rear brake replacement tips

[phatcat]

Hows it going guys.

cheers for the tips on fixing my carb a few months back, i cant remember exactly who answered my questions, but anyway your advice was sound, and both myself and Betsy thank you kindly.

now for my next trick

my rear brake pads are worn out and i need to change them. i know its a drum brake which means i'm going to have to remove the rear wheel. i'm just wondering if anyone has any advice on what i should expect. any tools i should have handy or little tips that you wont get in the service manual. its my first time taking the wheel off a bike, so any advice would go a long way.

thanks in advance

phatcat. :popcorn:

also my front wheel is emitting a whirring kind of noise that disappears when i apply a small bit of pressure to the front brake. i'm thinking thats probably just down to my brake fluid being low. does that sound plausible, or should i do the whole shebang and change the front brake pads too?

[mrlmd1]

How many miles are on the bike and how do you know the rear brake pads need replacing? Is it adjusted right, looking at the marks on the rear wheel?

[alantf]

also my front wheel is emitting a whirring kind of noise that disappears when i apply a small bit of pressure to the front brake.

Sounds like it could be the pad that's worn down. Best thing to do is remove the caliper & check. There's a groove cut into the face of the pad. When the pad's worn down, you can no longer see the groove. While you've got it apart, lubricate the pins that the pads slide on.

With regard to the back brake, they normally last forever. Have you checked the wear indicator on the back wheel? It could possibly be that it just needs adjusting, by turning the nut attached to the threaded bar at the rear wheel.

[phatcat]

the wear indicator is about an inch and a half past the lower limit at the moment and im getting a squealing sound when i brake heavily. there's nearly 40000 km on the clock at this stage, its a 01, and im guessing the back shoes have been on the bike for its whole life. and thanks for the pointer on the front brake. i might just change it out anyway, it cant hurt.