Another handbrake Q

[347 mont]

Hi there evreyone. I'm looking for Au handbrake experts to help me out on what should be a relatively easy job, handbrake shoe adjustment. today I went about the job and took the rubber grommet out to get to the screw to do the adjustment but found the angle to the screw very awequid, so I decided to take the rotor off to make it accessable (and this is how my trusty Max Ellery's manual suggests.)All it say is to remove calliper and the retaining screw which I done but it wouldn't budge. Then I gave it some CRC treatment and a bit or a tap with a hammer, still no joy ( 40min later.) Then I went to Super Cheap to get a puller, tried but still didn't come off and I did'nt want to force it too much. So my question is does that large nut in the centre have to come off, I didn't think so, infact the manual doesn't even show that large nut in the pic for the rear rotors, only on the front and states thats the retaining nut for the front rotors.I thought it came off from the hub where the yellow arrows are shown on the picture, is this the case? So advice from experts in this field would be appreciated.My thoughts are if the puller didnt budge it there must be something else thats holding it on. Anyway sorry about the essay, and cheers for your help.P.S did a search and found some info but need more.

[EvilChief]

i will carefully assume u have IRS. to take the rotor off u will need to remove the phillips head screw between the two lower studs in ur picture. When u try to remove the rotor please remember to RELEASE the handbrake.

also primary adjustament of handbrake should be done inside the cockpit and the handbrake leaver.

[StealthAu]

the nut dosn't hold the disc on, just remove the screw and give the hub of the disc a few good wacks around it towards the centre.

[347 mont]

Originally Posted by EvilChief

i will carefully assume u have IRS. to take the rotor off u will need to remove the phillips head screw between the two lower studs in ur picture. When u try to remove the rotor please remember to RELEASE the handbrake.

also primary adjustament of handbrake should be done inside the cockpit and the handbrake leaver.

Yeah mate took the retaining screw out, and yep you got it IRS, you reckon it could be siezed with rust or somethin. Before I forget the handbrake was off when I tried to get it off, and adjustment form the handbrake lever did didily squat. Do you know what that large nut is for? in my manual it only shows that for front rotors.

[EvilChief]

i sure do, that will be the retaining nut for the drive shafts in the rear. ur manual would be for a live axle setup, where not centre nut is required.

[EvilChief]

before i forget it, it can be a little tricky to take rotors of in general, i normally soak them in either RP7/WD40 for afew hours or use the nuts'off spray, it does work.

a large hammer and a few well placed swings will do the rest of the job. also looking at the picture inspect the discs for heat fractures and wear.

and while i am at it, ford went to a two piece hand brake shoe design in the AUs compared to the one piece on the e series, which makes adjustment just that extra tad more exciting, especially the occasional squeel u get afterwards :

[347 mont]

Originally Posted by EvilChief

before i forget it, it can be a little tricky to take rotors of in general, i normally soak them in either RP7/WD40 for afew hours or use the nuts'off spray, it does work.

a large hammer and a few well placed swings will do the rest of the job. also looking at the picture inspect the discs for heat fractures and wear.

Cheers mate for your help, as I said gave it CRC(where the yellow arrows are in pic) and a bit of wack, even got the puller on to it, I think I'll give it another go on the weekend with a bit more ooompah.

[peterban]

You can adjust the handbrake without taking the rotor/hub off.
The plug where you have drawn the red arrow to comes out and you can get a lever in there to adjust them.
There was a post about this with the procedure to do it, I think they put the handbrake on to the number of clicks required and wind out the adjuster until it is tight.
Release the handbrake and check that they don't bind.

Note I haven't tried this but when I bought the car ( secondhand ) the handbrake didn't work and they adjusted it quickly with the above procedure as well.

[GK]

Have you tried the adjustment on the handbrake lever at all? That can make a large difference! If you're out of adjustment (there is a lot there though), then take off the rotor.

In any case to answer your question:
Large centre nut stays where it is. Phillip's head screw holds the rotor on, plus the rust!

It can be a difficult job as the shaft gets rusted, which looks like the case on yours also. Give it lots of WD40 or the like on the areas you've marked with the yellow arrows. Let it soak for 15 or so, then give it lots of curry with a persuasion tool of one sort or another! That way, you can see exactly what's going on.

Here is a procedure I did a while ago. Also, the adjustment can be quite a challenge.

Changing rotors and pads
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showpos...5&postcount=54
Derusting and painting rotors
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showpos...2&postcount=68

Hope there is some info in there that helps.

All the best with it.

GK

[au2sw]

Originally Posted by peterban

You can adjust the handbrake without taking the rotor/hub off.
The plug where you have drawn the red arrow to comes out and you can get a lever in there to adjust them.
There was a post about this with the procedure to do it, I think they put the handbrake on to the number of clicks required and wind out the adjuster until it is tight.
Release the handbrake and check that they don't bind.

Note I haven't tried this but when I bought the car ( secondhand ) the handbrake didn't work and they adjusted it quickly with the above procedure as well.

i agree. that is the most effective way to adjust your handbrake. the only reason u should take the rotor off is to check pad wear. be sure u wind the adjuster the right way. it will only roll easily one way as the other way will loosen the pads that would account for the no movement. so leave the rotors on and only remove them as a last resort. from memory, a strong small flat blade screwdriver will work fine for the adjustment as well.

[347 mont]

Thanks fellas for your info, I'm pretty sure it rust holding the sucker on so I'll give another go tomorrow hopefully, I'll have some weet bix and do what I did before but with a little more ooommpaaah!, and that should do the trick. Someone said it will be easier not to take the rotors off and I agree, however I found the angle of the adjustment screw on the passengers side very awequid and on the drivers side I couldnt even see it becase I think it was caked with dirt.Once a wise old man said "if at first you don't succeed try again." Thanks for help, love these forums

[bodes-sh]

on the topic of removing rotors to do this, i had to. the adjustment at the leaver was tightened right up and the adjustment at the shoes inside the disc was right down...my rotors didn't take much to get off tho....

with mine i backed the nut at the lever right off, removed discs and got the shoes so they're just touching the inside of the disc, then put the disc back on, with the rear end off the ground, wheels removed, started it, put it in gear pulled the lever up about 7 clicks i think, till it seemed tight anyway, then put it in drive, then checked to see if the discs were moving...did this about 5 times till the discs stopped moving, been fine ever since...no squeaking and it usually holds somewhere between 7 and 10 clicks...it's very easy to see how out of round they actually are, sometimes it takes 7 clicks, sometimes 9 etc lol

[StealthAu]

I've actually been thinking of fitting a hydralic hand brake, aparently it just taps into the rear brake lines but still allows normal function of them. Does anyone know how much hassles involed hooking one up and are they legal?

[LOWAU]

Originally Posted by stockoau

I've actually been thinking of fitting a hydralic hand brake, aparently it just taps into the rear brake lines but still allows normal function of them. Does anyone know how much hassles involed hooking one up and are they legal?

My XF was like that, much better then AU. It just didn't use hydralics it was just a cable that was attached to the calipers. It alwasys held and never squeaked.

Also I find that when I brake hard for a few corners and then park with my hand brake it goes up almost to the top and doesn't stop the car very well.