As said above, I attribute recent problems to parking on this steep hill and perhaps giving the handbrake a bit too much oomph.
In normal driving the brakes feel pretty good, and I have replaced the discs and pads recently. However to me at least, shoe replacement looks a bit more challenging, what with all those springs and things.
I've only once tried to change shoes on a car, a VW Golf, and in the end had to call a pal to finish the job for me, what with bits ejecting themselves all over the tarmac.
Nowadays mobile phone cameras make it easy to take pics for easy reference as you go along, and they are often clearer than the photos in the manuals. And of course you can use the undisassembled (is that a word?) side for reference if unsure. So maybe I should do a shoe change just so that I know how all that drum/spring/shoe malarkey comes apart and then goes together.
See you back on here when it all goes wrong.
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tum tee tum, bet he won't be typing so fast with the skinned knuckles and broken nails he's currently collecting...wonder if Argybargy's neighbours are going to learn as many new words as they did when i did the parking brake shoes on the Merc without the right horshoe spring removal tool, shan't make that mistake again
:-)
seriously though, hope it works out, well done for having a go, you can always get your mate to pop down and drink your beers whilst he watches over you.
Edited by gordonbennet on 30/09/2016 at 18:07
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Cheers for the encouraging words, GB. (Well, I think they were meant to be "encouraging" anyhow. )
My neighbours are JWs, so with luck they'll invoke the forgiveness clause when they hear me screaming blue murder as my springs go bouncing into the nearby undergrowth.
But hey: life is meant to be one long learning curve, innit?
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Here's a bit of encouragement for you. It's a focus I did a few years ago.
www.dropbox.com/s/qmn5iy95cg98h61/SAM_0745.JPG?dl=0
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Useful solid trolley jack there WR, not one of those soppy toy things with a cup you'd struggle to fit a large free range boiled egg in.
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Machine mart GB, its very stable, goes much higher (and lower) than cheap DIY ones.
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just wondering, Argybargy how much extra is a pre-assemled unit, which would be ready to put straight in?
when I did mine.. they had a deal on with the wheel cylinders (which needed replacing) both sides for £60
fitting the brake unit was dead easy, no messing about with springs...
just an idea... s103.photobucket.com/user/liammcl_2006/library/MOT...1
Cheers Liam
Edited by liammcl on 02/10/2016 at 05:04
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eg, (and I'm not related, in any way, to eurocarparts etc)
Fully assembled kit for £50 (30% discount till midnight Mon, applied)
i103.photobucket.com/albums/m147/liammcl_2006/12v%...g
i103.photobucket.com/albums/m147/liammcl_2006/12v%...g
Cheers Liam ps this may not be the actual product code for your car... I guessed
Edited by liammcl on 02/10/2016 at 05:27
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Where did you get the driveshaft from Liam?
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Thanks again, all. I had no idea it was possible to purchase a pre assembled unit and just swap them over. Well, I don't mean "just" as in "its a piece of p*** ", but presumably much better than searching in the bushes for lost springs and rummaging desperately in the drawer for plasters to staunch the flow of precious sanguinity from knuckle rash.
I'm warming to the idea of having a go, anyhow, but it depends what other expenses come by this month till I get paid again. I'm a poor ex public service pensioner, you see, and my indulgences have to be rationed accordingly. But it would certainly lay a particular ghost, slay a specific dragon, if I were able to successfully change a set of shoes, and I guess a Ford Focus is as good a place to start again as any.
There's a flat bit at the top of our precipitious road, so with my neighbours' indulgence I could stick the car up there, prop it up on the level with a half decent trolley jack that probably needs a small top up of oil to make it absolutely safe, and my still glistening and hardly used axle stands. Weather's still OK for outside work, too.
Edited by argybargy on 02/10/2016 at 11:42
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Sounds like a plan ArgyBargy
I am no mechanic by any stretch of the imagination but I found it pretty / quite easy to do.. when it's pre assembled.
No dramas or cuss words were encountered that day :)
took about an hour or two , if I remember correctly. but there's no rush, ..doesn't matter if it takes all day. (next time, it'll take about 20 mins)
Enjoy slaying those dragons ... & give them a kick up the butt from me too :)
Cheers Liam
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Hi WackyRacer, £27 from ebay.
Next day delivery, delivered by van.... you can track the van, to see exatly where it is, and the eta.
Very impressive, tbh.
The driveshaft's been on for 2 years , and about 30,000 miles no problems.
(well the driveshaft seal on the car went after a year, but it was an old one. new one was about £5 to replace. I would've replaced that too...in hindsight)
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PEUGEOT-106-3-STUD-WHEEL-DRIVES...Y
best thing is they have a telephone number, for numpties, newbies like me :)
(ie if unsure call our helpline 0121 770 5636 )
cheers Liam
Edited by liammcl on 03/10/2016 at 01:07
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ps, and I have nothing to do with this company, etc and it's not my testimonial
"Testimonial:
I don’t normally write testimonials, but I have to make an exception for J&R driveshafts! I race in the MSA British Rallycross Championship in a turbo charged Peugeot 206. Due to the power and the type of track surface I race on, I have suffered many driveshaft failures, normally in the points scoring final, which is extremely frustrating. I had been using genuine shafts, thinking that that was the best way to go, until I tried a pair of J&R driveshafts, as I needed a pair in a hurry. After using the shafts for a few events, my failure rate had dropped to zero!! After speaking with Lee Jones, he told me that their driveshafts are made from forged steel…. as standard! So, for the price, in my opinion, there is not a better shaft available!! Thanks to J&R driveshafts, I will be challenging for the title this year!! ."
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Many thanks Liam, I had suspected it might be one of theirs. I have fitted a couple of their CV joints and stretchy boots in the past and not had any complaints but, I've seen good and bad reports on their driveshafts. So it's nice to be able to get a report from someone thats fitted one themself.
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Thanks from me too Liam.
Have bookmarked that company for when the need arises, large range too, 7 pages for Subaru alone plus CV joints and boot kits for the Landcruiser front axle (rear axle live) all at very good prices.
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It just so happens that a little while ago, I needed a replacement driveshaft for my Focus, and a man at the local breakers' yard pointed me in the direction of J&R. However, he told me that this was a personal recommendation because his employer tended to use another company for their replacement parts.
I actually ordered the right hand, driver's side shaft from J&R at a cost of 28 quid and it arrived nicely boxed, and obviously brand new a few days later. Then the fun began, because I retrospectively trawled the internet looking for reviews and found some bad ones. Not many, but enough to make me think I might have made an error (albeit not an expensive one). I ignored the obvious point that people who are happy with such purchases tend not to go to the bother of posting about them on internet forums.
With hindsight these shafts just seemed too cheap, so I went back to the breakers and bought a recon one from their normal source for 90 quid. Its on the car and seems fine, but the J&R shaft continues to languish under a sofa bed in our spare room because the cost of returning it to the company made it unviable to do so.
So if anyone wants a right hand driveshaft for a 2007 Focus....
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