Technical Rusted rear wheel drum won't move

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Technical Rusted rear wheel drum won't move

I did mine one winters evening..
Not an awful job 🙂

Some good pointers in this thread 🙂


As per my comment in the thread, I changed mine in a couple of hours after driving home,


Ok, but now... in your position...

I would raise both sides
( if parked on the level, just leaving in 1st gear is enough to stop any movement)
Obviously chock a front wheel if you are concerned,
I always put the removed wheel under the sill, so if Anything fails..
Jack, Mounting Point, Axle stand, etc

It means there is still @6 inches of car off the ground 😉
Better for your legs And space to introduce another Jack (or airbag)

Once safely up with both rear wheels off

Strip the rear brakes
undo the Handbrake barrel nut

Remove the 'horseshoe' cable support

Then at the hub end.. Pull the cable through as far as it will go

Should have @25cm of cable hanging out..

Do same Left and Right

One much stiffer?

At this point:

Wipe the cable, and squirt WD40 type light lubricant on the first 10cm that will normally be hidden inside.. Both cables

Now back in the cabin:

Pull both cables back through.. Any changes?

This will guide your next move..
If one is free running and one really stiff, chances are that is junk and needs replacing

My 15 year old 120k cables had the outer so corroded it had swollen and was pinching the inner 😔

I bought new as they were £15 + £17 and the car was transformed

Other punto got them lubricated, similar effect 👍

Just Do Not oil next to the shoes..
Leave the end 10 cm dry 😉
 
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Some good pointers in this thread 🙂


As per my comment in the thread, I changed mine in a couple of hours after driving home,


Ok, but now... in your position...

I would raise both sides
( if parked on the level, just leaving in 1st gear is enough to stop any movement)
Obviously chock a front wheel if you are concerned,
I always put the removed wheel under the sill, so if Anything fails..
Jack, Mounting Point, Axle stand, etc

It means there is still @6 inches of car off the ground 😉
Better for your legs And space to introduce another Jack (or airbag)

Once safely up with both rear wheels off

Strip the rear brakes
undo the Handbrake barrel nut

Remove the 'horseshoe' cable support

Then at the hub end.. Pull the cable through as far as it will go

Should have @25cm of cable hanging out..

Do same Left and Right

One much stiffer?

At this point:

Wipe the cable, and squirt WD40 type light lubricant on the first 10cm that will normally be hidden inside.. Both cables

Now back in the cabin:

Pull both cables back through.. Any changes?

This will guide your next move..
If one is free running and one really stiff, chances are that is junk and needs replacing

My 15 year old 120k cables had the outer so corroded it had swollen and was pinching the inner 😔

I bought new as they were £15 + £17 and the car was transformed

Other punto got them lubricated, similar effect 👍

Just Do Not oil next to the shoes..
Leave the end 10 cm dry 😉

This is very handy to know.

I've never been under a car up on two jack stands, I've never really felt safe. I have on the odd occasion used ramps, which are unnerving to drive up but feel very safe once i'm up. So I am going to put the removed wheel under the sill, chock the wheels and leave the trolley jack under it.

I tried pulling on the offside cable as hard as I could but it wouldn't come up any further. I'm about 90% sure I bought the car with a scrape caused by this handbrake but if I'm really lucky the new shoes, properly adjusted might sort that out. I took a picture the other day of the cable underneath the car and it has had a DIY repair of plastic put over it, most likely that is covering a hole which has allowed water and moisture to corrode the cable.

Today I tried to fix the fuel smell in my EVO, (my 2 GPs have the same problem), the connector on the airbox is broken off so I can't connect one hose back and the other hose is split. I will try to rob the airbox off one of the GPs, assuming that's not also broken... :)

Thank you for this very good guide!
 
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Broken stub.. Common issue 😔

SEARCH 500 thread for the repair options 😉
The best I could find is the thread below. I have some left over plastic/fibre glass glue from doing the bumper so I can use that and another 'thing' yet to be determined.


The new brake adjuster is arriving some time today, I bought a spare just in case :D lol
 
The new brake adjuster is arriving some time today, I bought a spare just in case :D lol

One of the two brake adjusters I bought was broken so I had to send both back.

Another came and it won't click through tighter at all! It isn't broken but is a generic part that looks no good for a GP, despite being listed on ebay as good for the car.

I installed it completely unthreaded and it wouldn't tighten and then I started it on 3 or 4 threads but still it won't self adjust at all.

Any ideas? I could try a new spring? Look for a genuine part?
 
Www.shop4parts
Don't sell crap

I'm concerned that you could fit an auto adjuster fully extended and still get the drum on ,clearly incorrect part.

Any replacement part must be the same as original fiat part , look the same /same dimensions

Please be careful, just because ebay seller says something fits does not mean it does

Different brake system manufacturers that supply multiple vehicle manufactures can use different autoadjusters-there are many different designs. You must use the correct type.

Some car models even have brake systems from different manufacturers on the production line -later on it is necessary to identify which type of system is fitted before working on brakes.
 
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Www.shop4parts
Don't sell crap

I'm concerned that you could fit an auto adjuster fully extended and still get the drum on clearly incorrect part.

Any replacement part must be the same as original fiat part

Please be careful, just because ebay seller says something fits does not mean it does
I couldn't install it fully extended. It looked to be the same size and shape.

I adjusted it to 3 or 4 threads so it was slightly scraping on the drums but then it wouldn't tighten any further. I've had zero clicks out of the adjuster and think it should have done at least a few.
 
Might be worth posting a pic of the adjuster when you fit it.

I'm not 100% on that type, but most are quite easy to see how they operate. Usually the piston pushing the shoes out further than a set amount clicks the adjuster. Pulling the shoes apart manually should let you see it work.
 
I couldn't install it fully extended. It looked to be the same size and shape.

I adjusted it to 3 or 4 threads so it was slightly scraping on the drums but then it wouldn't tighten any further. I've had zero clicks out of the adjuster and think it should have done at least a few.
Is it possible n/s adjuster on o/s? Or even shoes upside down, it's amazing what I have seen when working on cars, even a "repair" section of metal pipe soldered in to repair a rusted brake pipe, that was when inspecting a Bond Bug for a customer interested in buying, from yet another dodgy car dealer.
Many years ago I bought a Citroen Visa very cheap due to brake issues, pedal on floor, warning light on and handbrake through the roof. Got it home and on inspection rear brakes were all brand new but the "mechanic" had fitted n/s adjuster to o/s, corrected that and manually adjusted it, front pads were down to the wear indicator, fitted new pads and brakes were 100%, cheap little car I ran for some time and that was from a dodgy car dealer, nice to get a bargain from one of them!;)
 
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I had another go at getting the brake adjuster to work but couldn't get a single click while depressing the brake pedal, engine on and off. I manually adjusted it so that there is a little scraping and put the tyre back on.

I can remember having a mark 2 punto and the mechanic told me that one of the shoes had been put on the wrong way around. I didn't actually notice anything while driving but i'm certain that was the case, how the handbrake worked who knows!

I tried tightening everything up and bled it again to see if that made a difference but I haven't had a chance to drive it, I will do so tomorrow to see what I think, but i'm not hopeful.

The exact adjuster is below, the seller reckons it fits 2126 vehicles, different makes, models and years, including a 2008 GP.

 

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The flat strip underlined in yellow should NOT be able to stop the toothed wheel turning.

Could just be Camera angle I can't tell
 

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The flat strip underlined in yellow should NOT be able to stop the toothed wheel turning.

Could just be Camera angle I can't tell
I can get a flat head screwdriver and push upwards to make it click manually and tighten, so it kind of works, but as those brakes wear down then it won't self tighten.
 
I can get a flat head screwdriver and push upwards to make it click manually and tighten, so it kind of works, but as those brakes wear down then it won't self tighten.

Without a foot on the brakes holding the shoes apart against the drum it is hard to turn the adjuster wheel because you are working against the strong shoe return spring.
 
Play with your spare adjuster , press each end of the adjuster toward each other.see the curved strip curve more.
Relax the pressure pushing ends together see how the tooth in the centre of the curved metal strip turns the adjuster wheel one or two teeth at a time when the curved strip straightens slightly
 
Any click sound should be when brakes released and tooth on curved spring rides back over the adjuster wheel angled teeth in a ratchet manner.
 
Play with your spare adjuster , press each end of the adjuster toward each other.see the curved strip curve more.
Relax the pressure pushing ends together see how the tooth in the centre of the curved metal strip turns the adjuster wheel one or two teeth at a time when the curved strip straightens slightly
Perhaps @AnthonyH can work the spare adjuster in his hands off the car to see better how it operates.
My other suggestion assuming the new parts work easily, especially on the threads, is to place a screwdriver in the space between the wheel cylinder and the brake shoe at the adjuster end of the bar, rest it against the hub as a pivot point and gentle ease the shoe outwards as though the wheel cylinder piston was pushing it to see if it actuates the adjuster and winds/adjusts the threaded bar.
You may need to watch the other shoe doesn't move to far and remember you are only checking that the adjuster does work as when piston pushes the brake shoe, also don't get carried away and push the piston out;).
 
Play with your spare adjuster , press each end of the adjuster toward each other.see the curved strip curve more.
Relax the pressure pushing ends together see how the tooth in the centre of the curved metal strip turns the adjuster wheel one or two teeth at a time when the curved strip straightens slightly
I have just been playing with the broken one I took off and after squeezing it together I can see how the mechanism works, I was surprised at how it moved, now I know this I can get the one on the car off and see if it is clicking properly.

It now occurs to me that the spring on there has worn out and isn't pulling the adjuster back strongly enough, I can replace that easily as I already have a spare.
 
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Perhaps @AnthonyH can work the spare adjuster in his hands off the car to see better how it operates.
My other suggestion assuming the new parts work easily, especially on the threads, is to place a screwdriver in the space between the wheel cylinder and the brake shoe at the adjuster end of the bar, rest it against the hub as a pivot point and gentle ease the shoe outwards as though the wheel cylinder piston was pushing it to see if it actuates the adjuster and winds/adjusts the threaded bar.
You may need to watch the other shoe doesn't move to far and remember you are only checking that the adjuster does work as when piston pushes the brake shoe, also don't get carried away and push the piston out;).
I will give this a go, I can imagine this adjuster might work if I know the trick.
 
The brakes are DONE! I'm so HAPPY :)

I've taken it on a test drive the last two days and the brakes are hard as nails, no leaks, scrapes, binding.

The brake adjuster clicked through without me hearing it at some point, and the handbrake is OK, it was performing poorly because the shoes were too far from the drum.

Thank you to everyone who was helped me through this :)
 
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