Peugeot 406 Rear brake problem

[Guitarguy]

The rear brakes seem to be playing up on my 406 (1.8i 1998). The handbrake really doesn't work as well as it used to and if say i'm stopped on a hill and i let it off and pull it on again so i creep forward it goes down more on one side (n/s) than the other. And when it has been parked up for a bit, when i go to pull away the o/s rear brake sticks momentarily and makes a single clunk when pulling off. I was thinking maybe a seized brake cylinder or something. Can anyone help? I might take the brake that binds apart but im not really that confident with drum brakes (am with most of the car though!)

 

[^neo^]

Sounds like either a spring come off or maybe a brake lining.
Get a haynes manual if you're confident with a spanner

 

[TicklyT]

Self-adjusting mechanisms on handbrakes are better than they used to be, but some still benefit from occasional manual intervention.

Handbrake mechanisms are usually mechanical rather than hydraulic, so it's unlikely to be a seized cylinder. The cables can start to seize if they run dry, maybe allowing one brake to drag and wear more than the other.

When a brake lining wears down, the 'leading' brake shoe may lose the taper at it's end. That can allow it to jam against it's drum, releasing with a clonk.

 

[Burnerman]

Get stuck in Guitarguy you'll be fine.....just make sure that the handbrake cable hasn't actually snapped, take the 'good' side drum off so you can see the position of the springs etc and prepare for a the wheel cylinders leaking - which they always do! When you get the new shoes on, spin the adjuster up by hand so you get the same drag on both wheels when the handbrake is on two clicks. Also expect a rusty wear lip on the outer edge of the drum inside - I grind these off with my die grinder. Makes future work a breeze. Cheers John
PS you'd be amazed how many brake shoes I see where the lining has parted from the shoe...rust gets in there and pops the adhesive away.

 

[Guitarguy]

cheers guys, yeh i think i might at least take the drum off and have a look at least thats a start anyway (obviously have a look at the handbrake cable) its just that i haven't done any work on drum brakes before but i have done plenty of front brakes (replacing discs,pads,calipers). I suppose if i do get stuck i could get my dad to help as he's done drum brakes loads of times

 

[Burnerman]

Before you get stuck in, jack the entire rear end up. Handbrake off, see if both rear wheels can turn with no resistance. Then, lift the handbrake lever a couple of clicks, and see if the braking force is approximately equal on both sides. Then, handbrake off, drums removed. Lift the dust seal clear with a small screwdriver on both ends of the wheel cylinder. If fluid is there, then they need replacing. Tap both brake shoes lightly with a hammer and see if the pistons on the wheel cylinders are both moving. Now, remove the shoes from the back plate if you want to replace them. Tip: whether the shoes are new or old, cover the lining with masking tape - you are sure to contaminate them with greasy fingers when you reassemble them! Enjoy and cheers John

 

[mattylad]

NOt 100% sure if it applies to the 406, but based on the 206...

Before you take the hub off, ensure you have both a torq wrench, appropriate sized socket (32mm I think) and new nuts.

If yours has nuts that are punched to lock them then they must be replaced with new ones when re assembling.

A Haynes manual will help.

 

[Guitarguy]

According the the haynes manual, it has t securing bolts and you don't have to remove the hub nut (u had to on my old AX) i shall see tomorrow!

 

[xerxes]

Now, remove the shoes from the back plate if you want to replace them.

Unless you're confident about how to reassemble the shoes, springs and adjusters, do only one side at a time so that you have an assembled set on the other side to copy. The pictures in the manual may be difficult to follow.

 

[mattylad]

When I recently changed my wifes shoes, the linings had come off the metal of the shoe & stuck so I had to use a really big puller to get the hub off, then I had to replace the cylinders cos they looked a bit leaky....

both sides!

 

[^neo^]

Get a camera and take a photo of it before you strip it down so you know where all the springs go

 

[Guitarguy]

Took the drum off last night and:

The o/s (one that was binding) wheel cylinder is leaking and the inside of the drums are covered in oily gunk because of it, the shoes are contaminated and that was causing the binding and the brake on that side not working properly. The n/s cylinder is just starting to seep as well. The shoes would of had a bit of life left in them but they have to be replaced now and the drums are fine. So i'm gonna order the shoes and cylinders for each side and me and dad are gonna do it. Doesn't look too difficult to do really, why does the haynes manual specify it being one spanner away from being maximum difficulty level? same goes for caliper replacement and I have done that and it wasn't too painful.

 

[Burnerman]

Nice one mate and pleased to see that you are giving it a go. Now - here is where the fun starts....before you get stuck in so far, try to release the pipe connection that goes into the back of the wheel cylinder. If you don't get it free then you have to work back until you find a union that does come adrift, and that could mean getting into the flexible pipes too! As I've said, cover the new shoes with masking tape to protect them from oily fingers. Clean off the back plate with a wire brush, and grease the contact points that the shoes slide on to. Assemble the new shoes and springs on the bench, minus the lower spring...you'll need that out of the way to locate the handbrake cable. One more thing, wind the self adjusters in as much as you can - and adjust them back out again when its all back together. Cheers John

 

[retirednow]

Now, remove the shoes from the back plate if you want to replace them.

Unless you're confident about how to reassemble the shoes, springs and adjusters, do only one side at a time so that you have an assembled set on the other side to copy. The pictures in the manual may be difficult to follow.

Hello everybody!

Firstly take the H***** Manual with a ton of salt as much of it is bunkum.

I've been messing with the brakes on this S reg Pug 406 that I bought recently and I now know why they sold it! Firstly the front tyres were down to the Tread Wear Indicators and possibly illegal. The front pads had been worn BEYOND the wear sensors and there were no wires left. Presumably these had been thrown away! New discs and pads plus de-rusting the sliders sorted out the front. Note that although the pads are symmetrical the wires are not. The longer wires with white plugs go outside and the black ones inside. There is even more to it than that as on one side of the car 4mm plugs are used and on the other side they are 5mm! None of this is mentioned in the HM. As to the crazy design, ah well its French!

If you thought that the front brakes are bad the rear ones are worse! Discs are used with the handbrake drum integral with the disc. First the caliper has to be removed as it traps the disc. Next the two Torx screws need removing however the drum WILL NOT come off (the reason is that it has a wear-lip which makes it captive) Underneath the car there is a brake cable compensator. The cable has to be released from this in order to get as much slack as possible. After a great deal of hammering the drum does eventually come off but its such a palaver that I was tempted to try a plasma-cutter as the disc/drum is basically scrap. The old shoes had worn a track in the drum and this was the problem. Fitting the new shoes is an extremely stressful job as the description in the HM "refit springs" is very economical with the truth. Now I believe that it is possible to buy peculiar pliers for such jobs but I had none and these springs were so powerful that the piece-of-string method or the wire-coat-hanger method were both out of the question. A slot was filed in the blade of a long slender screwdriver. This was going to be the thruster for driving the spring hook into place. One problem was that the brake shoes then tended to squirm and jiggle about and go awry. It was the archetypal three-handed-job! Putting a luggage belt around the brake shoes and getting it as tight as possible was the answer. The spring by the adjuster was already in place. It was the spring by the expander which was the problem. After several tries it was discovered that it is easier to push the spring upwards as one can brace ones elbows against ones thighs. With two hands pushing upwards the strain is halved and the spring can be got on fairly easily even though 50 to a 100 pounds of force seems to be required (not mentioned in the HM)

With the springs and shoes in place the disc/drum can be re-fitted.

Next comes the bugbear of seized sliders on the caliper. The small one is fairly easy to shift but the big one is not. Incidentally when a hammer is used to try to drive-out the slider it will probably mushroom its ends. A large G clamp and sockets are a better bet. If the ends do get mushroomed a flap wheel in a grinderette can be used. The job can be done on the car in-situ to avoid having to bleed the brakes. New concertinas are sure to be needed. With new calipers costing £50 to £75 each the brake job can become quite costly as new discs and pads cost quite enough as it is. Good luck!

 

[Burnerman]

I've never had a problem with these brakes....isn't there a rubber plug in the disc/drum that once its popped out, lets you get in with a screwdriver to back off the adjuster?
Have I missed something?
For the record, I don't think Haynes stuff is worth the paper its printed on either.
John