Help with drum brakes

[IS3FIFTY]

My rear right wheel doesn't turn as freely as the left. The resistance increases the more I drive and the drum gets really hot. All this lets me suspect a stuck shoe (or cylinder?).
Before I start disassembling the drum I wanted to see if anyone as had similar experience and can provide tips.
I also have 2 questions:
1. are the shoes self-adjusting on these cars?
2. how's the drum held in place?
Thanks in advance

 

['69 2800cs]

The shoes are not self adjusting. The is a "gear" like nut inside the drum that pushes the shoes out, you put a screwdriver through a hole in the drum and adjust them out.

The drum simply slides on. once you loosen the shoes it should slide right off the axle.

If it ends up that you need a cylinder, they are a bit pricy. I have an extra one, brand new, that I would sell.

Are the flexible lines reasonably new? If not, replace them...old rubber hoses are the most common cause of binding brakes.

 

[IS3FIFTY]

Drum doesn't come out....

The shoes are not self adjusting. The is a "gear" like nut inside the drum that pushes the shoes out, you put a screwdriver through a hole in the drum and adjust them out.

The drum doesn't want to come off!!! I tapped it firmly with a hammer from the back but it doesn't budge :evil:. It does rotate fairly easily and I can hear the friction of the shoes. So, while the shoes may be a bit too snug against the drum I don't believe that this is the reason the drum doesn't slide off.
I'm perplexed. My previous experience with drums is that they're held in place with a simple screw. There nothing like this on mine and the drum still feels like it's attached to the axle...
Also, I can see a small hole in the drum but there's nothing behind it. So, I can't even adjust the shoes as you mentioned.
Any feedback is appreciated. I've added pictures of the reluctant drum if that can help.
Thanks,

 

[MMercury]

The drum doesn't want to come off!!! I tapped it firmly with a hammer from the back but it doesn't budge :evil:. It does rotate fairly easily and I can hear the friction of the shoes. So, while the shoes may be a bit too snug against the drum I don't believe that this is the reason the drum doesn't slide off.
I'm perplexed. My previous experience with drums is that they're held in place with a simple screw. There nothing like this on mine and the drum still feels like it's attached to the axle

I haven't looked at a pair of 2800 drums in years. My recollection is that there is no star adjuster (as found in the mini-shoes that fit within the rear rotors on 3.0cs's). That said, you ought to consult a manual before you start prying unnecessarily. If you insist on proceeding by the purely intuitive route, how about pulling the drum on the other wheel so you can see exactly what you're up against?

In any even, here is what I remember. There are two 17 mm bolts at approximately 9:30 and 2:30 o'clock. These are adjusting eccentrics that are used - to adjust the shoes. Here is a picture of a wrench on one of the bolts:

Here is another:

It is likely that your drums are worn and have developed an edge or lip that prevents you from sliding the drum off. Thus, you may need to back these adjusters off to retract the shoes. You would also want to back off any tension on the handbrake adjustments for the same reason.

IF, after removing as much "adjustment" as possible doesn't work, then I might resort to carefully prying around the edge of the drums with one or more tools suitable for prying. Safety first.

Your pictured drum has what appears to be a hole for a set screw found in newer drums that were fitted to models (not 2800) that had lug bolts as opposed to lug nuts. This is more commonly found on later models that used drum brakes, e.g., E12 "520". I believe the drums are dimensionally similar 250mm except for the screw hole.

 

['69 2800cs]

oops...

OK, please ignore the first sentence of my post. The rear shoes are indeed adjusted by eccentrics. From the Autobooks manual "To take up the adjustment (I assume that means tighten) the adjuster at the rear of the backplate must be turned anticlockwise and at the front clockwise." You'll want to do the opposite to pull the drum off.

I agree that you'll likely need to back the shoes well away from the drum in order to pull the drum off. I also recall the center of the drum being a fairly close fit so I imagine some rust could make it difficult.

Finally, make sure the parking brake is off.

 

[IS3FIFTY]

Thanks!

OK, please ignore the first sentence of my post. The rear shoes are indeed adjusted by eccentrics. From the Autobooks manual "To take up the adjustment (I assume that means tighten) the adjuster at the rear of the backplate must be turned anticlockwise and at the front clockwise." You'll want to do the opposite to pull the drum off.

I agree that you'll likely need to back the shoes well away from the drum in order to pull the drum off. I also recall the center of the drum being a fairly close fit so I imagine some rust could make it difficult.

Finally, make sure the parking brake is off.

Thanks a lot '69 2800CS! I think that you're right on with the fact that the lip caused by the wear prevents the drum to come out.
I followed your instructions and I was able to loosen the shoes via the adjusters at the rear of the backplate. The drum still doesn't come out but this is good enough for today :mrgreen:. At one point I'll need to take the car in for more work on the brakes and they'll figure it out.

 

[61porsche]

Stuck Drum

Rust forms on the hub as well. Try soapy water to loosen the crud and sit overnight.( Careful, if you use Kroil or similar oil product with brakes) Light hammer around the hub.

There is a tool- hub puller- the mother of all pullers.

 

[hans3]

You need to be using a proper manual for this; see here:

http://www.e9-driven.com/Public/Library/BMW-E9-Manual/pages/en/index.html


Only after you're able to get the wheel free turning should you attempt to pull the drum off. If it's not free turning, a drum pad may not be fully retracted. Use WD-40 to loosen the cam adjusting bolts on the rear. Use trial & error when turning the cam adjusters to retract the drum pads, as it's not intuitive how much they need to be turned.

New drum piston hydraulic seals are cheap from Walloth & Nesch.

 

[IS3FIFTY]

Thanks everyone. This is a great forum!