Flew home yesterday. It was so hot at work that I described it as being on the edge of what humans can stand. Not sure exactly what temp but well above 32 and felt like 99% humidity.

My Rockauto parts arrived but the damn pinion seal is too small. I positioned it in it's housing and it fell straight in. I took measurements between old & new - about 2 to 3mm difference, so replaced old seal and was sure to seal it in place. It might work. 8.2" BOP diff - that's what I have, isn't it? Well it doesn't fit - I'll email them. With the dark cloud of Kiwi's admission of wrongly threaded wheel cylinders hanging over me in addition to the incorrect pinion seal I removed one front wheel cylinder. I couldn't loosen the damn flex hose because the ancient nut (where it joins to steel brake pipe) rounded so I had to unbolt the old cylinder and unscrew (rotate) the entire cylinder against the end of the hose, which worked just fine. Thankfully the hose threaded into the new cylinder so that one's done. I then pulled apart the RHS brake and same deal. Once I loosened some connections a mixture of fluid & rusty water seeped from that cylinder AND the grease seal was shot too. Will complete that one tomorrow. I always meant to replace that wheel cylinder and thank goodness I'm now going to do it. The brakes never leaked and always seemed to work fine but I'm very glad to be replacing those parts.

Last pic is nice clean driver's side brake with new cylinder and cleaned & lubed starwheel adjuster.

Another day spent under the car grunting, sweating & swearing. I used to do this sort of work outside parked on the grass when I was a young man but thankfully now I have the luxury of a workshop complete with smooth concrete floor. This luxury became apparent as various bursts of rain occurred throughout the day. I still swore and threw things around and threatened to set fire to 'this piece of shit' but here we are, I've showered and am now reposing with a beer.

Completed RHS brake & bearings and also rear LHS. It just needed a clean up, new wheel cylinder and cleaned & lubed the self adjuster. Just gotta do the RHS rear, adjust and bleed everything and fill the diff with oil and see what happens. In case you didn't know, back in the 60s GM's engineers popped some colourful pills and came up with the world's WORST drum brake adjustment method. You are supposed to insert a screwdriver through a tiny access slot and hold the self adjuster away from the starwheel whilst you pry the starwheel up or down. It might work on the fronts but the rear trailing arms are DIRECTLY in the way of the adjustment area. The RHS drum was dragging a bit so for an hour I attempted to loosen the starwheel. It was never going to work so I patiently tapped and pried around the outer edge of the drum and it eventually popped off. What were they thinking? On my Yaris, there was plenty of room, nothing to foul any tools and was a simple matter of turning the VISIBLE starwheel with a small screwdriver. Whatever - it's done now.

Image is of LHS rear. It was rusty so I cleaned everything up. Yes, I would love everything to be squeaky clean and painted but all I did was run a WD40 wetted rag over the rusty bits. Let's face it, it's always going to be grotty in there.

One more drama. I went to rattle gun the back wheels off and the gun wouldn't work. It's almost new and had full air pressure. After emptying the compressor I inspected the Nitto fitting. Sure enough, the little spring loaded rubber & plastic thingy inside the fitting had decided to step sideways. New fitting coming up.

Nice work mate 

nice to know your brakes are at 100% aye !

5 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Completed RHS brake & bearings and also rear LHS. It just needed a clean up, new wheel cylinder and cleaned & lubed the self adjuster. Just gotta do the RHS rear, adjust and bleed everything and fill the diff with oil and see what happens. In case you didn't know, back in the 60s GM's engineers popped some colourful pills and came up with the world's WORST drum brake adjustment method. You are supposed to insert a screwdriver through a tiny access slot and hold the self adjuster away from the starwheel whilst you pry the starwheel up or down. It might work on the fronts but the rear trailing arms are DIRECTLY in the way of the adjustment area. The RHS drum was dragging a bit so for an hour I attempted to loosen the starwheel. It was never going to work so I patiently tapped and pried around the outer edge of the drum and it eventually popped off. What were they thinking? On my Yaris, there was plenty of room, nothing to foul any tools and was a simple matter of turning the VISIBLE starwheel with a small screwdriver. Whatever - it's done now.

Fitzy - have you ever noticed in all the GM shop manuals - that at the end of most chapter sections end with a picture of all the specialty tools they use (like tool J-222) or refer to in that chapter or section? So I imagine there is probably a picture of a screwdriver with a 90 degree bend in it somewhere. That is the screwdriver (excuse me - specialty tool) you are supposed to use to adjust the rear brake star wheel.

None of this makes up for the joy of cussing out a long dead engineer or a old, antiquated automobile. Enjoy the beer mate! You earned it! 

Called a brake spoon, it was a universal tool for brakes.  Wide flat blade screwdriver works JUSTAS good.

5 hours ago, Frosty said:

Fitzy - have you ever noticed in all the GM shop manuals - that at the end of most chapter sections end with a picture of all the specialty tools they use (like tool J-222) or refer to in that chapter or section? So I imagine there is probably a picture of a screwdriver with a 90 degree bend in it somewhere. That is the screwdriver (excuse me - specialty tool) you are supposed to use to adjust the rear brake star wheel.

None of this makes up for the joy of cussing out a long dead engineer or a old, antiquated automobile. Enjoy the beer mate! You earned it! 

Yeah fitzy pfffft  ya spoon 

Edited December 19, 20241 yr by 64 kiwi boni

I have that EXACT tool - ordered from Ames 3 years ago. I got it after the generic one from a local parts store also didn't work. The tool gets in there but the length of the access slot and proximity of suspension parts preclude the additional room required for another screwdriver. I also only have 2 arms & hands. I'm thinking about growing an additional limb to help out.

I emailed Rockauto re diff pinion seal. They employ a generic question & answer format until the problem is established. They have already shipped a replacement. I can only hope it's correct. I reinstalled the original because it only seemed to be seeping from it's previously unsealed periphery - the lip looked fine.

For Christmas, I want a new Corolla.

Here is the fanciful vision of what GM's engineers dreamt up re brake adjustment. I love the absence of any suspension or steering components in the pic. Also, see proof of my ownership of both useless tools. And before anybody asks, my screwdriver collection comprises almost every size ever produced.

I'll bet the same engineer who thought of this was the same bloke who suggested (after a 6 pack of Coke and 4 aspirins) that the distributor should be placed at the back of the engine and the fusebox positioned where God Himself couldn't get at it.

Mumble, grumble....

5 hours ago, Fitzy said:

For Christmas, I want a new Corolla.

did you say corona ? 

only one ???? pffft 

i hear they dont make corona in mexico anymore! its all china made ! wtf ? 

2 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

did you say corona ? 

only one ???? pffft 

i hear they dont make corona in mexico anymore! its all china made ! wtf ? 

Noooooooooooooooooo!!!  Someone else told me that and I thought he must be joking. I love an occasional Corona but Made In China? Colona? After 12 it's colonic irrigation time?

Completed the final brake today - an unpleasant but satisfying job. I now know that all wheel cylinders are new, all linings have been inspected & cleaned and all self adjusting mechs have been brought back to life.

The self adjuster on this brake was rusted solid. Now spins like a top. Note the little hinged thingy at the top of adjuster arm - that needs to work too. All 4 wheels were rusted solid. Whilst there, I lubed handbrake cable and moved it in & out and both work nicely - nice to know when you apply the e brake as you're careening down a mountain road with brake failure.

Spruced everything up, new wheel cylinder is in, linings wiped clean and freshly painted drum is back on.

Useless diff seal is weeping diff oil...I haven't even filled the diff with oil yet. I can see that's a job to be done again.

And to top everything off I look under the car today and auto fluid has collected on the concrete floor. My trans has never leaked a drop. Mechanic reckons cork gaskets can get old and develop a leak overnight. Sometimes just need to nip the bolts that secure the pan in place. I have a spare gasket anyway so may as well fit that whilst the car is up in the air.

Hopefully it'll catch fire tonight and burn to the ground before I get up in the morning.

Nice work mate again 

justA nip the pan bolts 

and clean it up 

bet it will seal up 

Brakes are such a chore.  But well done.

Rick

8 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

did you say corona ? 

only one ???? pffft 

i hear they dont make corona in mexico anymore! its all china made ! wtf ? 

Say it ain't so....

9 hours ago, 64 kiwi boni said:

did you say corona ? 

only one ???? pffft 

i hear they dont make corona in mexico anymore! its all china made ! wtf ? 

Never been a huge Corona fan. Having them made in China now is just... lying though, ain't it? It's like making Coors with China mountain water instead.

I am not seeing anything that says Corona is produced in China. From what I have found, thus far. Corona is owned by Grupe Modelo, in Mexico. They own Corona, Pacifica and Modelo brand beers. They also brew certain Anheuser-Busch beers, under license, for the Mexican market.  For the North American market, Corona is still made in Mexico, thanks to NAFTA.

In my opinion, it is possible that Corona could be brewed in China, for the Asian/Ozzie/Pacific market. However, this would have to be done under license from Grupe Modelo.

Yes Frosty, whenever I purchase beer (which is almost never since I make my own) I am fussy and won't touch Australian beer. I like the imported stuff, in particular Euro beers. However before commiting to said purchase I check whether it's made 'under license' or whether it's truly imported. Almost every Euro beer is made right here under license and yet they still charge a premium for it. As an example, Stella Artois, Peroni & Asahi are brewed here. Heineken and my fave Beck's is still thankfully imported. The Chinese Corona will taste just the same but has to travel far less. It's just that the last thing we all want to do is drink beer that's made in China - it's just so wrong. Crappy car parts are bad enough but beer? It's the final insult.

Another reason to move to New Zealand where the Steinies are made! It's a glorious beer.

This one's for Ringo. Apparently, this plastic looking woman wants to bonk me. Surely she can't be that hard up?

Put everything back together, bled & adjusted the brakes, tightened auto pan bolts (very slightly) and refilled diff with oil. Lowered the car off the stands and tightened all the wheel nuts. After inspecting everything with a light and critical eye, went & showered and then fired her up. Took it for a short test drive. Everything seems good but brakes will need further adjustment - just a bit too much pedal travel. Parked her up, got underneath looking for leaks and all good so far.

Diff pinion seal seems to be behaving itself and trans pan bolts were already tight - prolly a little too tight so they may have crushed the cork gasket. Something to keep an eye on. No brake fluid leaks either.

I then wiped the car over with a dry cloth and removed my greasy fingerprints from various places. Once again, she's a goer.

Too damn hot to do any more, so early beers are on. Cheers.

Sounds like a good day to me mate 🍻

we are getting thunderstorms to go with the stinking hot weather here!!!

On 12/8/2024 at 5:34 PM, Fitzy said:

Another productive day. Thank goodness I'm back to work on Tuesday - I need a rest!

With the front bumper now looking MUCH better I decided to do the same with the rear. Unfortunately at some time in the car's life it must have been hit on the driver's rear quarter corner. I loosened the 4 bolts and mucked around with it. It's better but not by as much as the front. It'll do - nobody is going to notice except me and you guys.

Then it was Brake Time. Would you believe that I had the fanciful notion that I would get through all 4 brakes in one day? I managed ONE and even then I'll need parts. I started with the LH front. It was pretty grubby in there so I took everything out and then noticed the bearing grease seal must be shot. I also saw some worrying rust on the wheel cylinder arm that sits against the shoe. Took off the hub and inspected the Timken bearings. They seem to be perfect and as Rick has pointed out, probably better quality than the new ones I have. I just happened to have a front wheel bearing kit. I decided to retain the old bearings but replaced the seal, castellated nut, washer, split pin & hub cover.

I ordered 4 new wheel cylinders from Rockauto and will just do the lot one at a time next time I'm home - cheap insurance. I painted the outside of the drum and here's a good one: the self adjusting star wheel mechanism...it was NEVER going to self adjust! I had to grip the body in a vise and with much effort unscrewed the shaft. Soaked it in kero and after cleaning everything up applied some leftover engine assembly lube to the threaded shaft and now it spins in & out very easily. It's such a simple mechanism but depends solely on the star wheel being able to move easily. I have done the same repair to another car and it worked a treat. 

It's well deserved Beer Time.

Good work!

When I had my 4 apart, I buffed everything I could, then used Never Seize on the threads. Just got careful not to get that shite on the shoes or drums 😬

Once again got under the car and tightened up the front shoe clearances - all good now, BUT whilst on the front LHS wheel, I noticed bearing play so took the hub off and discovered I hadn't adjusted it properly the first time. The procedure for wheel bearing adjustment is to tighten the castellated nut quite firmly to ensure both bearings are correctly seated then carefully start to unscrew just enough so the hub spins freely with no free play, then secure the nut's position with a split pin. I had done the other side correctly but now remembered not seating this one's bearings firmly first. A quick test drive and it's all good again.

New universal fender trim arrived a few days ago - going to be a little more involved than I first thought as the rear wheel arch shapes are quite convoluted so will need to carefully cut the trim into pieces and match them all up. Another disaster comin' up.

20 hours ago, Fitzy said:

Once again got under the car and tightened up the front shoe clearances - all good now, BUT whilst on the front LHS wheel, I noticed bearing play so took the hub off and discovered I hadn't adjusted it properly the first time. The procedure for wheel bearing adjustment is to tighten the castellated nut quite firmly to ensure both bearings are correctly seated then carefully start to unscrew just enough so the hub spins freely with no free play, then secure the nut's position with a split pin. I had done the other side correctly but now remembered not seating this one's bearings firmly first. A quick test drive and it's all good again.

New universal fender trim arrived a few days ago - going to be a little more involved than I first thought as the rear wheel arch shapes are quite convoluted so will need to carefully cut the trim into pieces and match them all up. Another disaster comin' up.

Hey mate,

I've  found it especially useful to tighten up the nut until the hub is very firm to rotate as you say, but then loosen/tighten the nut alternately while rotating the hub until you have the correct preload (felt by sufficient "drag" during rotation). From that point, simply tighten until the next spot the split pin aligns to.

The loosen/tighten process ensures you get the correct preload, while eliminating the chance of any tight spots.

NOW you tell me! That procedure actually makes a lot of sense...probably why I never thought of it. Never mind- I'll keep an eye on it. Appreciate the info.

Big thunderstorm is about to hit. I'm hoping for dry weather tomorrow so I can take the car for an extended drive - about 150km, which of course is nothing but is about 130 more than what it normally does. Yeah yeah - I have all the local towing operators on speed dial so don't worry.

11 hours ago, Fitzy said:

NOW you tell me! That procedure actually makes a lot of sense...probably why I never thought of it. Never mind- I'll keep an eye on it. Appreciate the info.

Big thunderstorm is about to hit. I'm hoping for dry weather tomorrow so I can take the car for an extended drive - about 150km, which of course is nothing but is about 130 more than what it normally does. Yeah yeah - I have all the local towing operators on speed dial so don't worry.

Enjoy mate , I bet she purrrrs like a kitten 

Don’t forget we love pictures around here 

I'm not sure what I can show you - everyone has seen my car 71 zillion times. You're all probably just as sick of looking at it as I am.

If it breaks down or bursts into flames, I'll get a pic.