Peep Hole

[Spit]

Hi all, I don't have a big posh caravan just a small Abbey GT 214 2 berth 1989. My question is this. I have been looking at the brake drums and apparently there is a small grommet on the back plate I can take out and adjust the brake shoes slightly, its not very big more like a peep hole about 10 mm if that. How do you see in it to find the little star wheel to turn it. ........................Thanks

[John_b_45]

With respect Spit do you know what to do with it if you find it?

 

Feeling for the star wheel with screwdriver is simple but what exactly is the adjustment required and how do you check you have it correct!

[micktheshed]

It's can be quite difficult to see if you've never done it before. I would strongly recommend that you remove the drums & clean out the dust at the same time check the brake lining thickness which should be 1mm min. This will give you the opportunity to get a good look at the adjuster & take note which way it has to move.

[screenman]

It's can be quite difficult to see if you've never done it before. I would strongly recommend that you remove the drums & clean out the dust at the same time check the brake lining thickness which should be 1mm min. This will give you the opportunity to get a good look at the adjuster & take note which way it has to move.

1mm are you kidding, you could not measure that at all. I would say a minimum of 3mm and hopefully a bit more. If you are going to remove the drums please wear a mask as the dust is not good for you.

 

I would suggest getting a caravan technician in to check the bearings and adjust the brakes for you, not only for your sake but for other road users as well.

[Brecon]

I would strongly advise that, without wanting to belittle you, you do not know the first thing about the brakes.

 

Get a mobile engineer to have a look.

 

DO NOT remove the drums as you will not have the correct equipment to refit, or the necessary bits to do it.

[screenman]

Brecon, for a minute I though that first line was aimed at me.

 

2nd and 3rd line I completely agree with.

[Brecon]

Screenman, no it was aimed at the OP.

The "advice" by another poster was just, ,,,,,,,,,,well,,,,,I leave the idea open,

[Superpete]

Spit;

Take no notice of all these doom & gloomers!

If you've never done it before, get yourself a copy of the Haynes Caravan Manual (written by John Wickersham) and follow the procedures in there.

Removing the brake drums, cleaning them, re-fitting them, greasing & adjusting the bearings and adjusting the brakes are all simple tasks and well described and explained in the manual.

 

We'll soon have people insisting that you must employ a fully trained and suitably qualified electrician to change a fuse or replace a light bulb.

Edited May 18, 2014 by Superpete

[screenman]

Spit;

Take no notice of all these doom & gloomers!

If you've never done it before, get yourself a copy of the Haynes Caravan Manual (written by John Wickersham) and follow the procedures in there.

Removing the brake drums, cleaning them, re-fitting them, greasing & adjusting the bearings and adjusting the brakes are all simple tasks and well described and explained in the manual.

 

We'll soon have people insisting that you must employ a fully trained and suitably qualified electrician to change a fuse or replace a light bulb.

 

Next time you have a heart attack, just shove two wet fingers in a plug socket and turn the mains on. Or you could call a Doctor.

 

Sorry but the OP should play it safe, how much to get somebody out to do the job? £50 max.

[blondchaser]

Superpete 8 :goodpost: So how does a guy become a caravan technician???? Micktheshed is right---use common sense and ask someone if your not sure how much to adjust brakes up. You will also be able to give the adjusters a little lubricant ( I use gold grease which is heat resistant). There seems to be a growing trend away from DIY in this country nowadays--I wonder why???

On a van of that age you won't be bothered by all this so called technology, so the job is straight forward. Once everything is cleaned up and lubricated (ask a mechanic about re packing bearings with grease) just assemble and put split pin back in original hole. Adjust brakes up until wheel can't be moved, then adjust back until wheel just spins freely and no more. You may hear a very slight scraping noise from wheel as you spin it.

Main problem I have at moment is obtaining a small enough tub of high speed wheel bearing grease for repacking of bearings.

I should perhaps have said that when cleaning bearings, it is an ideal opportunity to inspect bearings for wear and damage, mostly pitting.

[screenman]

Of courses not forgetting to avoid breathing the brake dust, pre-loading the bearings, jacking in the corect place and using stands, torqueing wheel nuts up to the correct torque, Well of course I hope you have all the tools you need etc.

 

Blond, high speed whell bearing Grease? Maybe if you knew what it actually was you would not have so much of a problem finding it.

 

Saftey first, now let us ask the OP why he feels the brakes need adjusting.

[Superpete]

Of courses not forgetting to avoid breathing the brake dust, pre-loading the bearings, jacking in the corect place and using stands, torqueing wheel nuts up to the correct torque, Well of course I hope you have all the tools you need etc.

 

Blond, high speed whell bearing Grease? Maybe if you knew what it actually was you would not have so much of a problem finding it.

 

Saftey first, now let us ask the OP why he feels the brakes need adjusting.

 

Now, now, Screenman!

 

Everyone knows that lithium based grease is commonly called high speed and (sometimes) high temperature grease - they're just colloquialisms.

 

Just as everyone also knows that a torque wrench is not required when adjusting castellated wheel nuts.

 

All of the other points you raise and several more are very well addresses in John Wikersham's book - he even correctly describes and explains the correct procedure for securing the wheel nuts.

 

Oh! and one more thing, if you're electrical sockets are in such poor condition that you can stick your two fingers in (wet or dry) you really should call a qualified and certificated electrician in to replace them!

[CommanderDave]

You need to understand how the auto reverse mechanism works to adjust the brakes correct . If it is not adjusted correct the brakes can come on while going along . Some chassis you need to lock the auto reverse inside the drums and then adjust the brakes

 

 

The cables and Rods will need checking then to balance the system.

 

Dave

[screenman]

Superpete, the torque wrench was for the wheel nuts.

[blondchaser]

Screenman 11. I think I may have a rough idea what "High Speed Wheel Bearing Grease" is, since I used to buy it in 1cwt drums.

I used it weekly when preparing HGV trailers for MOT test, along with brake overhauls on HGV trucks. Lithium based greases come in many forms, not all of which are best for wheel bearings, at least on heavy vehicles.

Since the OP's van is circa 1989, I wouldn't have thought it had this auto reverse malarkey, but it is 10yrs newer than the vans I had during my first caravan days.

[Superpete]

Superpete, the torque wrench was for the wheel nuts.

 

But a torque wrench is NOT required for castellated wheel nuts!

[screenman]

 

But a torque wrench is NOT required for castellated wheel nuts!

Not seen a caravan of that age with castellated wheel nuts. Hub nuts yes, but not wheel nuts.

[Spit]

WoW . ..Sorry didn't mean to rock the boat I have the caravan on axle stands at the moment just had new tyres fitted with Tyron bands. I put the handbrake on fully and put the wheels back on, while tightening up the wheel studs, one wheel still managed to turn (all be it not easily) and the other didn't. So I assumed, the brakes were not balanced, and yes I did know about tightening the adjuster and then backing it off again but the van I had before this one had a square adjuster on the back plate not a small hole.

Thanks for all the replies though.

[blondchaser]

OH, forgot to say that the "Clever Laddies" would recommend that you renew the split pin which holds hub nut in position. Not all that bad an idea if you can source one which is a good tight fit.

[macafee2]

Superpete, re post 16, why is a torque not required for castellated wheel nuts?

macafee2

[beejay]

Superpete, re post 16, why is a torque not required for castellated wheel nuts?

macafee2

 

A torque wrench is not required because 'torque' is applied by turning the nut until it causes drag when rotating the wheel then backing off one flat. The wheel should then rotate freely without any side play in the bearing.

 

Removing drums and/or adjusting brakes by star wheels or nuts was a common practice for many diy caravanners before before compact sealed for life bearings became the norm so removing the drum required special nuts and a hefty torque wrench.

 

Alko handbooks still give instructions for adjusting the brakes.

[Lefthand Down]

One Shot nuts have replaced the Crown Nut.

 

End of DIY unless you are prepared to buy an expensive torque wrench capable of locking the nut properly.

 

Beware of fitters using them twice by using Loctite. Caught a guy doing this in the past and told him to do the job properly.

 

My local service engineer gives me the old ones after new ones have been fitted during service.

[macafee2]

re post 16 and 21. beejay, if we are talking about the nut that holds a brake drum in place that sits on a taper bearing then fine I'm with you on this, but I feel post 16 was misleading. I guess it depends on what you call a wheel nut, different people may call it different things and when I read post 16 had it seems thought of something else. I have a castellated nut on the spindle that holds the wheel in place of my motorbike, it does need to be torqued up.

 

macafee2

[beejay]

re post 16 and 21. beejay, if we are talking about the nut that holds a brake drum in place that sits on a taper bearing then fine I'm with you on this, but I feel post 16 was misleading. I guess it depends on what you call a wheel nut, different people may call it different things and when I read post 16 had it seems thought of something else. I have a castellated nut on the spindle that holds the wheel in place of my motorbike, it does need to be torqued up.

 

macafee2

 

A wheel nut holds the wheel to the brake drum. . I've never seen a castellated version of that nut.

 

The reference was to the castellated nut that holds the hub bearing in place which does not require a torque wrench.