Park Brake Adjustment

[Tony Prodigy]

Hi Gents, I'm not sure if the adjusters differ on the 40, but I had a go at adjusting mine this afternoon and for the life of me I couldn't get the damn flat blade screwdriver to reach the toothed adjuster wheel via the inspection/access hole on the drum section of the disc. I had to remove the caliper, then remove the rotor to expose the drum assembly and adjuster. The teeth on the adjuster are ludicrously tiny and it's painful to get it to turn. Is there a special tool for this ?

I ended up just doing my best and I did manage to turn the adjuster a few times and then test fitting the rotor to check clearance. I overdid one side and couldn't get the rotor back on, so I wound it back in a bit. I didn't get any pics as it started raining, so I've left it on axle stands for the time being and will have another look at it in the morning. Frustrating afternoon.

Edited December 29, 2020 by Tony Prodigy

[campbeam]

I have had a similar issues with the adjustment of the rear parking brake shoes. Not so easy to use that adjuster. It made me appreciate how much easier is was to do the adjustment on my previous Honda.

Ended up removing the rear rotor then adjust and refit rotor. Too much adjustment and the rotor does not fit on. Repeat until just right, rotates freely.

Readjusting the foot brake in the cabin is another adventure. 

 

[Tony Prodigy]

13 hours ago, Tony Prodigy said:

I couldn't get the damn flat blade screwdriver to reach the toothed adjuster wheel via the inspection/access hole on the drum section

Pretty stupid or lazy of Toyota to use the particular style of toothed wheel with this rotor and the inspection hole doesn't enable enough clearance for the screwdriver blade to make decent contact, and that is when you are going through the large hole on the axle flange. I suspect the rotor is a carry over or part of the Global Architecture of the Camry variants. 

I watched a video on how to adjust the rear handbrake and in that video, the guy made it look too easy. Unfortunately for Aurion owners, the toothed wheel is ludicrously small compared to that of the Camry.

Watch this and you'll see why.

 

[Tony Prodigy]

Edited the title for extra clarity.

So I went back out this morning (in the rain... carport isn't too far off..) and completed the adjustment and other minor checks while I had the wheels off. I also gave all the rubber bushings and brake hoses the 303 Aerospace treatment to keep them supple.

To get the rotor off the axle you have to use a 13mm bolt that threads into any of the two tapped holes in the drum. Simply ratchet it in and the rotor will pop off.

After having another look, you cannot make the adjustments to the toothed wheel via the inspection hole in the drum part of the rotor. You have to have the rotor off to do this and as mentioned, you need to be careful not to dial too much out as the rotor will not go back on. There's a bit of trial and error here. I think I did ok though. Reassembled the brake calipers and washed the wheels in and out and gave them a hit with P&S Beadmaker in and out also.

I also gave the centre caps a thorough clean and seal, then metal polished the wheel nuts. P&S metal polish for those too. Great product as it not only polishes, but also puts a layer of protection too.

Although the car is dirty and it not making sense to wash it during our wet spell, I had to wash the front wheels to make it uniform lol.. It would've looked silly otherwise. I haven't washed it in a couple of months and the fronts were black. Thankfully the sealant I put on the wheels held up well and washing that brake dust off was a breeze. I'm using the P&S Brake Buster wheel cleaner as well as the Nextzett formula. Both excellent wheel cleaners.