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 Posted: Jun 26, 2019 06:36PM
 Edited:  Jun 26, 2019 07:11PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by blakedaniel
I had the same issue with my mini cooper and it turned out to be a pretty major transmission problem that ended up being nearly a $4000 fix. Ended up having to just replace the car altogether
Spam. It's hard to believe that anyone would think such a lame attempt at marketing would produce any revenue. But… maybe it does. 

 

Michael, Santa Barbara, CA

. . . the sled, not the flower

      Poser MotorSports

 Posted: Jun 24, 2019 04:28AM
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Thanks for your input guys! Replaced both drums, 4 shoes and all the springs. No more grinding noise, car brakes a ton better now!

Some slight sandpaper-like noise when braking now from the rear, but that is probably just the shoes breaking in on the drum as I only took it on a mile-long test run.

Thanks again!

 Posted: Jun 17, 2019 05:49AM
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CA
+1 for reusing the hub you have and refitting the adjuster as recommended, unless it is damaged. Make sure you get the slugs/wedges in the right way around. The shoes also look fine - install them the right way around too.

Replace the spring. It should be behind the shoes (where it is) but with the straight section away from the hub.

I doubt the gritty, intermittent sound in your video was caused by the spring as it is/was in constant contact and had worn smooth. My money is still on rust.

When you have it all back together and are setting up the adjustment, note the adjuster's cone has 4 sides - you need to turn it so that one of the 4 sides is supporting the wedges, not one of the edges. As you adjust, periodically apply the hydraulic brakes to re-centre the shoes. Don't forget to adjust the hand-brake too.

.

"Hang on a minute lads....I've got a great idea."

 Posted: Jun 16, 2019 03:24PM
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I guess the real problem its that we don't know the condition of the parts and you don't know enough the explain everything one would need to know to make things safe....

MAYBE.... Maybe, if the brake setup is basically Ok, all you really needed to do is remove the spring that is rubbing, turn it over and put it back where it came from...  (If the rubbing was caused by the spring being incorrectly installed then fixing that will fix your problem.

The adjuster sounds like an issue.  However, if it was not damaged while being removed, then you just need to smear any surfaces that touch (the thread, the pointy end and the little slugs that go between the pointy bend and the brake shoe) with a bit of anti-seize  (copper) grease and re-assemble....

Do you have any old style Mom n Pop garages nearby?  If so I would just assemble everything and drive it (carefully  to them an ask for assistance.....

Cheers, Ian

 Posted: Jun 16, 2019 06:23AM
 Edited:  Jun 26, 2019 11:26AM
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It is not a problem and can be re fitted easily.
If the groove is not too deep it will be ok and while you have it all apart just replace the springs brake shoes and wheel cylinders if they look old or are leaking. You can also buy complete new backing plates ready to install with new adjusters. If you re use your old adjusters lubricate them with some copper grease or similar then they wont seize up.


If in doubt, flat out. Colin Mc Rae MBE 1968-2007.

Give a car more power and it goes faster on the straights,
make a car lighter and it's faster everywhere. Colin Chapman.

 Posted: Jun 15, 2019 11:05AM
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Okay thanks! I will just order some new hubs, shoes, bearings and seals then. I did not mount them, but do have the Haynes manual, so I will take a look at fixing it... Guess the other side will be wrong too then.

My dad came around to give me a hand with the adjuster and he managed to coax it loose, but he removed the thing entirely, and the springs retracted entirely, pulling the shoes together at the top... Is this bad? I did not see it myself yet, I guess with the springs decompressed now it should not be hard? I will be replacing those too.

 Posted: Jun 15, 2019 10:10AM
 Edited:  Jun 15, 2019 10:26AM
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If the picture that you posted is the RH rear wheel, your brake shoes are not mounted correctly as well.  If you look at where the brake lining material is attached to each shoe, you will see that they are different. Your Haynes manual has a good example of how the brake shoes should be installed or if you don't have a manual (you should get one) do a search on this site for 'brake shoe' and the picture will show how they should be oriented.  As for the groove, there are probably hundreds of minis out there with the same damage.  But if it were my car, I would change the hub. Its not difficult but gets a little fussy involving wheel bearings and seals.

 Posted: Jun 15, 2019 06:27AM
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Okay, so the groove on the stub axle is freshly ground in by contacting the spring.  Will this require a change of the axle? If it does, is this an easy job or not? 

 Posted: Jun 14, 2019 09:03AM
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Hi I will do that in a day or 2, had to leave the car up on stands and am nog gone for work until Monday... First have to get the adjuster loose... 

 Posted: Jun 14, 2019 07:36AM
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The spring will fit two ways if it is fitted correctly the it will not make contact on the hub.
Back off your adjuster all the way and the drum will fit over the shoes.
Post a picture as a lot of owners install the brake shoes incorrectly.

If in doubt, flat out. Colin Mc Rae MBE 1968-2007.

Give a car more power and it goes faster on the straights,
make a car lighter and it's faster everywhere. Colin Chapman.

 Posted: Jun 14, 2019 07:22AM
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Okay, so NEXT problem  
I wanted to go for a little test drive, see if I fixed it.
Now the drum just will NOT go on, it seems to contact the lining material.
How do I fix this? Or do I just have to go scorched Earth and order new shoes and drums? 

 Posted: Jun 14, 2019 06:05AM
 Edited:  Jun 14, 2019 06:29AM
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Okay so I pulled the drum off, and I did not find rust. 

What I did find was that the hub is contacting the bottom spring, grinding it away... How did that happen? There is already a fairly deep groove in the hub...


EDIT I FOUND WHY
I can move the shoes up and down by hand!!! The adjuster is seized however so could it be that? The shoes not adjustef properly?

 Posted: Jun 14, 2019 03:10AM
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US
I think what Onetim is trying to say is that the bolt welded to the grease cap isn't hurting anything, just holding those cone shaped wheel centers on. You could just hack saw that off and should be good to go. The studs (the four bolts that hold the wheel on) are not welded on. They are pressed into the hub and aren't difficult to replace, although you will need to take the hub off to do it. They don't look too bad, but depending on the type of wheels you put on, they might need to be replaced with longer ones.

 Posted: Jun 13, 2019 10:15AM
 Edited:  Jun 13, 2019 10:25AM
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Rust on drums is normal, the studs are welded on the the bearing grease caps, should be cheap from our host for new ones. They are just lightly pressed on. To remove lightly grab the OD with slip lock plyers and rock back and forth while pulling, to install gently tap them on with a nylon hammer or other.

 Posted: Jun 13, 2019 09:39AM
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Is that rust on the outside anything to worry about? 
Yeah for my new wheels those bolts HAVE to go, I am no longer comfortable knowing that a bolt is simply welded on there. Would I be able to grind them off or am I better of replacing the thing it sits on?

 Posted: Jun 13, 2019 08:21AM
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You should be fine to drive it, like Dan said most likely the backing plate rubbing on the drum edge, the custom center cap retainer is
interesting, and not a good idea, but should not be the cause of your noise. I would hit the drum retainer screw with some penetrating fluid while the wheel is off.

 Posted: Jun 13, 2019 06:38AM
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Okay so I pulled the wheel off, and  this is what greeted me .. tell me doc, how bad is this??? Seems like one h*ll of a DIY'er who owned it before me. Is it safe to drive for a few more short hops until I get the bits I need, and just accept the noise? Should I look for different replacement parts too?

 Posted: Jun 13, 2019 05:15AM
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CA
Most likely a rusty brake drum. With moisture and heat, they rust significantly and begin to produce scale. On the back rim of the drum where it faces the backing plate, there is a grove that more or less coincides with the lip of the backing plate to keep dirt and moisture out of the brakes. The rust builds up and begins to rub on the backing plate. Both the backing plate and the drum are good resonators, making the sound more prominent. It only rubs where the rust scale touches the backing plate. it touches so lightly you may not even see a rub mark.

The solution is simple: remove the brake drum and scrape the rust scale away with hand tools (flat blade screwdriver or similar chisel/scraper). You only need to remove any rust the scraper will take off. No need to cut it back to bare metal as it will quickly rust again, though slowly.

Brake disks experience the same issue around their outer perimeter and less so in the inner diameter where the pads do not keep the metal clean. Eventually the scale can build up to rub on the caliper and may even break off and get caught somewhere, making similar noises.

.

"Hang on a minute lads....I've got a great idea."

 Posted: Jun 13, 2019 04:52AM
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The other day I noticed this noise coming from the RH rear wheel. Heard if after a +-20min drive, never noticed it before.

First thought it might be the bearing going out, but got the car up and shook it vigorously and no discernible wobble. Suspect the brakes? I did not yet have the wheel socket so off to buy that now but anybody with am educated guess? 
Link leads to a video I made for demonstration. Forgive the shabby looking rim, fresh ones are en route https://youtu.be/xjC1aosfl7E