rear brake drums upgrade

[flippers69]

hi guys,i love my maesty,but would like to upgrade brakes, especialy rear drums,i have replaced shoes,rear wheel cylinders,and bled air,but still not as good as i would like,any ideas from fellow maestro fans,thanks richard

[G Force]

Hello Richard.

The standard rear brakes in good working order should be more than adequate for your car. I would say if you are experiencing poor effort from the brakes there is probably a fault somewhere.

What is the problem, is it the hand brake not holding or the foot brake feel?

[flippers69]

HI,THANKS for reply,i dont think it pulls up as fast as it should,its had new discs and pads on front,perhaps its because i compare it to my wifes 2004 picasso,abs etc,though handbrake does not hold and prob comes up about 8 clicks,what do yoy think,thanks again and regards richard.

[countrydude]

Richard, as G force said, the brakes are ample for a maestro, I have an estate which I put a lot of weight in and drive around all weekend which shares the same brake setup. No complaints here! Maybe you still have air in the lines? Or something is siezed somehow? Don't see how if you have recently changed rear pads.

It is usually people think the brakes on Montegos or Maestros are a bit weak because the rear drums have a habit of siezing up and then 80% of the braking is on the front discs only.

I would say, check for air, then pull each drum off and just check everything is fine. Good luck, when I first got my estate the brakes were fairly ****e, I rebuilt the rears and did new pads and discs, has been fine for years now.

[mgdavid]

as designed, the rear brakes do bu99erall anyway due to the weight transfer to the front under braking. The front discs provide around 80 to 85% of the braking effort. As long as the handbrake is working and adjusted OK then don't worry about the rears, any problem will be elsewhere.

[Chris Y]

It is well worth adjusting the rears to actually work though - if nothing else but to take up the slack so that when you press the pedal it doesn't go to the floor!

8 clicks on the handbrake seems high - might be worth adjusting the h/b cable if the adjuster isn't seized.

[G Force]

,though handbrake does not hold and prob comes up about 8 clicks,what do yoy think,thanks again and regards richard.

Hi Richard

If the hand brake does not hold then you do have a problem. The hand brake when working properly is extremely good. 8 clicks is not too bad as long as everything else is set properly, but obviously if the hand brake does not hold something is wrong.;)

The first thing to establish is are the cables all moving freely and not seized up. You will need to remove the drums to check this.

If the cables are Ok then you need to set up the rear brake self adjusters, if the self adjusters are set wrong then this can effect both the hand brake and the foot brake performance.

This is the best way to adjust the rear brakes on the maestro. Make sure the cable is free, then the most important thing to do first is slacken the h/brake cable adjustment right off. Then take off 1 drum and release self adjuster mechanism right off, then refit drum. Press the foot brake hard a couple of times you should hear ratchet mechanism adjusting inside drum, if you can not hear clicking just remove drum again to ensure adjuster has moved. Then do exactly same for other side. finally adjust h/b cable to pull up 5 to 8 clicks.

Regards Gary

[flippers69]

guys,BIG THANKYOU FOR REPLYS AND ADVICE, can i correct one thing i stated wrong, the handbrake cable goes up 4 clicks (typing error). i have looked again at rear shoes and noticed the various springs dont seem to be as good as should (little stretched,lost some of there spring),should i fit new set, where could i buy some,when i fitted new shoes i un ceased the self adjusters,but i still maintain the handbrake does not hold on steep hills,thansk richard

[G Force]

. i have looked again at rear shoes and noticed the various springs dont seem to be as good as should (little stretched,lost some of there spring),should i fit new set,

Hi

First try to reset the brakes as I described, if the self adjusters dont adjust up and stay adjusted, then try new springs. A scrap yard or some kind person on here might help with supplying some springs if needs be.

Dont forget to check the handbrake cables are not seized, and unscrew the cable adjustment fully off first.

A word on the cable adjustment screw being seized, I have known of people thinking the adjusting wheel was seized simply because they were trying to turn the wheel without first placing a screw driver blade in the gap between the wheel and the body of the adjuster, and opening the gap to release the taper lock.;)

[flippers69]

THANKS G FORCE,will do as you have said,and many thanks to you and everyone who helped, kind regards.