# 2006 Xtrail T30 Emergency Brake service



## Gmember (Oct 31, 2015)

Thought I would tackle an Emergency brake repair today. I popped the wheel and calliper off and removed the old shoes , or what was left of them. The rotor drum combination slid off easily. And the shoes came out just as easily when I removed the retaining pins and springs. Here’s the assembly as it came off the left rear wheel. 










The drum portion of the rotor looked pretty rough. Since the brake shoes had completely disintegrated their was no contact between the shoes and this drum.










Note the remnant of brake pad material left on one of the shoes. 










This is the portion of the e-brake that actuates the shoes . The shoes slip into the grooves at each end of this device and when the cable is pulled, by the parking brake lever, the shoes expand against the inside of the drum. Spring tension retracts the shoes away from the drum. 










The small retaining pin is how the brake cable connects to the mechanism.










As usual I like to compare old and new parts , and noted some small differences in the brake shoes. It appeared they would still work fine however. 



















I opted to replace most of the old clips and springs since I’d prefer not to have to repeat this job for a few years. 










These two tend to rust rather badly and they keep the shoes in place. 










First shoe in and fitting well. I could have cleaned up the back plate a bit better but was in a bit of a rush 










Second shoe in and going OK
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Now on to the adjuster. They are notorious for seizing up.










After a bit of clean-up and some copper anti-seize they are ready to go.










Now re-assembled you can see the lower retaining spring actually makes contact with the adjuster. This is intentional, and prevents the adjuster from backing off or tightening itself. 










Note the screwdriver blade which we’ll use to adjust the tension on the shoes after the drum is on. 










The new rotor/drum will finish up the job. Be sure to remove rubber plug and save it for the new drum. 










The plug covers the adjuster access hole and keeps dirt and moisture out of the drum.










I then replaced the rotor and calliper 










All that’s required is too use a screwdriver through the hole to rotate the adjuster. I tightened the shoes and release them a couple of turns . The tried the ebrake and found there was a bit to much tension on the ebrake handle, so I backed the adjuster off until I could pull the handle up about half way. Now simply place the rubber plug back in the hole, replace your wheel, and carry on with the other wheel. Count on a few hours or so per wheel. More if you plan to service the calipers. I replaced two caliper pins and applied anti seize to all pins and brake pad slides while I had things apart.


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## otomodo (May 23, 2008)

Was the interior of the drum rough or smoth(new disc)?


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## Gmember (Oct 31, 2015)

Drums were smooth but mostly just rusty. E-brake wasn't working at all. Could have had them machined smooth, but the new ones were only $28 each so I splurged a bit.


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## otomodo (May 23, 2008)

When i bought mine's they were not that smooth, but smoother than the oem.
I 've used the hand brake to slide the rear and drift onto my driveway(in winter).
That's when i knew the hand brake was only for parking.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Thanks for putting a smile on my face Otomodo, and great write up Gmember. 
The hand brake is the one part of my X that is not working. Like you took it apart at the end of August, however I reused the old springs. Sadly the previous garage who I had work on my hand brake did a really crappy job and just never worked right after they got through with it-- had me replace the cables and shoes. Anyway after digging into it, the shoes were upside down, and left side holding pin for the cable had come out. Finding the right part and replacing that was a job, however I did get everything back together and my adjuster all working smoothly. Only problem is, I marked the rotor and placed it back in same position, and guess what -- no access to adjuster through the hole in the rotor. Didn't feel like taking the caliper off again, and so it remains.
When I do get around to it anew, I think will have to adjust my bottom springs. I am pretty sure I got them on so that they did not rub against the adjuster the way you installed them. I guess I find it a strange design to have to place it so that it makes it difficult to use the adjuster through the hole on the rotor ( of course the bloody thing has to be properly positioned when rotors are installed). But looking at your picture with the screwdriver I can see how it works. So thanks for this. I will refer back to it come spring. Though maybe if this weather keeps up, I may brave a December driveway repair! 

What was the price for the new spring kit at the dealer GMember? Also how are the calipers? Those old rotors look awful. Classic example of seized caliper slide pin or of outside pad getting stuck. Braking must be a dream now compared to what it was.


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## Gmember (Oct 31, 2015)

I could see where it would be easy to lose that small retaining pin. It can't actually come out when the brakes are assembled however. It's surrounded by the bracket on top and bottom. It doesn't fit too tight so it can easily fall out when the shoes are out. As for the adjuster you can simply rotate the rear drum to align the hole to the adjuster. No need to remove anything accept the wheel and rubber plug. Turn the adjuster wheel downwards to tighten brake shoes. This unscrews the adjuster which presses the shoes outward against the drum. I'm pretty sure that's how the garage would tighten the parking brake for you but there may also be a method to shorten the cable at the handle . I didn't see an adjuster there when I removed the console though. 
I haven't been for a drive with it yet but will be on Monday. Needs to go back to the garage to finish the safety check before I can get it on the road. The right side caliper pins were a bit worn so I replaced them. The left was in good shape so I pulled the pins back and covered them with copper anti-seize. All the pads looked good though. Took some emery paper to the face of the pads to remove any small grooves. 
I'll be doing some drifting myself Otomodo. Probably snow drifting though. lol.

Oh the price for the springs and caliper pins came to $108 for both rear wheels from Nissan dealer. Not cheap but hard to find elsewhere. I thought they were made of " unobtainium" Shoes were about forty for the set of four from my regular supplier.


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## otomodo (May 23, 2008)

Snow drifting won t be easy without the snow.
By the way, i couldn't red lined on the snow while drifting. The engine got up to 4000 rpm and then slowed down.
I wonder if a manual xtrail would red line in this conditions.
The parking brake shoes should last the truck life if not used in drift mode lol.
I ve paid 45$ for the brake shoes instead of 90$ at the dealer.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

HI Guys
Well considering prices paid for parts, Rock Auto should be the go to source. Replacement spring kit is 13.44 cdn, and the premium centric shoes are 18.68. Caliper guide pins $5.21.
Thanks for pointing out my mistake Gmember. Quick question do I have to jack both back wheels up at same time, and does the transmission have to be in neutral? Or am I ok in Park in 2wd mode. I know I have the adjusters installed properly, in the right direction facing front both sides, as per service manual.
Any secrets for being able to see through the rotor hole? If the weather stays nice I will try and adjust mine so they grab.


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## Gmember (Oct 31, 2015)

I had enough play in the rear differential to rotate drum about 3 or 4 inches in either direction with just the one side jacked up. My XT is a five speed standard and it was in gear, and set to two wheel drive at the time. Sure like the sound of those prices and will be sure to look up Rock Auto in the future. Thanks for the tip.


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## otomodo (May 23, 2008)

Gmember said:


> I had enough play in the rear differential to rotate drum about 3 or 4 inches in either direction with just the one side jacked up. My XT is a five speed standard and it was in gear, and set to two wheel drive at the time. Sure like the sound of those prices and will be sure to look up Rock Auto in the future. Thanks for the tip.


You should be able to rotate as much as you can whith one back wheel down.
The electromagnetic clutch is disabled when the engine is off.
Let me know if you can redline it in drift mode in the snow.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

thanks Otomodo that is the info I wanted. So I can jack up the back with the tranny in park and I will be able to spin the rear hubs. Figure its easier with both rear wheels off the ground, tighten both sides until pads are rubbing on inside of rotor and then back each side of one or two clicks to make sure wheel is turning freely. And all of this with the parking brake handle off. If I was smart, I would take an hour and go do it now, but its -1 and damp with freezing rain on the way...


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## trisha63 (May 14, 2016)

mine seems to work ok one moment then pull hand brake lever up and there is nmothing release and re apply it and it works, any help be welcoome


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Hi again Trisha,
What is it you are hoping for? Are you planning on working on it yourself? It's a mechanical system, not electrical so it's hard to see how it could be working intermittently. The handbrake pulls on a cable that connects to your two brake cables. If one side is not adjusted properly, or has a worn stretched cable, or is badly assembled, it will not work properly. From your original thread it appeared you had a mechanic work on it, why not bring it back? Obviously it wasn't done properly and springs, shoes or cables may need replacing. I steered you to this thread so that you could understand the parking brake system better, and to possibly share it with your mechanic. He/She may have made a mistake or may be incompetent. It's good to know if they stand by their work, or if it's a place you should avoid like the plague. Hidden secret in many shops is that often the technician is not a certified mechanic. Also true at dealerships. Some overestimate their competence, and may not ask for advice or have their work properly inspected. Anyway, I hope they do right by you and fix it. Good luck. Let us know the result.


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