Updates.
Blue dci passenger rear drum brake started making a right squealing the other day. Brake pedal was still ok ish but not as sharp as it had been and handbrake was a bit w**k.
This is usually due to one of the below issues as i have been there before on several different cars over the last 25 years.
Shoes worn out - were thin ish last time i adjusted.
Shoes need adjusting and drum cleaning.
Rear brake cylinder starting to leak, causing dust to clog up, contaminating the shoes and make loads of noise.
With the brake shoes looking thin last time i adjusted them, i had a set in stock which i stuck in a recent autodoc order, with 2x new cylinders and fitting kit. Also ordered 2x new rear drums. Full monty.
Weather not bad this afternoon, stripped down fast. Gear all over
Passenger side drum examined, shoes indeed low but not on metal. Noise was due to a leaking brake cylinder and adjustment required, noted shoes looked a bit contaminated. On initial inspection brake cylinder looked ok, but pop the dust seal off and it was full of brake fluid. Pulled it off easy, brake pipe undone and new cyl and shoes on.
All new.
Went to fit the new drum and it was tight on the backing plate, rubbing as crap aftermarket. This could have been resolved by removing rust off the backing plate and a small chamfer, but then compared abs rings and 10mm smaller in diameter, so no good.
With this fail i measured the original drum. The drum was just under the max tolerance 203mm recorded vs 204mm max so were ok to reuse once again. They needed a clean up, delipped the drum, give the outer a clean up with grinder on knotted wheel and painted in vht black. This was to try and stop the shoes sticking in wet weather, as i believe the drums let a bit of water in due to porosity in the casting. Hopefully a bit of paint might seal.
Shoes adjusted, drum refitted and onto drivers side. Drivers side was OK and still in adjustment but as per brakes always do in pairs. Stuck a new cylinder in as they usually fail shortly after fitting new shoes to take the piss.
Before
After.
Drum got the same treatment as above. Easy yet s**t job, i hate the springs on the shoes.
With that part done, i pressure bled the brakes all round, i dont think its been done for 50k or so, so looked pretty grim.
Brake pedal nice and solid/sharp, and handbrake back to 4x clicks again. Normal service resumed.
Thanks for reading!!