Replaced the brakes.. Still grinding...

[Spyware]

Well, I replaced my drums, shoes and springs due to a grinding I was getting from the passenger rear wheel whenever I pressed harder on my brakes. I went out, replaced all of it, take it for a test and besides the normal "Just put the drums on grinding" I get that wonderful repeated grinding that goes at the same speed of the wheel. I dunno what's wrong now... I tried shaking the wheel and it's not giving any play.

[TSmiley98]

somehting not installed right, if you put in the aprts wrong they may still fit and work but will rub..

[JohnP]

Check the bearing , take the drum off and turn the flange , if it's rough , it's the bearing.

[Spyware]

It turns smooth with the drum off. Also, it made this grinding BEFORE I replaced the drum, and that was the drum from Ford. Didn't start making the noise until about a month ago.

[JohnP]

Did you adjust the shoes after you installed them?

[Spyware]

Did you adjust the shoes after you installed them?

How do I go about doing that?

[JohnP]

The piece that holds the shoes together at the top is the Adjusting Quadrant . On the Left end there is a spring loaded piece . Pull it back to move it into the Notch that JUST lets you put the drum back on .

[Spyware]

I thought that ZX2 drums were self adjusting

[Spyware]

Scratch that. Just took a look at that repair manual online and found that the brakes need to be adjusted to match the shoes. Where do I get a brake adjusting gauge? Anything I can sub for it?

[JohnP]

Adjust it until you can just slide the drum on , one notch it fits ,the next it won't . The shoes adjust when the e-brake is pulled on , it'll do it till it runs out of a notch to go into .

[Spyware]

Awesome. I'll give that a shot tonight. The grinding went away a bit today when I threw it in reverse and applied pressure to the brakes and then played around with the e-brake for a bit. Bad thing is, it didn't seem as if my e-brake really held the car in place.. Maybe it's just because the shoes weren't adjusted yet. Looks like I get to dirty my hands yet again tonight. =/

[mechtech]

The brakes are not seated yet. It can take a while. If there is a short shoe, put it on the front side.
If the parts are correct and correctly installed, they will self adjust .
You should have lubed anything that moves or slides in there, however.

[Spyware]

The brakes are not seated yet. It can take a while. If there is a short shoe, put it on the front side.
If the parts are correct and correctly installed, they will self adjust .
You should have lubed anything that moves or slides in there, however.

Thanks. The parts all matched up and I put everything back exactly as I saw it. No short shoe. All 4 appeared to be the same size.

[Spyware]

Okay, so I'm doing this all over again tonight after I get off work.. I have where the springs go down by heart. What I wanna do is take the rear brakes completely apart, clean them, lube them, reinstall then adjust them.

What I need help with is how to clean them. Do I just go out and get brake cleaner, remove the gunk and buildup, then start to apply brake cleaner? Thanks in advance for the help.

[JohnP]

Take everything off , spray the cleaner on , wipe everything clean . Lub the back plate where the shoes rub , like six little spots . Lub the adjuster . Do Not Mess with the boots on the wheel cylinder , don't try and take them off , you'll pop the cups out and have to bleed the whole system .

Adjust the shoes so the drum just barely slips on , then your good to go .

[Spyware]

Awesome. Thanks again for the help. Seems how taking the shoes off and putting them back on is like second nature to me, it shouldn't take too long now.

[mechtech]

With our spring loaded wedge adjuster, it should adjust on the first brake pedal application.
Of course, the shoes take a while to break in.

[Spyware]

Yeah, I went ahead, cleaned out the brakes, adjusted them so that the drum just slid right on and everything (almost) seems to be working fine. Only problem I seem to be having now is the e-brake doesn't seem to be grabbing too well.

[JohnP]

Good , now you can adjust the e-brake from the console , take the slack out of the cables .

[mechtech]

And give it a wash and wax.

[Spyware]

Good , now you can adjust the e-brake from the console , take the slack out of the cables .

How would I go about doing that? Remove the center console?

And give it a wash and wax.

Must have read my mind. Just got done washing it (Waxed last week).
Hopefully I can get a chance to clean out the inside tomorrow.

[JohnP]

All you have to do is pull the flap back around the e-brake handle , you'll see the nut/stud. I use a deep-well 10MM* -1/4" drive with a extension , turn the nut till you get about 4-5 clicks on the e-brake . You may have to work wit hit till you get it right .

* Correction ,just pull that off the top of my head , but the Shadow knew .

[mechtech]

7/16"?
Mine is a 10mm. I use a 1/4 inch drive deep socket on an extension.

[Spyware]

Awesome.. I could probably do that before I go to work.

[Spyware]

Tightened it down, I get about 5-6 clicks with muscle.. I still coast with the e-brake engaged.

[JohnP]

The cable inside the console goes down to a equalizer bar just under the car . Adjusting the cable inside the car pulls the equalizer bar forward , tightens the cables . The rear cables attach to the bar . You might try to take the slack out of the cables at the bar . Check the cables to see if they move freely inside the sheath , they could be seized and need to be replaced .

[Spyware]

Ugh.. That doesn't sound fun at all.. That's something that can wait for me. I've yet to use my e-brake yet and I've had the car for 2 years now.

[Spyware]

All fixed! Wasn't adjusted enough. Thanks for all the help!