Rear Brake Disc/Drum Removal
 

I had a go at servicing the handbrake on my GV at weekend, prior to the MOT.
I just could not figure out how to get the disc/drum off the hub. I removed the calliper OK, removed the retaining clip which was on one of the wheel studs, but even though I could turn the disc easily when the handbrake was off, I couldn't get the disc off the hub. I tried warming it with a blow lamp and whacking it with a 2lb lump hammer but it didn't flinch. Is there a special method to removing these?

Normally just a stick a screwdriver in hole in back of backplate and prise up the adjuster but its usually seized. So its down to releasing the handbrake cable. Follow cable back to where you can release it. I'll add pictures of setup tomorrow as you'll be supping ale just now..Ridge on drum edge will be holding it on. Wee gadget a handbrake holds it slack as well.

What quite often happens on voyagers, is that at some time in it's life the handbrake mechanism has seized, causing the brake shoes to wear the drum.

This wear causes a lip to form at the edge of the inner drum. If the shoes are then adjusted up manually, they can catch on the lip when trying to pull the disk/drum off.

This is normally just the last part, meaning that you can pull the drum part way off, but it just won't completely clear the shoes... pulling & twisting sometimes works, but often just pulls the shoes out at the same time.

To release the shoes, just pop the rubber cap off the back plate and manually turn the adjuster with a short flat screwdriver. From the outside, turning the adjuster in the up direction backs off the shoes.

To be honest, if the drum is worn or the adjuster is seized, just pull the whole lot off and fit new parts. Pagid parts from Euro Car Parts are good quality and cheap. Chances are the linkage will also be seized, which will require lots of WD40 & elbow grease to free up.

If the drum will not budge at all, then it could be fouled on the wheel studs. Rotating it and whacking it with a suitable ball pein hammer round the outside of the drum should work.

Mat

That is the problem I'm having. I'm familiar with the problem where the shoes prevent the removal of the drum because of ridges in the drum surface, but this disc/drum isn't budging at all. That was why I applied heat and WD40 because it seems that the drum has welded itself to the studs.
Knowing that the studs are a splined push fit from the back side of the hub, I came up with the idea of forcing each of the studs further back into the hub, but that idea didn't work either.

Not sure if your Handbrake is same as my 2003 model but anyway should help most.
The full release of handbrake cable in a nutshell. Start at handbrake and lockit up Loose. If you ever wondered what the slots were for on the handbrake mount this is it. Think I used a 5mm drill but Chrysler must use something prettier. With handbrake locked back you can strip fulcrum where handbrake cable joins drum cables. Now your drum should come off...See pictures.

Thanks goggsy but the shoes aren't binding on the drum preventing the drum from coming off, the drum spins freely when the handbrake is released, it seems as though the wheel studs are seized in the holes in the drum. Lots of WD40, as much heat as I can generate from a plumbers blow torch and lots of whacks with a 2lb lump hammer while turning the disc won't budge it. I know that if the inside of the drum is worn then the shoes will bind on the lip at the edge of the drum. The drum will be loose but will not pull over the shoes. That isn't my problem, I wish it was.

So your drum/discs are seized onto the hubs then...Should have added the copperslip inbetween. Same for alloy wheels to drum/discs otherwise you've got to batter the tyre to get them off...
/discs

Seems like as stated, the flat inner face of the drum part of the disk has corroded onto the flange of the hub.

The holes in the disk that pass through the wheel studs are a good clearance fit, meaning there's quite a bit of slack, so hitting the outer drum with a big hammer around the circumference nearly always works, as there's only a very small contact area where they can stick.

The flat inner face of the drum to hub flange is quite a big contact area though.

My suggestion (or at least the way I'd do it) would be to get two new disks to hand, then from behind the disks just hammer the outer edge on the disk face while turning it, ie knock it off from the back.

You could possibly do it the same way using a big block of wood between the disk & hammer to save the disks. You only need to break the rust seal, so keep spinning it round, don't concentrate on one spot.

Clean up the hub flanges & inner part of the drum & put copper grease on to stop it happening again.

Mat

I already tried that.

I already tried that too.

Car's booked in for an MOT tomorrow morning so I'll let you know the result.

Thanks Mat

Well they have to come off... and there's nothing holding them on.

Could try a bigger hammer :-)