handbrake drum clean: how to remove rear disk/drum assembly

[r1chard]

Thanks for all your input so far here... I got the rotors removed with a bit more effort, and nothing got damaged.

Underneath things were not too bunged up with but movement of the handbrake shoes was creaky and difficult.

Perhaps that account for the lining being worn down to 1mm on the bottom shoe of each drum, with the top shoe's lining barely worn. Abrasive mud ends up at the bottom of the drum? I cleaned with the pressure hose and some brake cleaner to dry it out quickly, some improvement in movement but it's still not great.

So whatever, I need new shoes/linings, which seems to involve removing the rear axles. I don't mind having a go at that.

The JK service manual makes a big point about not reusing the axle retaining nuts. Fair enough I don't want a wheel to fall off:

1. Why would only the nuts be likely to suffer wear/deformation as a result of being correctly torqued, and yet not the bolt onto which it is screwed (which is part of the axle shaft seal retainer)?
2. Can I just just High Tensile nuts from Bunnings or is there something special about them?
3. Does anyone know what size the nuts are? (the parts list has only a part no. )
4. Am I likely to damage the seals on the axle when I remove it (i.e. should I get new ones before I start the job).

Cheers

-Richard

[SeaComms]

Wow, never realised you had to remove the axle to replace the shoes!

Other question though, the new pads are only about 2mm, maybe 3mm at a stretch - how far worn are the old pads?

Just saw your comment about the bottoms being down to about a mm - so scratch the last question!

And yes, I agree with you about the mud turning to an abrasive and tumbling around chewing out the shoes. Without cleaning mine it went from working perfectly to not engaging enough to be useful even on flat ground in about 3 weeks from a trip involving a mud bath. Seriously tempted to drill a few 'cleaning' holes into the back plate to direct the water into when cleaning the vehicle to try and flush out all the crap without having to remove the disc each time.

[yetiboy01]

Originally Posted by SeaComms

Wow, never realised you had to remove the axle to replace the shoes!

Other question though, the new pads are only about 2mm, maybe 3mm at a stretch - how far worn are the old pads?

Just saw your comment about the bottoms being down to about a mm - so scratch the last question!

And yes, I agree with you about the mud turning to an abrasive and tumbling around chewing out the shoes. Without cleaning mine it went from working perfectly to not engaging enough to be useful even on flat ground in about 3 weeks from a trip involving a mud bath. Seriously tempted to drill a few 'cleaning' holes into the back plate to direct the water into when cleaning the vehicle to try and flush out all the crap without having to remove the disc each time.

No you don't have to remove the axles to change the hand brake linings, their not to hard to change just a bit fidley, if your got the time, get the old shoes relined at a brake centre save yourself a bundle, just make sure you take the drums in so they can match the shoes to the drum


Clockwork Orange 1983 CJ8 work in progress,

Red 2009 JKU Auto V6
Sprintex Super Charger from JeepFord

[r1chard]

I reckon they are more than 1.5mm new, unless the thickness varies along the OEM liner. They are more probably 3mm at the un-worn parts near the leading and trailing end on the upper shoe (they seem to grip and wear in the middle of the shoe).



I want to replace it to avoid potential damage to the rotor/drum in case the lining wears right through. I it may well be possible to replace them without removing the axle as Yetiboy suggests above, can always resort to second method if the first one fails!

Quadratec have OEM kits for ~US$50 (well depends how much they want for delivery), and I'll have a ring around the usual Aussie parts suppliers on Monday, but that doesn't seem too expensive for a complete set as I'm not in a huge hurry, since my adjustment is working for now.

-R

[Banshee]

You can also get new linings bonded onto the old shoes. The downside is that it might take a day or two. I think I was quoted about $80-90 for shoes and $60 for relining from a local shop, (Better Brakes, I think).

[TassieMav]

You Definately don't need to remove the axle to change out the handbrake shoes. And re-lining us Definately the way to go, I would say you get half again the material than on the OEM replacements.

Did you adjust the shoes when you put the drum back on? There's a little adjusting screw that you can get a fair bit of adjustment with. You can also remove the bung on the inside of the backing plate and adjust them without removing the drum. It's also a good place to use to wash them out!