Handbrake shoes

[Podman]

How easy is it to change the handbrake shoes and how much roughly are they? N is it easy enough for someone with not much wrench time to fo them?

[MarkV6]

They're not that hard to change, but you have to strip the rear brakes down to get to them.

Remove rear wheel
rear brake pads undo caliper bolts and remove caliper
wind in the handbrake shoe adjuster
remove rear brake disc
remove the two springs between the handbrake shoes
remove the shoes....

easy peesey job :icon_mrgr

[johnny_adidas]

until u discover the pins which hold the shoes have come through the rusted plates!!!

[richardworrall]

i was just gonna say that, seems a common problem.

[Podman]

They were only supposed to be done last september/october time or so i was told so i better get them done so i know that they are done. Plus i have just changed all my discs and pads changed to black diamond and also thinkin of changin to braided hoses and to dot 5.1?

[MarkV6]

<!--QuoteBegin-Podman+--><div class='quotetop'>(Podman)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->thinkin of changin to dot 5.1?<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Just done a 'google' search and from what I've read dot 5.1 brake fluid isn't recommended for cars with ABS systems as it is silicone based. Also found that synthetic 5.1 isn't hygroscopic (doesn't absorb moisture). Moisture in the brake fluid leads to spongy pedals and brake fade.

I'd stick with a quality dot 4 glycol ether based fluid.

<a href="http://www.checkthatcar.com/new_check/brake%20fluid.asp" target="_blank">http://www.checkthatcar.com/new_check/brake%20fluid.asp</a>

Have a read....

[Podman]

Have read the link you put up MarkV6 and yes think i will stick to dot 4. But i have seen on a bottle of dot 5.1 that it is suitable for cars with abs.

But going by that link i is not going to try it.

[Stupink]

Doing the shoes could well turn out to be an evil job if you've not done much before, but none of it is "hard". make sure you have plenty of time, and make sure you have a nice small direct beam torch to shine in the hole to find the ajuster.

tbh it probably just wants ajusting anyway, unless they ahve been poorly ajusted in the past and have always been on slightly, then the shoes dont really wear.. they'll last forever as the car "should" never be moving when they are applied.