Just thought I would ask around and see what everyone did to clean/service there drum brakes after alot of mudding/creek diving? Also how hard is it to replace the front seals on this quad. (I think one of mine is bad)Any info is appreciated
Brad

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FOREMANes

99'FOREMANes The REAL KING of the Jungle

 

I clean the front drums on my Foreman about every 200 miles or so. If you clean them often the seals usually last quite a while. There are several seals that keep the drum sealed. The large diameter triple edge seal that goes on the outer edge of the drum is the one that really needs to be cleaned and re-greased. The seal is easy to replace if yours is bad. They just press on and off. The place that water has a tendency to leak in is not through this seal, but through the little rubber grommets on the backing plate of the drum where the pins come through to hold the brake shoes in place. We always seal these up with silicone and have very few problems with the drums leaking and we do ride in a lot of high water and deep mud. Hope this helps.

 

What kind of grease do you use? and when you clean them do you pull them apart? ie.. the hub

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FOREMANes

99'FOREMANes The REAL KING of the Jungle

 

I would first recommend loosening the tension on the front brake shoes to remove the drum. To do this remove the red rubber plug from the drum and roll the four wheeler forward or backward until you find the little notched dial on each brake cylinder. There are two adjustment dials per drum one. Use a screw driver to turn the dial towards the rear of the four-wheeler to loosen the brakes. Once you have done this on both sides, remove the front wheels.
Remove the two 8mm bolts on each drum that hold the drum to the hub. You might need tap the drum with a rubber mallet to loosen it up a little. You should then be able to pull the drum off. Clean all the gunk out of there especially on the backing plate where the big seal makes contact. Also clean and inspect the seal and make sure it looks okay. Once you have cleaned it, add a good amount of multi-purpose grease to the seal and backing plate. I used to use blue marine grease, but I really think it is too heavy of a grease and made the triple edge seal stick together. I have had better luck with the thinner multi-purpose grease. Also regrease the o-ring between the hub and the drum and seal up the gommets and pins with silicone. Be sure to check your brake shoes while you're in there. Be sure to re-adjust the brake shoes once you get it all back together. Hope all this makes sense.

 

Yes it makes perfect sense, I have taken the front brakes apart on my old recon, Just not this machine. One more question.... what about the rear drum? I found the drain hole, but whats the best way to clean it, Flush it with clean water? Again thanks for the imput
Brad

[This message has been edited by FOREMANes (edited 12-07-1999).]

 

Just to bring this back on the front page, and to ask again about any tips or hints on how to clean the rear drum? thanks for any info
Brad

 

Foreman ES,a while back I wrote about what a pain in the as- drum brakes are when they get filled with a bunch of water and mud after a good day in seriuos mud.I compared them to disk brakes under the same conditions.Where are ALL those people who told me that it never happens to them?OK,first off,remove the drums.Wash everything down with running water from the garden hose.Take a spray bottle of brake and parts cleaner[get it at any auto parts store for 2 dollars] and spray everything down with it.If you have access to an air compressor,blow dry everything down with the air nozzle until completely dry.Re-assemble,making sure to use WATER PROOF GREASE on the seals.Water proof grease does not have the same lubricating properties of normal grease.I dont want any grease accidently getting to the shoes,so thats why I use Water proof grease instead of normal lubricating grease.Best of Luck======BILL

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On the front, take apart is easy, but the rear is a different animal, or so it apears. I got cr*p in there when my dog chewed my back brake breather hose in two, and I did not notice it until it was to late. From what I can tell the rear brakes are a totally sealed unit. There is a bolt to drain them but not enough access to throughly clean them. At least this is what I can tell. Again any info would be great.

 

ForemanES,

Sorry, didn't mean to abandon your question. I just forgot about the post as time went by. The rear drum is a slightly different animal. Actually I have not yet had to take my rear drum on my Foreman apart yet. It has stayed completely sealed. I check the drain plug periodically and shine a flashlight in there to make sure it is still clean and so far have had good luck. Honda makes one of the best designed rear drum brake set up (for a drum-I still wish they were disc.) Anyway, I have had my TRX300 rear drum assembly apart before and I believe it is quite similar.

Remove the right rear wheel and hub. Actually you can leave the wheel attached to the hub. Just remove the cotter pin and remove the nut that holds the hub to the axle. Pull the wheel off. On the 300's you would then remove the two axle nuts on the brake side of the axle. I'm not sure if this is the same on the Foreman or if the hub just fits into a seal on the brake assembly housing. I think you can figure it out once you take the back wheel off. Once you figure that part out, you will need to remove all the 8mm bolts that hold on the brake assembly housing. There are probably about 8-10 of these bolts. After you remove the housing, carefully slide it off the end of the axle (don't damage the seal that goes around the axle. You should now be able to see the drum. Loosen the rear brake adjustment nuts for the foot and hand lever cables to remove the tension between the brake shoes and drum. You should be able to slide the drum off of the axle now. Now just clean everything. (Bill C. has good advice on cleaning in the post above.) Re-grease all your seals and put it all back together. Be sure to clean and re-grease the large o-ring that fits between the backing plate and brake assembly housing. Remember that some of this info may not be entirely accurate as they are from my experience with the TRX300, but I think the principles are the same. You should be able to figure it out once you get the wheel and brake housing off.

Bill C. does have some good points about the grease, I've just had better luck with the multi-purpose grease (which Honda recommends in the Service manual) I tried the waterproof marine grease and it seemed to let water and mud in faster than with the thinner grease. The thick waterproof grease got gummed up with sand and mud and turned my triple seals into one giant stuck together seal. Either way the drums are eventually going to leak if you like to ride in the fun gooey stuff. If Honda would just put disc brakes and true 4 wheel drive on their bikes, I think they would have the ultimate 4x4 quad. Good luck!

 

Thanks for the info, the big jolly guy is bringing my present early.........so when I'm done installing the High Performance Kit this weekend, I'll tackle the brakes, Again thanks

Brad