Thoughts all on when the handbrake is on and I get out the car, there is a squeak , like metal to metal. Is this a potential handbrake shoe replacement job or something such as brake dust build up in there ? If shoes, will order a set up and I guess pretty easy to change ?
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Rear wheel squeak
- Thread starter Thrustyjust
- Start date
Cheers Ben. Just checked and it doesnt seem to lock the wheel as I can move it with the handbrake on :roll:
Seems it had an awesome MOT before I bought it then !
So, I need to remove the rear caliper, disc and readjust the adjuster from inside , or can it be done without all that being dismantled ?
Seems it had an awesome MOT before I bought it then !
So, I need to remove the rear caliper, disc and readjust the adjuster from inside , or can it be done without all that being dismantled ?
An adjustment can be made with just removing the wheel
you position a wheel bolt hole at 2 o'clock ish one side and 10 o'clock wish the other and flick the adjuster round to the right or left trial and error this is what you are trying to flick round. The gear tooth shaped bit on the adjuster.
you position a wheel bolt hole at 2 o'clock ish one side and 10 o'clock wish the other and flick the adjuster round to the right or left trial and error this is what you are trying to flick round. The gear tooth shaped bit on the adjuster.
Awssome PDJ, looks like its not too awkward other than finding the adjuster through the hole 
Yeah at first it's a bit awkward trying to find the adjuster wheel through the bolt hole, but once you see it, it's pretty self explanatory.
Be aware that on one side (I think it's the nearside) you flick the adjuster upwards from you to tighten it and on the other side you flick it down. Im 90% sure that's correct, but may be wrong.
I ended up messing this up and loosening one side off :lol:
I pushed down on the rear wing on my car tonight and it definitely doesn't squeak now, so I would say this is quite possibly the solution to your issue.
Be aware that on one side (I think it's the nearside) you flick the adjuster upwards from you to tighten it and on the other side you flick it down. Im 90% sure that's correct, but may be wrong.
I ended up messing this up and loosening one side off :lol:
I pushed down on the rear wing on my car tonight and it definitely doesn't squeak now, so I would say this is quite possibly the solution to your issue.
You don't even need to remove the wheel, just one wheel bolt is sufficient. It IS easier if you take the wheel off, but I only ever pop a bolt out and don't even need to jack the car up 
I will take the wheel off as I can then check the brake runs free after the adjustments. I will monitor that adjuster, as the other side 'seems' to work fine but will check that one too.wonkydonkey said:You don't even need to remove the wheel, just one wheel bolt is sufficient. It IS easier if you take the wheel off, but I only ever pop a bolt out and don't even need to jack the car up
It's much easier to check the free rotation of the brakes/wheel if you leave the wheel on. It gives you a nice big soft diameter to get hold of (tyre) and you have the additional mass of the wheel and tyre to spin. Grabbing hold of the disc bell is fiddly and doesn't give as sensitive a judgement of any drag as the wheel willThrustyjust said:I will take the wheel off as I can then check the brake runs free after the adjustments. I will monitor that adjuster, as the other side 'seems' to work fine but will check that one too.wonkydonkey said:You don't even need to remove the wheel, just one wheel bolt is sufficient. It IS easier if you take the wheel off, but I only ever pop a bolt out and don't even need to jack the car up
So, tonight, I removed one wheel bolt and jacked the car up. I found that handbrake does work but on both sides, when the handbrake is applied, the wheel can rock about 5 degrees and then lock. So, the mechanism seems to have some play , which I havent had a car do that before. I adjusted the brake shoes through the hole, but the squeak was still there in earnest. So, I removed the wheel and then undid the brake carrier as an assembly and removed discs after loosening the adjuster. The drivers side adjuster is anti clockwise to loosen and clockwise to wind up.
So, the drum was really rusty on the brake shoe area, so I set to it with some emery cloth. I also ran the emery cloth over the shoes, which looked as new and were BMW ones in there. I thought the squeak might have been the shoe locating springs on the back plate, so removed them, little ( and I mean little) bit of coppaslip and refitted. Also cleaned the shoe contact spots and a light touch of coppaslip. Then reassembled and re-adjusted the shoes. Wheel back on and checked and.................... the squeak is still there
So, I 'think' the squeak maybe the shoes rubbing the back plate as they do sit flush to it, so I am going to 'Italian ' tune it and drive and feed the handbrake in a touch and see it the shoes bed in and make rub the rust off the backplate . Poxy thing
So, the drum was really rusty on the brake shoe area, so I set to it with some emery cloth. I also ran the emery cloth over the shoes, which looked as new and were BMW ones in there. I thought the squeak might have been the shoe locating springs on the back plate, so removed them, little ( and I mean little) bit of coppaslip and refitted. Also cleaned the shoe contact spots and a light touch of coppaslip. Then reassembled and re-adjusted the shoes. Wheel back on and checked and.................... the squeak is still there
So, I 'think' the squeak maybe the shoes rubbing the back plate as they do sit flush to it, so I am going to 'Italian ' tune it and drive and feed the handbrake in a touch and see it the shoes bed in and make rub the rust off the backplate . Poxy thing
[ref]Thrustyjust[/ref] is this your first BMW? My Z4 is my first BMW and I too was concerned about my rubbish handbrake - turns out it's not abnormal for BMW handbrakes to behave like this! :? I too have that large free play when the handbrake is applied, and also have the squeaky grinding when it rotates in that free play zone. With the disc off, you can grab both shoes and rotate them a bit clockwise and anticlockwise. The screeching sound is the rear face of the shoes against the backing plate if I recall correctly.
Mine failed its MOT a few weeks ago, having already stripped and adjusted it a few times in the months leading up to it. I'd already fitted new discs, but then fitted new shoes after the MOT failure and carefully adjusted it all up yet again. It's still rubbish (and still really weak) but it passed the second time. If you Google "BMW handbrake" you'll find all kinds of stories, including people returning brand new cars (various models) to BMW several times over to have the handbrake adjusted - sometimes without success!
Mine failed its MOT a few weeks ago, having already stripped and adjusted it a few times in the months leading up to it. I'd already fitted new discs, but then fitted new shoes after the MOT failure and carefully adjusted it all up yet again. It's still rubbish (and still really weak) but it passed the second time. If you Google "BMW handbrake" you'll find all kinds of stories, including people returning brand new cars (various models) to BMW several times over to have the handbrake adjusted - sometimes without success!
Yes, first BMW and a learning game. The handbrake does lock the wheel and works fine ( not tried a full turn yet :wink: ) but the squeak is huge 
Makes me think my fat arse is compressing the rear spring to bursting point :roll: Its odd as its only the drivers side that does it. So my wife gloats her fat arse doesnt do it to the pax side :x
Must admit that this stuff has probably never been undone from build and every fixing was a doddle. Bit of a difference to my Elise which was a rusty nightmare and that was have the Zeds age !
Makes me think my fat arse is compressing the rear spring to bursting point :roll: Its odd as its only the drivers side that does it. So my wife gloats her fat arse doesnt do it to the pax side :x Must admit that this stuff has probably never been undone from build and every fixing was a doddle. Bit of a difference to my Elise which was a rusty nightmare and that was have the Zeds age !
How do you do that? Which bolt and at what position?wonkydonkey said:You don't even need to remove the wheel, just one wheel bolt is sufficient. It IS easier if you take the wheel off, but I only ever pop a bolt out and don't even need to jack the car up
Thanks
[ref]Singapore stag[/ref] remove any one of the wheel bolts, shine a torch through the hole and then rotate the wheel until you can see the adjustor through the bolt hole. Then you can poke your screwdriver through the hole to make your adjustments.
To Wonkydonkey.
Thank you very much for the quick reply, much appreciated!
Rgds,
Sukhi.
Thank you very much for the quick reply, much appreciated!
Rgds,
Sukhi.
