Rear Wheel and Drum Brake Inspection Q's

Took off my rear wheel this morning to check for signs of delamination, didn't find any of that, but I still have some questions about what I saw.

1. First, how do the brakes wear? Should all the observed wear be at the tapered edge of the brakes? Once this tapered edge is below spec is it time for new brakes? Also, the drum is pretty gross looking. Is most of this likely brake dust or is it possibly grease from the drive-side of the wheel?



2. In the Haynes manual, the flange looks pristine. Mine is covered in black grease. Is this a problem? Or is this desired? Should this and the drive side where it mounts be cleaned? Notably, the O-ring described in the manual is missing, which may be contributing to the general grossness of the housings.





3. The brakeside of the wheel is rather dirty too. The Haynes manual suggests wiping everything down with petrol to minimize the chances of breathing any asbestos. Is this a good strategy? Besides the bearings (I assume), is there anything else to avoid touching with gas?



Thanks for the guidance!

 

This is a little off topic but I wanted to let you know that you should think about checking and possibly replacing your wheel bearings. My 1982 bearings, both in front and back, were rotted away. Grab your wheels and see if there is any left to right play. If there is then replace those bearings.

 

Ok, thanks! I'll do that when I put the wheel back on. Also, to update, the O-ring is present, it was just obscured by grease.

 

1. Get a can of brake cleaner AND engine de-greaser, and a cleaning brush, or a stiff paint brush. Try not to touch or clean the friction material itself.
Since the brake shoes de-laminate when you're NOT looking at them, it could be worth spending the $42.00 for new ones - buys lots of piece of mind.

2. "In the Haynes manual, the flange looks pristine" - That's cause they shot the picture in 1980, when the bike was new!
Grease migrates, - more cleaning. Try not to migrate any dirt INTO the bearings while cleaning.
Splines NEED to be re-greased, as well as the brake pivots

3. I suppose a rag with gasoline would work, I've had good results with rinsing with a garden hose. Tape securely over the bearing first, and obviously don't breathe the dust. If you don't want this dust in your yard, you'll need to take everything to an empty field.

 

Yeah, I'll probably go ahead and order new shoes. As for the drum, is it best to clean that with brake cleaner? Is there anything wrong with doing some preliminary cleaning with water and a detergent to eliminate some of the built up grime?

 

Brake Cleaner will remove all of that. I would just use brake cleaner.

 

Ok, awesome. Thanks guys.