Lets meet the next patient in need of a helping hand.
So we have a 2000 ‘X plate’ Peugeot 406 2L Estate, sporting 82k on the clock.
The Owners Concern
– Handbrake leaver was coming full up to engage handbrake
– Handbrake wasn’t able hold the vehicle when on hills
Diagnosis Time
The vehicle uses a Disc and drum setup on the rear of the vehicle. The foot-brake operates a pad and disc setup on the rear of the vehicle via the caliper, while the handbrake using linkages/cable operates using a shoe and drum method. The Disc and drum are a combined unit.
Since the vehicle has an automatic adjuster, the likely hood that it requires adjusting would be high, but since it wasn’t adjusting correctly a strip down would be a better as i suspected the adjuster was seized.
Whipping the caliper off and sitting it on my flat head on my trolley jack to prevent damaging the metal pipework, the disc drum was pulled off from the vehicle
Straight away there was an obvious ribbed wear pattern visible on the shoes, which correlated with the drum when running your finger over
Next removing the retaining pins (screws locking type), springs, adjusters, shoes and linkage it allows for the back plate to be cleaned removing the old brake dust from the shoes.
A quick scrub on the back-plate friction spots and a little copper slip to allow free movement.
It turns out the adjusters were not seized, but due to the large teeth setup, when an adjustment was required it would need a substantial movement on the spring before it would click over to the next adjustment.
Next is to de-glaze the shoes and drums as this was reducing the co-efficiency of friction between the 2 surfaces – basically the “grip” or resistance the 2 surfaces have when pressed together
Spending the most time attempting to remove the ribs from the disc using 40grit paper since a lathe or getting them skimmed wasn’t an option
With the shoes rebuilt, the disc/drum refitted along with the caliper
The handbrake was adjusted and operated several times to ensure it could be adjusted to the maximum available, without causing drag due to been over adjusted
The wheels were refitted and bolted up-to 110Nm, and the vehicle was left on back on its own rubber once again
A final check of the handbrake, gave a positive feel, 4 clicks would hold the vehicle steady, while the maximum of 6 would prevent the vehicle from moving if parked on a steep hill or while towing
The Cause
Handbrakes from time to time require some TLC, they need stripping, removal of the brake dust, corrosion on the back-plate friction spots and a readjustment normally sorts the handbrake out
This was a classic case of requiring a brake service. If customer funds had allowed, the drums would greatly benefit from a skim, to remove the “ribs” that were present
Since these ribs haven’t been fully removed, these will bed back into the shoes which may cause the handbrake to become ineffective in the future.
bbautorepairs 