Parking Brake Shoe Roll (Spring) Pins

[528i-1981]

The parking brake shoes are held in place by spring-biased roll pins that are inserted into the protection plate. Corrosion has ruined the slots so that the roll pin toggle is no longer retained. The protection plate (p/n 34211150326 for the passenger side) is NLA. This makes me sad.

My options for a quick fix aren't great. I'm on the hunt for the part. If you have a serviceable spare, I'm interested.

In the meantime, there doesn't appear to be any good options for a workaround. A machine screw might work in theory but the corrosion problem would affect its long-term viability as well.

I'm thinking I may have to drive without parking brake shoes and the associated hardware on one wheel for awhile. Has anyone done this? Obviously no parking on hills and a heavy reliance on engine braking if the brakes all die.

[Mike W.]

OK, those aren't roll pins, which are sometimes called spring pins, but I know what you're talking about.

A machine screw with a locknut on the outside of the backing plate. Stainless if you're worried about corrosion. That would allow you to keep it's "loose" design, but still retain the spring and the brake shoes. Might be hard to find a SS machine screw locknut the right size but you can make your own by chucking it in a vice. And or red locktite.

[528i-1981]

Good idea, I can use a wide washer behind the backing plate as well. I'm going to try this. Thanks Mike.

RealOEM called them roll pins, I really didn't know what a roll pin is. Now I do, so thanks twice.

[528i-1981]

Building on Mike's excellent suggestion - I used a M5 pan-head machine screw and placed the head behind the plate. I couldn't think of an easy way to hold a locking nut in place behind the plate and thread in the machine screw through the brake shoes with the plates in place. If you leave the plates loose enough to hold the nut, there's no way to bolt the plates down with the shoes in place. So, I put the head behind the plate instead.

With the plates bolted down, the springs needed to be compressed and bound with zip ties. Hat tip to Cory58, former member of this board, who suggested doing that with compressed coil springs when I was a noob here in 2018. With the spring in place a washer and a regular nut could be (gently) threaded onto the machine screw, with a little threadlock, followed by a locknut (not shown). The zip ties were cut and pulled out.

What I might do in addition is add a dab of epoxy to the screw head to tack it to the back of the plate.

[Mike W.]

What I might do in addition is add a dab of epoxy to the screw head to tack it to the back of the plate.

I wouldn't. The original design is floating, not fixed. That way things can move around without metal fatigue.

[528i-1981]

Oh, right. There's probably another way to help hold the machines screw from spinning while threading on nuts. I got by without using any adhesive, but it required patience.