[Yooperforeman]

I've adjusted the cable for the rear hand brake as far as it will go and I can still pull the brake lever to the handle bars.The brake does grab,but doesn't hold as good as I think it should.I took the rear drum off and inspected the linings,to me they look fine,I'd say close to 1/4" thick. Could the cable for the hand brake be stretched out? how thick should the rear shoe linings be?

 

[Honda Mechanic]

The rear brakes on a Honda are seldom good for long .. you will run out of adjustment long before the linings are worn much .. If mud/water get inside the drum it will wear the drum ,then even new brake shoes won't have much adjustment ..

If the brake drum is worn you can move the brake arm 1 or 2 splines on the cam to get a little more life out of the drum .. Don't move it to much or the cam will go to center or over center and the brakes won't release when you let off the brakes ..

To keep water out make sure the brake panel bearing is good and keep lots of grease on the axle seal & seal the drum cover to keep dirt & water out ..

The parking brake cable will stretch a little if used a lot .. The older TRX's had a cable adjustment at the lever which helped the hand brake last longer ,but Honda stopped using that type of handle for some reason ..

 

[Yooperforeman]

Thanks for replying so quickly! That's what I love about this site.good help from good people. I thought the drum looked good,I couldn't feel a ridge.I'll try moving the lever one spline.Thanks again!!

 

[Yooperforeman]

Thanks a bunch to Honda Mechanic! I ended up moving the lever at the rear drum backwards two splines and now I've got excellent brakes.THANKS AGAIN!

 

[getter_done3]

also see if the springs on the drums are worn out . might not be engaging fully

 

[Bergy]

I had the same problem (mushy rear brake with no adjustment left) with my 2002 Rubicon. Thanks Honda Mechanic for the excellent advice. I moved the brake arm 2 notches on spline and now have good braking and plenty of future adjustment. I noticed that the "original" center punched marks on the spline and arm line up now line up. Someone in a prior repair (bought my rubicon used) must not have put the brake arm in the correct "original" spot where the center punch marks are located.