Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2004 11:56:28 -0800
Reply-To: Tom Young <tomyoung1@COMCAST.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Tom Young <tomyoung1@COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: First Time Rear Brakes
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
From: "John Rodgers" <jh_rodgers@BELLSOUTH.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2004 10:10 AM
Subject: First Time Rear Brakes
> Time to replace rear brakes on the ol' 88 GL. This is my first time to
> do this myself.
> Tapped drum all the way around with 3 pound hammer. Saw the drum move
> slghtly towards the ends of the studs.
>
> Now what?? I know I must back off the brake adjuster, but I cannot see
> or feel anything inside the drum through the adjustment hole. Is there a
> some special tool of a special shape that I need to fit into the drum
> and reach the right spot?? My little screwdriver just doesn't do a thing.
You don't necessarily have to back off the shoes in order to pull off the
drum; it depends how much wear there is in the drum itself. So, first, just
try and pull the drum straight off. If the drum is hanging up on the shoes
then you'll have to back off the shoes with the adjustment star. I guess
there are some special tools for doing this - maybe something like a bent
screwdriver? - but I've always managed just with a regular screwdriver.
Get some good light up there and rotate the wheel slightly and you'll
probably spot it. Because of the self-adjusting aspect of the system the
star adjuster can move fairly significanly forward or backward ( I forget
which) of the adjustment hole so cock your screwdriver so the point is
pointing one way and then the other and you'll eventually find it.
> For that matter, what are all the tools that would be recommended for
> doing the brake job?
Again, I've managed doing rear brakes 3 or 4 times without anything special,
just using the tools a moderately well-equiped home mechanic is likely to
have. One special "tool" I've always employed is someone willing to help
(typically, my wife) to hold things, steady things, rotate things and so
forth.
> Also, is it absolutely necessary to disconnect the parking brake
> equilizerto change the brakes. I have been under this thing so much
> lately that I just hate doing it again! Really has my bursitis acting up.
The e-brake hooks up to the rear shoe on either side so you need to unhook
the cable from the shoe in order to remove it, but that's the extent of the
"disconnecting."
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Tom Young '81 Vanagon
Lafayette, CA 94549 '82 Westfalia
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