Technical Rear drum won't fit over shoes

[csmorris]

I took of the rear drum of my brava with it on axel stands today. I left it briefly to get a tool from the shed, in this time my girlfriend walked past, saw the handbrake was off, so thinking she was being helpful pulled it on one click. Now the shoes are just slightly too far apart and I can't get the drum back on. Tried pushing them back together but they won't return and i can't drepress the wheel cylinder pistons.

Any suggestions?

 

[Adrian Bravo]

Welcome to the forum
I suppose you could put a bleed pipe on that cylinder and release the bleed screw.

And lol women

 

[bpetersb]

What has happened is nothing to do with the hydraulics so don't release the bleed screw.

Pulling the hadbrake up with the drums off has allowed the automatic adjuster on the handbrake to move up a notch or three. The adjuster is the mechanism that goes between the two shoes and it has a ratchet mechanism on it. As the brake shoes wear down the ratchet clicks over to take up the slack. This is normally restricted by the drums. Look at it carefully and you should be able to see how to reverse it by clicking it back with a screwdriver, you will have to lift up the ratchet as you do so. Back it off a few clicks until you can just get the shoes on.

Just be grateful she didn't press down the footbrake as you would also have the pistons on the wheel cylinders to refit and the system to bleed as well.

 

[fishpond47]

Sorry for the long reply but it will help you out.

What has happened is with your g/friend pulling the handbrake on without the drum on the shoes have fully adjusted.

put the handbrake lever back down, then by the brake shoe you will see the lever that works the hand brake (usually shiny with the cable at the bottom of it) you will notice that by the top of it is a toothed bit, this is the auto adjuster, you need to get a screwdriver and pull the bottom cogged bit downwards and the shoes should go back inwards (if they dont then use another screwdriver at the same time to lever them back in, but usually the springs pull the shoes back together) and in doing so push the cylinder back in, then put the drum back on and give the brake pedal a few pumps and this will adjust the shoes back up.

 

[csmorris]

Nice one fish! That was spot on! Now I have another question. I changed the exhaust manifold gasket and found that 2 of the studs had previously been sheered off and where another was screwed into head, a piece of the head had been broken off. Now the car is blowing and mis-firing like hell.

Any thoughts?

 

[Ffoxy]

Nice one fish! That was spot on! Now I have another question. I changed the exhaust manifold gasket and found that 2 of the studs had previously been sheered off and where another was screwed into head, a piece of the head had been broken off. Now the car is blowing and mis-firing like hell.

Any thoughts?

Drill them out, re-tap and fit new ones if you cant get anything on whats left of the old studs. You will probably have to get the head off to do that properly, maybe use the downtime to do a top end overhaul, re-seat valves, replace valve stem oil seals, maybe even fit new or stiffer valve springs, do a "de-coke" (not really something people need to do these days...) or if you are REALLY keen get the head gas flowed and refit the head with a tuned exhaust...and of course replace everything you should during a head-off jobbie...

Money money money!

 

[csmorris]

Drill them out, re-tap and fit new ones if you cant get anything on whats left of the old studs. You will probably have to get the head off to do that properly, maybe use the downtime to do a top end overhaul, re-seat valves, replace valve stem oil seals, maybe even fit new or stiffer valve springs, do a "de-coke" (not really something people need to do these days...) or if you are REALLY keen get the head gas flowed and refit the head with a tuned exhaust...and of course replace everything you should during a head-off jobbie...

Money money money!

Where would i find replacement manifold studs and nuts?