I need to change a rear wheel cylinder on the family runabout, our 1.6 ZX, but try as I might, I cannot get the hub/drum off, even with a hub puller. I suspect that the shoes are holding the hub on, by gripping the wear ridge. Is there a way of releasing the shoes off the auto-adjusters? I have tried poking about in the holes on the brakeplate but cannot feel anything relevant. Am I missing a trick? I know these brakes can be a pain to fit up, as two seperate garages managed to fit the rear brakes incorrectly and it was me who told them how to fit the adjuster mechanism.
Yours, in frustration! Handyman
PS. I have released the handbrake, taken the wheel off, jacked up the car and taken off the bearing nut!
Rear drums on ZX
Moderator: RichardW
I did this job on our 1.9D the other day as the self adjusters were not working. Drums were not keen to come off but got them off with some tapping and levering without a hammer.
However as I said my adjusters were seized so the shoes were slack. I did however try and adjust them and so had to find the adjusters - and on my car the only access was through the stud holes. If you look carefully with a torch you can see the serrated wheel of the adjuster at about 20 degrees forward of the vertical and the technique is to force it round with a screw driver.
My car has Bendix brakes and the adjusters have opposite handed threads on each side. The whole arrangement is a bit feeble and I've had much better self adjusters on other cars - eg the very simple Lockheed system used on Triumph Stags and Hillman Hunters.
When re-assembling make sure the adjuster nuts and threads are very clean and the threads are greased. Also make sure all the rather feeble spring and catch mechanism is present and properly aligned.
However as I said my adjusters were seized so the shoes were slack. I did however try and adjust them and so had to find the adjusters - and on my car the only access was through the stud holes. If you look carefully with a torch you can see the serrated wheel of the adjuster at about 20 degrees forward of the vertical and the technique is to force it round with a screw driver.
My car has Bendix brakes and the adjusters have opposite handed threads on each side. The whole arrangement is a bit feeble and I've had much better self adjusters on other cars - eg the very simple Lockheed system used on Triumph Stags and Hillman Hunters.
When re-assembling make sure the adjuster nuts and threads are very clean and the threads are greased. Also make sure all the rather feeble spring and catch mechanism is present and properly aligned.
jeremy
