rickl750 Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Hi Guys, My rear brakes are grinding really bad and after ordering all the parts required to do a complete overhaul I ran into a problem. Today I started to take things apart and I can't remove the old drums, it appears there's no starwheel. I have looked at both sides and had a friend take a look and we can't find one. Could the previous owner have left them out? If so how do I remove the drums? Thanks, for your help. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoov100 Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 what is this "star wheel" you refer to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi303 Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Are you referring to a little jagged starfish looking wheel you can see through the backing plate if you remove a plug? You don't need one of them to remove a drum, they just tighten the shoes out against the inside of the drum when the shoe surfaces/pads get worn down. most in fact come with a spring loading clip to hold them from backing out so they are one way only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue72 Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Do you own a service manual for your car? Sometimes it takes a lot of careful tapping to remove the drums. You see plenty of early Z cars with broken off cooling fins on the drums because of impatient previous owners / mechanics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSM Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 You should only have to adjust the star wheel if the pads are worn enough and have cut into the drum. If you try and move the drum and it pulls on the pads and springs back into place this is likely the case. If not and the drum doesn't budge, it has most likely just stuck to the stub axle. Don't hit the fins. I take a 5lb hammer and gently hit an inch or so from the center of the stub on the drum itself. Normally it will pop right off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgsheen Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Hi Guys,My rear brakes are grinding really bad and after ordering all the parts required to do a complete overhaul I ran into a problem. Today I started to take things apart and I can't remove the old drums, it appears there's no starwheel. I have looked at both sides and had a friend take a look and we can't find one. Could the previous owner have left them out? If so how do I remove the drums? Rick We had trouble removing the drums on both my son's 280Z and my 260... You get to the adjuster wheel from the outboard side of the drum NOT the inboard (backing plate). There's a hole, which if you're lucky, will have a round rubber plug in it - the hole is maybe 3/8" (maybe 1/2")... You'll need to turn the drum so the hole is about the "4 to 5 O'Clock" position on the passenger side and "7 to 8 O'Clock"-ish on the drivers side. The adjuster is on the bottom of the shoes and towards the front of the car on each side. You'll probably want to look at the FSM pictures. To back off the adjuster wheel, you really need to hold the adjuster arm down away from the teeth of the adjuster wheel. It's a little tricky through that small hole. That may not be the only thing keeping that drum from coming off though... Mine and Nick's drums were pretty corroded around the lugs AND at the hole in the drum center around the wheel hub. Heat and penetrating oil helped loosen things up at those points... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MONGO510 Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Your cylinder is probably frozen. You will need 2 tools to remove the drum. An old hack saw blade and a brake adjusting spoon. Put a bend in the last 1/2" of one end of the blade. You will use this to lift the adjusting arm off of the star wheel. Spray large amounts of WD40 or similar around the stud holes and theaxle end to help loosen the drum. Remove the brake line, push the rubber boot off to the side, Looking inside of the drum thru the uncovered slot, locate the star wheel, Slip the blade inside the slot(on top of the adjuster wheel) and push the adjuster lever away from the star. Insert the brake spoon into the slot and rotate the star in the opposite direction of normal operation. This will back off the adjuster allowing removal of drum. If you are lucky you may be able to access the adjuster from the hole in the axle face side of the drum. You still will need to pry up the adjusting lever. Take a good look at your new cylinder and it will help you to visualize what you need to do. If you are real unlucky, you may have to take the drum off in pieces! Good luck! Mongo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickl750 Posted September 28, 2009 Author Share Posted September 28, 2009 Hi Guys, Thank you for all your suggestions. Btw, I should have mentioned that I have a 1978 280Z and I think it might be slightly different than older Zs. The pictures in the manuals don't resemble what I have. I was able to remove the driver's side drum and have attached a couple of pictures. The first pic shows the piston but no starwheel and the 2nd pic has a wheel behind the piston (circled in red) and that's for adjusting the hand brake and can't be accessed thru the front, it does have an access hole in the back but very difficult to reach the wheel. Anyway, I worked on the passenger’s side without luck, I guess I'll try again tomorrow I ran out of light. Thanks again, Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.