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Hi guys, hope you’re well.
Ok, I’m in England and I have a 2006 Ford Fusion 1.6.
I have recently qualified as a mechanic 🙂 so I know a bit but there’s certain things I’m unsure of still (they say you spend all your life learning ;))
Anyway, I am tomorrow going to be replacing the brake shoes on my Ford and I’m a bit concerned about the adjustment because when I was in Automotive School I only did one set and it went fairly well apart from the adjustment.
It was the sort where you had to remove the axle nut. So I did that, replaced the shoes, put the drum back on, made the adjustment, life was good.
UNTIL I had to tighten the axle nut. I tightened it to the specified 240 newton metres (sorry don’t know the ft lb equivalent but it’s tight!) and I checked that the drum was spinning with a bit of resistance but it had gone real tight. The drum was virtually unmoveable! Now of course this didn’t matter at school cos it was just for practise but I don’t want the same thing to happen to my car.
Any idea what to do if this happens tomorrow when I do this on my car?
Many thanks.
Steve
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If you install the drum and adjust with a very light drag you shouldn’t have a problem. It’s something you gain a feel for. Sometimes,after 45 years i still get em a little too tight.
It’s better to have em a little too loose than too tight. Applying the park brake several times after the wheels are on while holding your foot on the brake should give the final correct clearance.Thanks Wysetech. I wonder though why it tightened up from, as you say, light drag to solid and unmoveable?
someone on the net when I googled it mentioned that they had this trouble and a quick tootle round the block sorted it.
but ill crack on tomorrow and see what happens.
thanks mate 🙂
For a new mechanic, you can use a measuring rule to get your initial adjustment, just allow 3 mm clearance. Sometimes I use a screwdriver and push on the adjuster wheel to shift the brake shoes (front to rear) through the adjuster hole in the backing plate, there should be a little movement with the drum installed, adjust until there is less than 1 cm movement but equal on both sides.
Like the other guy said, it requires some practice and I know of some mechanics who despise drum style brakes.
Awesome thanks guys. ive never heard of that tool but it sounds bloody perfect! ill look out for that, thanks man 🙂
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