with out taking the lot to pieces.so to speak.
I have an 850 Saloon, Sedan. with the automatic shoe adjuster.
Thanks

Ian

Hi Ian,

I know it is a bit late to reply, and you probably figured it out by now...
I use a block of wood and hammer to tap the brake shoe inward, till the drum would fit.

Regards, Peter

Again probably too late but you could compress the shoes back in from either side with a big G Clamp....

Hope you got sorted

Hi Peter, and Gav, Thanks for your advice......Ill give that a go when the temp gets a bit warmer......

I thought maybe it was a case of taking out the shoes via a couple of circlips and winding back the adjuster, although I cant see the adjuster, and taking out the hub to have a look, maybe is a big job?

Anyway, thanks again,

Ian

Rear hub removal isn't a huge job but it can be fun.

Getting the hub out of the Flexi couple can be exciting, lots of penetrating oil, mallet and block of wood as bare hammer can stump the end.
Also the 4 hub bolts will also need an air rattler gun and possible gripping from behind as the cage nuts normally give way. Again pre-oiling will be needed.

Ian,

Found a few images of when I stripped the rear hub out of a 600d which is pretty much the same as the 850.

The 4 x hub nuts as mentioned will need an air rattler or impact gun. At the rear you will see cage bolts, these will inevitably spin, what I found good was to drive a big flat head screw driver between the top of the bolt and the wishbone frame if you follow me.

To remove the hub you will have to have the drive shafts off, remove the split pin, find a way of locking the drum (I found a long bolt popped into one of the wheel stud holes and tightened as far back as the back plate worked quite well), with the drum locked proceed to loosen the couple locking nut, keep this along with the positioning washer safe and then with a wooden mallet and a lot of penetrating oil give the hub a few glancing and spirited blows. Failing that a regular hammer and a piece of 2x2 timber. No direct metal on metal as you will mushroom the threaded end of the stub and don't use heat as you will destroy the flexi coupler and rear bearing seal. While you are in there do the bearings if you can, they're cheap enough to get and easy enough to do once you can get the old races out of the hub.

If you are stuck in anyway hit me up with questions and I'll do my best to help!

Am also ashamed to admit I didn't get to prepare and paint the exposed areas prior to reassembly, I would recommend you do. I was up against it as a tyre guy gave me one of his air guns and a compressor and I just had it for an afternoon on a Sunday!!!

Great detail there, thanks.....I may need to pull the rear hub at sometime....But I would like to remove Engine/gearbox as the whole underside is pretty mucky with black oil and dirt clinging around......Maybe a hot jet wash is the answer?

Ian

Jetwash combined with many happy hours with a scraper and wirebrush.
If you are dropping out the engine and box be sure to drop and clean the fuel tank while you are in there and chassis paint/seal up around there too

As an averagely competent spanner user......how long should it take to remove Engine and gearbox from a saloon?.......
Perhaps when Spring arrives......

Ian

Allow an hour if you are all set up with tools, the hardest bits are more than likely going to be the drive shafts, they can be quite tight along with the cradle bolts surrounding the box, they can be corroded. Soak everything in oil a few days before and allow it all to penetrate. Do the same also with the 4 nuts that holds in the rear cross member/panel.
If you are also removing the rad remember there is a pipe on the "not visible" side at the bottom that goes up to the heater rad, this needs to be tackled from underneath, just pointing this out incase you didn't see it and started swinging out of it!

Also on the drive shafts if memory serves me the 4 bolts on each side are reverse threaded, lefty tighty righty loosey.....