Rear brake adjustment

[martinlcb]

Hi Folks, This may be a candidate for dumbest question of the year but here goes......how do I adjust the rear shoes on my '73 TCS? The car has the self adjusting system but I can only get at the adjuster with the drum removed. If I then wind out the adjuster then I can't put the drum back on.
This has all come about because I replaced the handbrake cables - NSR locks when handbrake applied but OSR still spins so I need to "balance" the adjusters.

Thanks,
Martin B

[4129R]

You wind out the adjuster a bit at a time, until the drum won't fit, then back off the adjustment until the drum rotates without binding. Do this with the handbrake cable unattached.

Each time you push the drum on, the shoes will need careful centering as they move off centre a bit during adjustment.

Patience is required as with most things working on these cars.

Alex in Norfolk.

[martinlcb]

Hi Alex, Many thanks for the swift reply. Just one other question - probably obvious when I go back out to the garage but does the handbrake lever that sits on the adjuster cog rest against the backplate or at the outboard end of the hub? (If you see what I mean)

Martin

[4129R]

The thing that turns the milled wheel that adjusts the shoes by screwing out, should be ready to push the wheel round as you tighten the handbrake. If you take both drums off, and only play with one at a time, the other back plate and shoe assembly should show you what it should look like.

Alex in Norfolk.

[martinlcb]

Grateful for your help Alex - problem sorted.http://www.lotuseuropa.org/LotusForum/Smileys/default/cheesy.gif

[4129R]

I am rebuilding both rear brakes at the moment, and all the bits are all over the place.

Does anyone know offhand which adjuster is left hand thread and which side is right hand thread, so at least they will adjust correctly?

I suppose if I play around with the cable adjustment lever often enough, I can find out, but it would be good to start off correctly, so I don't have to take the shoes off again.

P.S. 1 week later. Problem solved. The adjustment serrated disc and thread are mirror images, and it is obvious if you put in the wrong side, as the hand brake adjustment lever just will not move the serrated disc around if it is put in the wrong side.

[SilverBeast]

I know this is an old thread, but I am just about to adjust the handbrake on my TCS.  I think my "auto" adjusters may have been fitted to the wrong sides as it appears to be the opposite of the description above.  Can anyone tell me I am correct in this assumption from the attached picture, and need to swap them?

EDIT:- I forgot to say this is the RH rear brake (UK Drivers side)

Thanks - Richard

[Dilkris]

I think you are ok - it is a little confusing as one adjuster is actuated by the application of the handbrake mechanism and the other by the return of the mechanism. Your picture is as I have assemble mine.
Many members have stated that the automatic adjusters do not work and or are ineffective - personally I have a tendency to agree and to circumvent this, I drilled the drums (one hole at 14mm dia) to allow for external adjustment - (You will recall that many drum brakes on older cars had this facility), I bought drum brake plugs off fleebay to make this adaption complete.     

[SilverBeast]

Here is the Left Rear (UK passenger). This is handed the opposite way, and still looks wrong to me as the lever is sat on the slope of the wedge instead of the vertical, so the lever will slide up the ramp, rather than push against it when it's pulled on. It's more logical to me that it would tighten both when pulled on as it would then be able to back off again when the handbrake is released. If it tightens as the handbrake is released it would be more likely to bind and also make removing the drums more difficult.

Hope this makes sense!

Edit: Sorry picture is so big. Should have posted it from PC, instead of tablet!

[Dilkris]

  entirely.
But logic does not prevail here - as in many other areas of a Europa.... 
The system however is not capable of adjusting the shoes with sufficient force until they "bind" appreciably on the drum thereby preventing movement - the ratchet system is effective up to the point of the shoes making minimal contact with the drum and that's it - so whether this occurs upon handbrake actuation or release is academic. 
The biggest problem with the system is when your drums are worn and you want to remove them - this is when the access hole in the drum is useful so as you can back off the adjuster.

[SilverBeast]

Hi Dilkris. Thanks for your patience. The reason for my confusion is that this part on the Lotus Supplies website shows a picture of a RH adjuster. https://www.lotus-supplies.com/parts/brakes/hardware/handbrake-adjuster-rh-5-speed/
This is clearly handed the opposite way to that fitted on my RHS

[Dilkris]

Hi SilverBeast - I have great patience (I'm rebuilding a Europa  ) - I'll pull my drums off tomorrow, check and photograph the set up I've got and post the result. 

[SilverBeast]

Cheers  much appreciated. Mine was working like this, brakes have always been really long and a bit spongy but always worked. The handbrake too. I've only done a couple of hundred miles in it in about two years though.....

I'm now addressing some issues so I can drive it and see if I have a real clutch issue!

[SilverBeast]

So I've found this thread on a Triumph site as I understand the TCS uses the rear drums from a late GT6.

https://www.triumphexp.com/forum/spitfire-and-gt6-forum.8/gt6-late-mk3-handbrake-issues-stopping.1339269.1339286/#msg-1339286

This shows the auto-adjusters on the opposite side to where mine were fitted, so that the "adjustment levers" catch on the vertical edge of the sawtooth on the wheel as the handbrake is pulled.

[Dilkris]

SilverBeast and all following - please find photo's - everything is in the pictures. I think collectively we have the answer. I have taken the photo's so as you can see the trailing arms to show which side is which. (TCS - UK)
I have discovered the following:-
The passenger side adjuster "actuates" shoe adjustment upon handbrake actuation - all as expected.
The drivers side adjuster "actuates" shoe adjustment upon handbrake release which is NOT as expected, BUT these are the original components of this brake system on my car, (I'm thinking "strange" but it is a Lotus.....).
Both the actuators have LH threads and both actuators "ratchet" in an anticlockwise direction.
The actuator being sold by SJS is advertised as "Brake Shoe Auto Adjuster RH" and clearly ratchets positively in a clockwise direction - the interesting part is that SJS do not sell " Brake Shoe Auto Adjuster LH...." 
Conclusion? My car, TCS, (2227) was I believe assemble incorrectly at the factory at the time of build.
Am I bothered? Not sure, common opinion say they don't work anyway so I may just manually adjust with my modified drums (14mm hole - shown without the plugs.)
Think we got to the bottom of it though.....