Help please!

[Little Red Riding Hood]

Can anyone tell me how I take my hub off? I need to check my break cylinder and we aren't sure which way we take the hub off.

 

[wilsonian]

the hub? do you mean on the rear of the car? IE drum brakes?

 

[Little Red Riding Hood]

Yep the brake bits

Yes! my little sweety failed its mot on rear parking brakes and we need to check the cylinder

 

[wilsonian]

ok, you may have done some of this but i'll cover everything.

Chock the front wheels (i use bricks) and jack the rear of the car up (i use the axle the place it on axle stand. leave the hand brake off - this is most important.

If the drum doesn't move away by hand get a large flat head screwdriver and give it a little tap. if the rears have really seized then you might have to get a hammer on them.

Either way they'll come off - but the golden bit which most forget is the hand brake! leave it on and you'll be there all day!

 

[wilsonian]

upon removal of the drum you'll see the cylinder towards the top of the brake. you can check the seals (to make sure it isn't leeking) and also make sure your shoes move corrent;y. i had it where one side of the cylinder failed which ment it still passed the MOT but come replacing my shoes, one side was kinda ok while the other side was worn to the "bone".

replacing the cylinder is easy and the haynes covers this well enough.

 

[DoomPixie]

if it failed on rear parking brakes its more likely one of the handbreak cables are sticking or the brakes need adjusting.

 

[Little Red Riding Hood]

Which way do we turn???

My dad is having trouble getting the hub off, apparently he is unsure which way the nut turns is to the left or to the right? He doesn't want to bugger it up by turning it the wrong way and splitting the thread.

 

[NeX]

you don't undo any nuts except the wheel nuts, the hub is held on by the wheel and should just slide off

don't undo the bolt in the centre of the wheel

 

[wilsonian]

if you need to replace the cylinder then there is either one or two bolts holding it to the hub - you do'nt need to remove the whole hub, just the "front"

 

[Little Red Riding Hood]

Brake Linings

Will this enable us to access the brake linings??

 

[wilsonian]

yep, once you take the "face" off you'll see the brake shoes, the hand brake cable catch and the cylinders.

The brake pipe ends at the back of the drum as thats the valve for the cylinder.

 

[Little Red Riding Hood]

How do you remove 'the face' is there a 30mm bolt on there that needs removing first? thats what my dad dont know which way to turn. Would you be so kind as to write literally from taking my hub cap off to accessing the brake linings.

 

[NeX]

ok,

1 jack up the car, stop the front wheels and take OFF the hand brake
2 undo all four bolts that hold the back wheel on
3 take off the back wheel carfully without damaging the threads on the bolts
4 pull off the hub... no bolts it should just slide off, if it doesn't then you either have the hand brake on or you're not trying hard enough lol

i hope this helps

 

[Little Red Riding Hood]

Thanks!

Thanks so much! :k11yellow hopefully he can get that off and get my brakes done!

 

[NeX]

no probs

let us know how you get on

 

[wilsonian]

What ever you do DON'T apply either the hand brake or the brake pedal when the hub is OFF - this will move the shoes out and you'll have to wind the back for the hub to fit back on - i found this out the hard way!

 

[Pink Princess]

just lie under the car and adjust the handbrake lol
thats all ya need to do and thats all i do
mines fine now but hey i know what im doing... but yeah dont put handbrake on when the hubs off. the shoes will pop out and well ya dnt wana have to put them back in thats a wasta 10 mins do ya live close to midlands?

 

[wilsonian]

just lie under the car and adjust the handbrake

Well it depends on the fault and the way the car failed the MOT....

 

[squigbobble]

ok,

1 jack up the car, stop the front wheels and take OFF the hand brake
2 undo all four bolts that hold the back wheel on
3 take off the back wheel carfully without damaging the threads on the bolts
4 pull off the hub... no bolts it should just slide off, if it doesn't then you either have the hand brake on or you're not trying hard enough lol

Ummm... isn't that the brake drum?

 

[Swiper]

just lie under the car and adjust the handbrake lol

you can't adjust the handbrake from under the car as the adjuster is inside the car under the handbrake lever.

 

[NeX]

Ummm... isn't that the brake drum?

yep, isn't that what Little Red Riding Hood is after?

but you're right it's real name is the brake drum

 

[Little Red Riding Hood]

Thanks!

Thanks to all those who posted replies, we managed to get the hub off and succesfully change my knackered cylinder.

 

[NeX]

good to hear