Dealer servicing (or not).

the brake shoe thickness is checked through the inspection aperture. why would you need to remove the bearing unless it failed? the drum comes off with the stub axle to allow changing the cylinders and shoes.

Ok ..

You wouldn't, but you might want to remove the drum to check for wear on the drum itself, to clean the drum out, check for seized or weeping cylinder maybe?

Are you saying that's the correct way to remove the drum for inspection on Foci / Focusses, rather than just undoing the central nut and slipping the drum and bearing off the stub axle? Slipping it back on and doing the nut back up when done like he did the new one?

All the best ..

T i m

That is the easiest way, also there is no risk of getting crap in the bearing, or damaging the oil seal or needing to renew the nut and grease cap. The drum is easily inspected with the stub axle still in situ. Another advantage is that you can use an air wrench to undo the bolts in moments rather than prise off the grease cap, unwind the big nut, pull the drum, drop the bearing etc.

It's also the way Haynes tells you to do the Fiesta.

However, when I once took it to a place called Better Brakes and noticed him start to undo the hub nut, just out of interest I said ' Oh Haynes says.... ' Well that's when he virtually threw me out the workshop.

Andy

In message , T i m writes

Yes. I think even the Haynes manual recommends doing it this way.

Ok ..

Inspected but not replaced though. ;-)

Understood, however this bearing was a one piece (rather than two bearings I'm more familiar with I mean) affair nearly 2" long and there is no way the bearing itself is going to drop out of the drum (I used my press again to put the new one in and it's held secure by a circlip. You may mean the inner races falling out though (although I didn't think they could on this particular one).

The outer race on this bearing was shielded and I never saw the oilseal but would imagine it would be difficult to damage as the bearing would have everything aligned on the stub axle long before the seal got near it's running surface (but I get your point, there is no chance of damaging it if it isn't disturbed).

As for being clumsy ... ;-)

All the best ...

T i m

p.s. I must admit I'm not sure I like the idea of a fabricated stub axle in the first place?

Hmm, I'll have to ask my mate what his Autodata thing suggests when I drop this hub back in a sec.

All the best ..

T i m

If it's a BMW pretty well nothing they can't charge extra for, in my experience of main dealers.

My E39 went through many services and one MOT at the main dealer with an inefficient handbrake - one wheel had virtually no brake - despite many requests to sort the poor performance. (Which wasn't essential as it is an auto - just annoying)

When it failed an independant MOT due to the handbrake I looked at it myself. The adjuster was jammed on 'zero' and had to be removed and put in a vice to free it - it had left the factory like that. The dealer had 'adjusted' the cables to try and 'compensate'. Useless dishonest bastards.

It's well past the time that something should done about garage standards. A few hangings might sort things.

:-(

And that was really the point of my post Dave. Maybe this Focus with it's removable stub axles wasn't a good example but I have seem my (independent) mate removing many many rear drums because of something similar to your example has happened (the last being a driving instructor car and the handbrake was too difficult for some of the girl students to apply / remove for the hill start exercises) where the rear drums have never been off and in spite of a fully stamped up (and paid for) dealer service history?

And 'automatic brake adjusters ... ' :-)

IF, peering through an inspection hole is not guaranteed to allow you to access or address a situation fully then proper 'drum off' inspections should be done (and my mate does).

Agreed!

All the best ..

T i m