ZX Rear Brake Drum Removal

Xsarahdi · Unread post by **Xsarahdi** » 03 Jan 2010, 21:44

Hi I am having trouble with my rear brakes on my ZX, the warning light has come on to show that they are in need of replacement but I can't get the drum off, so wondered if anyone can help.
How do you get the drum off? I know you have to take the big nut off but we tried to get the one off on the passenger side with a socket set and it just didn't move no matter how hard we tried

. Does the nut turn anticlockwise to undo as they usually would or does it turn the other way to undo so it can't loosen whilst travelling?

If anyone knows it would be really helpful.
Thanks.

Unread post by **citroenxm** » 03 Jan 2010, 21:51

Nuts on BOTH sides turn anti clockwise to undo... NO left handed threads here..

Wear warning on the rear? Thats VERY unusual, normally the warning on the dash is for FRONT PADS only...

Paul

Xsarahdi · Unread post by **Xsarahdi** » 03 Jan 2010, 21:57

Thanks for the info. I will try again tomorrow. On the MOT a few months ago there was an advisory about the rear brakes so I assumed it was the rears.

ralph · Unread post by **ralph** » 03 Jan 2010, 23:13

You'll need a long breaker bar to get the 32mm nut off.
They are tightened to about 150 lb ft, so you'll need something long to tighten it back up again.
I find shocking large fasteners like this with a hammer usually gets things moving.

Good luck

Chlorate · Unread post by **Chlorate** » 03 Jan 2010, 23:22

I've not done these brakes on my ZX yet, but I believe they were the same on my Peugeot.

You'll need to undo the hub nut with a 32mm socket and a breaker bar. Then you'll need to retrieve the washer under that which can be a little tricky.

The easiest way I found to remove the drum is to chock the front wheels, put it in gear and release the handbrake so the shoes aren't binding to the drum.
Then get a nice big hammer and welt the drum on one side then the other until it comes off.

The rest of the brake is a little fiddly, but reasonably straightforward.

The Haynes book recommends that you replace the nut with a new one. But it's not essential.

But as an afterthought, there isn't usually a pad thickness sensor on rear shoes. The front pads are by comparison very easy to check, just whip off the front roadwheels and have a look.

deian · Unread post by **deian** » 03 Jan 2010, 23:57

oh drums, ewww, once you got the middle nut off they will need to come off 'square' no pulling on the side, so pull evenly, firmly and gently twisting as you come out

handbrake off of course, in gear at the front of course

citronut · Unread post by **citronut** » 04 Jan 2010, 09:24

the ZX dose not have warning sensors on the rears' discs or drums,

once the hub nut is off i quite offten have to resort in useing a slide hammer to get the drum off, because they usualy have quite a lip on the inside edge of the drum, which catches up on the shoes, if the shoes do pull away with the drum you will need a new shoe fitting kit, as it will damage the fixings

regards malcolm

Xsarahdi · Unread post by **Xsarahdi** » 04 Jan 2010, 10:43

Thanks for all your inputs. It has been the handbrake light that has been flickering, and at times staying on although the handbrake is off. I now realise this could be low fluid level.

How long are rear brake shoes meant to last for? We have had the car from when it was one year old and have no record of them being done in previous services. The car has done around 91000 miles.

handyman · Unread post by **handyman** » 04 Jan 2010, 11:23

To remove the nut holding on the rear drums, you must first nip off the staking where the nut should have been peened. If you try to remove the nut, you can shear the stub axle, if you are using a socket and long bar.

If you have access to an air gun, you can get the nut off without removing the staking.

Once the nut & washer are off, you can access the self adjusters through the rear brake plate to wind back the adjusting bar. Look through the archive here as it has been written up before.

Once the adjusters and shoes are relieved,

, the hub will easily come off. There is no need for brute force ( Malcolm!!!)

.

Watch out for the brake dust, as it may contain asbestos. Always wise to wear a mask.

Check the shoes for wear, on 91K they may well be done for. Check also the seals in the cylinders by just lifting the rubber covers. Any fluid leaks and you will need new seals or cylinders. If you need to change the cylinders, on that mileage, you may need to be concerned about the brake pipes as they will be reluctant to come off.

Buy new nuts for the stub axles, about 90p plus VAT from Citroen. Maybe also worth replacing the grease seal on the inside of the hub and a new cap, if it is damaged.

Handyman

Chlorate · Unread post by **Chlorate** » 04 Jan 2010, 12:08

The adjusters are annoying to release since you need a screwdriver through one of the wheel bolt holes. It's impossible to see and is usually more complicated than it's worth.
You can seldom take these drums off without a bit of brute force and ignorance; as Malcom said they generally wear quite a lip into it, especially after 91k miles.

I shouldn't be too worried about encountering asbestos, the ZX isn't nearly old enough to have asbestos brake linings. Although the Haynes manual still has the same copy-pasted warnings all over it.

-Alex

ken newbold · Unread post by **ken newbold** » 04 Jan 2010, 13:08

When I did the rear brakes on my ZX I was surprised to find two screws that held the drum on. Once removed the drum came off easily leaving the hub, bearing and everything else still attached to the car.
I've worked on ZX's before but this is the first time I've seen this arrangement on one. Could this be because it's an R reg and one of the last ones?

citronut · Unread post by **citronut** » 04 Jan 2010, 13:48

if it has the Bendix adjusters with the tinny stainless steel blade that locks the adjuster ratchet, you wont wind the adjusters off without damaging the blade/adjuster ratchet,

as you need two screw drivers to wind these back off, one to hold the locking blead up the other to rotate the toothed ratchet wheel, i cant see that being possible through a wheel bolt hole,

if you damage the adjuster components they are about 50 to 60 quid to buy from citroen,

besides the fitting kit only costs about a fiver, and with this you will have all the shoe fixings including the springs,

Ken wrote
"When I did the rear brakes on my ZX I was surprised to find two screws that held the drum on"

isnt that just on estates as they have the larger drums,

regards malcolm

Chlorate · Unread post by **Chlorate** » 04 Jan 2010, 13:50

Eh?!
Are you sure you don't mean disc? 8)

Chlorate · Unread post by **Chlorate** » 04 Jan 2010, 13:55

No idea Malcolm;
I never even attempted to wind the adjusters back when I changed my shoes over.
It's how they say to do it in the Haynes book, they have a photograph of a man with a screwdriver through one of the holes next to "it should now be possible to remove the drum by hand".
There's a reason I call it the Book of Lies

-Alex

Edit: just had a quick flick through the BoL; the estate drums have a single retaining screw on them. But apart from that it's exactly the same, just bigger.

Unread post by **myglaren** » 04 Jan 2010, 14:06

Always found drum brakes to be a complete pain.

Some have an adjuster release catch that operate through a port in the backplate, usually with a rubber bung in it but these get lost or just plain discarded. Operate the catch and the shoes spring back away from the drum, removal is as easy as...
Most are a huge pain though

I have had one car, IIRC the Renault 11 or 14 that had Bendix on one side and Girling on the other. That was a barrel of laughs.