W210 rear disc removal - adjusting handbrake shoes

[egrid1]

I know this topic has been fairly well covered in the forums but my problem does not seem to have been!
I have tried removing the rear discs on the car, 2001 estate, stealership quoted for rear discs and pads at last service saying pads needed and discs were slightly lipped and in their experience simply changing pads would give rise to squeal, (Didn't say who from, their boses perhaps?)
Anyway decided to do the job myself and thought I would change discs too.
No problem with disc sticking to drum, can freely rotate disc on hub once grub screw removed but cannot pull disc right off. The disc moves so far but there is a spring pulling it back - I assume the handbrake shoes. I cannot find any way to slacken off the handbrake shoes. There is no visible adjustment looking through the wheel bolt holes, and the extra 2 holes concealed by the disc, only visible when disc is rotated on the hub. I have used a torch and all I can see trough the holes is a spring through one and a metal strip through the other.
Any advice appreciated.
In the meantime I have fitted the new pads to the old discs (no squeeling yet!) but will need to know for next time.

 

[230K]

Hi

To slaken your handbrake shoes align a wheel bolt hole at about 45deg from vertical and you should feel with a screwdriver and see if you use a torch a little adjuster with nicks (like teeth of a saw) turn this by levering with a screwdriver to slacken the shoes. This will allow the disc to be removed after fitting new disc adjust up until the shoe nearly bites withy the handbrake off.

This should be explained in Haynes manual for 190 or 124.

Good luck 230K

 

[paulcallender]

Yep, thats where the adjuster is. Its pretty tricky to find, I'd suggest a torch. Also, bear in mind that the adjuster goes a different way, on each side of the car. It helps if you know what the adjuster looks like - its a knurled wheel.

I'd advise not to bother changing the handbrake shoes - they won't be worn out. The ones on my 1990 had never been changed, but weren't worn. They're a right pain to change. If you do change them, it only means you have to bed them in (see my previous thread).

Obviously your new pads are taking a "set" to the old discs, when you fit new discs, you'll have to bed them in again - another 100 miles or so. But it shouldn't be an issue. Also, don't worry about squealing within these first 100 miles or so. I've heard that non-standard pads can squeal going backwards (M-B ones don't squeal either forwards or backwards).

 

[egrid1]

Hi

Thanks for your responses.
In the cold light of day, not the end of a hot afternoon spent under the car I think I have realised my mistake...
When I was turning the disc (free of the hub) to reveal the extra 2 holes in the hub I thought were for the adjustment I assumed the holes would be in the right place! ... I am now thinking that perhaps those holes were not lining up with the adjuster... could it be that I need to keep the grub screw in and turn the disc and the hub together until I can see the adjuster through one of the wheel bolt holes?

 

[paulcallender]

Yes. Surely, if you disconnected the disc from the hub, and rotated it, as soon as you did this, the 5 wheel stud holes are no longer aligned, and there would be no access at all into the drum?

Top tip: If you know where the adjusters are, you can adjust the mechanism without removing the rear wheels. This comes in handy when you're readjusting, because you simply have to raise the rear wheels clear of the ground.

 

[egrid1]

Thanks for your further reply Paul.
I think I was caught out because I had heard that you sometimes have trouble removing the disc as it can pretty well seize on the hub, but that if you still have trouble after continued hits with a heavy hammer it could be the handbrake pads are holding it and need to be backed off. So I thought the handbrake didn't always need to be backed off.
Having removed the wheel and caliper I took out the grub screw and just a few fairly minor hits with a small claw hammer freed the disc. In my excitement at not having it seized I then tried pulling it off and found it was being pulled back - no problem I thought, as I had been moving the disc to free it I noticed 2 addittional holes in the hub, visible when the disc was rotated but clearly not wheel bolt holes as the other wheel bolt holes didn't line up. They must be the adjustment holes I reasoned, I did wonder how you got to them if you couldn't rotate the disc on the hub because of the handbrake! But looking through the holes with a torch I couldnt see any adjuster, checked all the wheel bolt holes as well to no avail.
As I say, it is only having slept on it that I realised my stupid error, errgh! still I'll no for next time and with your advice I'll be knowing what to look for as I rotate the disc looking through the holes until I can see the adjuster.
Thanks
Eddie

 

[paulcallender]

Remember to clean the entirity of the new disc - it will be supplied covered in grease (to prevent corrosion). And apply thread-locking compound to the caliper bolts!

 

[paulcallender]

This pic might help:

 

[egrid1]

Thanks for the picture.
I am left wondering if what I could see through one of the holes that I described as a metal strip was in fact one of the teeth on the cog. I think the hole may have been so small so as not to have seen the other teeth that were not directly at right angles to the hole.

The adjuster appears to be at about "10 to" on this wheel in the picture, would it be in the same place on the other wheel or would it be at "10 past"?

 

[paulcallender]

Across the years, there are slight variations on where it is. A foolproof method, is to look at where the parking brake cable goes in at the back of the drum. The adjuster will be 180° opposite this.

 

[egrid1]

Across the years, there are slight variations on where it is. A foolproof method, is to look at where the parking brake cable goes in at the back of the drum. The adjuster will be 180° opposite this.

Thanks - that'll do me then!