Handbrake adjuster cog/wheel - which way ? ?

[Leigh]

OK, daft as it sounds, I changed the rear discs yesterday and had to collapse the handbrake shoes a bit to remove the disc, and I've forgotten which way I went to collapse it !! ...
Now I need to adjust them back out again (handbrake doesn't hold at all right now), and I HATE that damn adjusting wheel/cog/cylinder at the best of times!
I think I need to be pushing the cogs 'up' as you look at it in this pic, but would appreciate someone confirming it, it's hard enough to feel anyway without fighting against moving it the wrong way

[neilht]

..............

[Leigh]

Cheers Neil,
with a slightly fresher head on me I'd be inclined to agree, down the way would be going clockwise if you looked at it from the 'back' of the cogged side, and anticlockwise from the front, so it would be like unscrewing a nut, and the adjuster will move up the thread pushing the shoes out.
Plus there's almost no thread showing on the adjuster, plus my dad said the same thing when I sent him a pic, LOL
I did the same thing a couple of years ago and forgot to make a note of which direction, d'oh.

[Robs-se]

I also have that problem, making a point of remembering/writing down which way to turn the cog and then promptly forgetting. Think that one is cog down and the otherside is cog up.

Rob

[Leigh]

Yup! found that out earlier today, took both discs off to have a better look, and lubricated the adjuster wheels as well.
On mine at least the passenger side one is 'up' to slacken it, drivers side is 'down' to slacken.
I got it all put back together and the handbrake is 'better' but still not great, I really get p!ssed off with it, should be such a simple thing to do yet I keep ending up with it not right.
Now my handbrake is fairly tight to pull, but it still needs to be on about the 5th click before it holds. I think I might loosen then nut off again tommorow, adjust the shoes another notch tighter then tighten up the yoke again.

[Phantom]

easiest way to adjust the shoes is to adjust them both up so both hubs lock forwards and backwards, now adjust your handbrake so it only comes ups 3 or 4 clicks, then slacken the adjusters off so both hubs will just turn

[Leigh]

Cheers Phantom,
I did it again today and it's better, but still not that happy with it. I think I've backed them off a bit too much, kinda hard to judge how much it's going to hold when you're turning it by hand (I put one nut in and used a breaker bar&socket to turn the wheel to try and get a better idea).
I did have them fairly tight with the handbrake off at first, but then I chickened out and slackened it off a click or two , I didn't want to risk the handbrake shoes overheating or something nasty like that when I was driving!

It's the 'will just turn' bit that gets me, I guess it's just experience (or lack thereof).

[Robs-se]

I seem to remember Haynes suggest it should hold on the sixth notch which is what mine is now adjusted too. Had the same problem as you with the pin come out and take off most of the meat from one shoe

Rob

[Leigh]

I gave up with the Haynes, LOL.
I went out for a quick drive earlier and tested it on a reasonably steep hill on my drive to work, it holds on 4th click, 3rd on my driveway, I don't think I could get it onto the 5th or 6th without 2 hands and possibly stretching the cable or pulling the mount away from the floor!