NewHilux.net

Hi All,

I've just replaced rear brake drums, cylinders and shoes. I've adjusted the shoes by going in through the backing plate and turning the adjusting wheel until the brakes are just grabbing the drums.

What is the correct procedure for adjusting the handbrake? The handbrake is now coming up too high. I've read posts which mention adjusting the handbrake cable from under the car. Others mention adjusting the cable inside the car by undoing the 10mm nut under the handbrake lever, but this would seem to require removal of the centre console to gain enough access to the nut. Is either approach acceptable?

Regards

BTW, the best tool for adjusting the brake shoes is a 60c paint can opener from bunnings.



It has a nice broad blade for contacting the adjusting wheel and it won't interfere with anything behind the backing plate like a screwdriver does.

Id be doing the easiest, how many mechanics can you imagine removes the console?
Do what ever works.
Id think the adjustment inside the cab would only be used when replacing that cable.

Side note, apparently you can adjust the rear brakes by driving in reverse and hit the brakes. Makes the self adjuster work but not the handbrake

hylux wrote:Side note, apparently you can adjust the rear brakes by driving in reverse and hit the brakes. Makes the self adjuster work but not the handbrake

Self adjusters have never worked on my car. I generally adjust them myself every couple of months. It seems a lot of other people have the same issue.

They do work... the adjustment occurs in very small steps and is sometimes limited by sticky cylinders etc.

Boxhead bless him (I'm in no way religious), posted the correct procedure for adjusting the rear brakes in this thread:

viewtopic.php?t=19383

hiluxxury wrote:They do work... the adjustment occurs in very small steps and is sometimes limited by sticky cylinders etc.

Boxhead bless him (I'm in no way religious), posted the correct procedure for adjusting the rear brakes in this thread:

viewtopic.php?t=19383

Thanks for the link. I’ve pretty much done what Boxhead describes.

I bought 24 hours of access to the Toyota repair manual and read the handbrake adjustment guide. Their recommendation is to remove the centre console and adjust the handbrake using the 10mm nut near the lever until you get 5 to 7 clicks on the handbrake. If this doesn’t give enough adjustment then they recommend adjusting the brake cable turnbuckle under the car (on the drivers side).

I just went with adjusting the turn buckle.

hylux wrote:Side note, apparently you can adjust the rear brakes by driving in reverse and hit the brakes. Makes the self adjuster work but not the handbrake

Hilux do not have "self adjusters"
They are a manual turn buckle style that can only be adjusted by physically turning the starwheel through the backing plate

CamboT - have to disagree with you on this one mate.

They do self adjust when they are out of adjustment enough that the pads can move within the drum and cause the cam (476440K050: LEVER, REAR BRAKE AUTOMATIC ADJUST) to lengthen the strut between the pad (049430K030: STRUT KIT, REAR BRAKE). The adjustment happens in reverse.

hiluxxury wrote:CamboT - have to disagree with you on this one mate.

They do self adjust when they are out of adjustment enough that the pads can move within the drum and cause the cam (476440K050: LEVER, REAR BRAKE AUTOMATIC ADJUST) to lengthen the strut between the pad (049430K030: STRUT KIT, REAR BRAKE). The adjustment happens in reverse.

Riiiigggghhhttt..... lol

Doesn't happen

CamboT - there is a difference between it not happening and it being designed to do so.

Toyota even calls the 476440K050: LEVER, REAR BRAKE AUTOMATIC ADJUST

Go have a look for yourself

Mate, its not designed as an auto adjuster no matter what its called.
If it was we wouldn't have the job to adjust them at each service.
And I have seen them. Lots of them. Its what I work on every day in the dealership.

Cambo, as hiluxxury said, just because it's there doesn't mean it works! I'm sure it's DESIGNED to do it otherwise Toyota wouldn't put the mechanics there I'm not sure but it may be a design requirement for all modern vehicles.
Besides mine have NEVER been adjusted to my knowledge during service And I can tell because the plugs have NEVER been removed!

This seems unlikely, but is it possible that Toyota have provided Auto-Adjusters to Australia and not to New Zealand?
I actually have absolutely no clue about this, I'm just reading the thread and kinda wondering if the All-Blacks and Wallabies (you guys) are gonna go at it again.

Very unlikely that the NZ Hilux is different from Australia, they're all coming off the same plant in Thailand and I very much doubt they do a 'special' run for NZ with relatively small numbers. Maybe Cambo can tell us if the mechanism is there?

What hiluxxury is refering to is a small lever that stops the adjuster star wheel from turning backwards.
It does not however "self adust" or turn the star wheel in the direction to adjust the brake shoes up tighter.

As for the ABs VS Wallabies.....
AB's have won how many games now?
When did the Wallabies win the Bledisloe Cup last time again?

I have owned many cars over the years with drum brakes on the rear, some even on the front, all of them were said to have self adjusting rear brakes, and none of them worked.
If it was a sticky component causing them to not work then surely somewhere along the line I would have experienced one side being reasonably well adjusted and the other not, but have I? No.
To me it just seems it is something they all have to say they have to keep the aurthorities happy.

CamboT wrote:As for the ABs VS Wallabies.....
AB's have won how many games now?
When did the Wallabies win the Bledisloe Cup last time again?

It was never about "Winning or Losing", these kinds of discussions often turn out to be no winner.

Maybe the "Self Adjustment" term has nothing to do with the cam wheel / sprocket? Maybe it has more to do with the retaining springs allowing the shoes to "Self Adjust" their relative position within the drum? So that the shoes don't actually fall into the drum and start spinning with the drum. I had this happen in an old XW Falcon when the locator spigots rusted through. I guess the XW wasn't really made for taking on the beach.

I agree with Martyn, I have NEVER owned a vehicle with self adjusters which work. It seems they are there to satisfy the ADR (Australian Design Rules) and probably similar around the world.
And Cambo, if you look closely at the mechanism it's designed to do exactly what hiluxxury said but it doesn't work! It's designed as hiluxxury said, to tighten the adjuster one notch at a time when reversing and putting the brakes on. Of course it's designed to prevent the adjuster going the wrong way to stop hamfisted mechanics from going the wrong way, apparently unsuccessfully

Mine works, you can actually hear it working, but there needs to be enough wear on the pad for it to click over. I’ve felt the handbrake change/ improve after reversing.

The correct procedure is to loosen the turnbuckle, adjust the shoes with the clicker until they just drag, then wind the turnbuckle up until the handbrake lever feels good (7 clicks is the factory spec) then check it doesn’t drag too much and lock the turnbuckle.