Hand brake adjustment ...

[AliK]

Apologies for starting a new thread on this undoubtedly old and much discussed topic, but the search function didn't yield any fruits!

My MOT is due very soon and I was told last time that the handbrake was on it's last notch. So to avoid an avoidable failure, I started to look at how you adjust. Everything I read says you need to take off the prop shaft to get to the adjustment nuts - is that true? It's nuts if it is!!

Is there a trick / easier way to adjust it?

 

[ben240z]

check and adjust the rear brakes up first as this is often not done before winding up the cables. I know the rears are supposed to be self adjusting but adjust them up by hand until you can get the drum on with just a little touch with a hammer. With the drum back on both sides press the brake pedal a couple of times to ensure the shoes have centralized then try the handbrake. If the cable does need adjusting then it is possible but a fiddle to do it with the prop on

 

[Farmer42]

check and adjust the rear brakes up first as this is often not done before winding up the cables. I know the rears are supposed to be self adjusting but adjust them up by hand until you can get the drum on with just a little touch with a hammer. With the drum back on both sides press the brake pedal a couple of times to ensure the shoes have centralized then try the handbrake. If the cable does need adjusting then it is possible but a fiddle to do it with the prop on

Ali

You should be able to adjust the shoes with the drums on. There is a small rubber bung at the front of the drum you can remove to give you a hole which you need to line up with the bottom of the drum and this then allows you to get a screwdriver in to move the adjusting wheel.

The adjustment should be so that the drum turns with a little resistance but is not too difficult to rotate it by hand. After every adjustment, operate the brake pedal to centralise the shoes.

Good luck.

Paul

 

[tel240z]

also make sure you have got the right wheel cylinders there are some out there (wrong diameter as well) which don't let the lever in the drum go right back, in my experience de adjust the h/brake cable adjust the shoes in the drum then re adjust the cable job done

 

[Nigel Brook]

Yes, adjust via the drum first but back off the cables first. Common mistake to adjust via the cables and you never know what the PO has done.

 

[AliK]

Great advice chaps - thank you all!

Just discovered weekend has been packed with social activities by the "Chief Of Staff" so will have a go next week.

With the Chief and kids out of town next week I should make good progress on z jobs

 

[AliK]

Holy thread revival Batman! I just realised that it’s only taken me 5 years to get around to doing this job!!

Having the car on the tilting lift while doing the bearings, I decided it’ll be rude not to throw in those EBC shoes I have been storing for 5 years, so as to finally deal with it properly.

The advice above was VERY sound and I discovered that the auto adjuster on the left was TOTALLY rusted solid, hence one side never grabbing as hard as the other. Having sorted that out and cleaned up + lubed the other side, the near the prop shaft adjustment went from being at its max position on the last thread to this ...

There was no need for removing the prop or exhaust - the tilt lift really helps get easy access to this.

For the first time in my z ownership, the handbrake grabs hard after three clicks and holds the car on a hill! Oh and equally on both sides!

Thanks again chaps! [emoji106]