Chapter 3 Brake Tools, Shop Equipment, and Service Information 29 Copyright by Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. of pliers are sometimes needed. In addition to the stan- dard types, several kinds of specialty pliers may be needed. Some common specialty pliers used in brake repair are used to remove caliper piston and wheel cylinder retain- ers. Figure 3-3 illustrates a shoe retracting spring remover. Snap ring pliers are also necessary to remove the snap rings used on some master cylinders and anti-lock brake hydrau- lic actuators. Drum Brake Tools Drum brakes must be periodically adjusted to compensate for wear. Although the self-adjusters will compensate for some wear, they are oft en not activated enough to main- tain proper shoe-to-drum contact. Th e brake shoe adjuster, oft en called a brake spoon, is used to adjust the shoes. Th ere are many types of adjuster spoons, shaped in diff erent ways for use with diff erent shoe and backing plate designs. Th ey all perform the same basic job of turning the brake adjuster located between the brake shoes. Spring removal tools are used to remove springs on drum brakes, Figure 3-4. Th e two major kinds of drum brake springs are shoe hold-down springs and shoe-retract- ing springs. Each type requires a special tool, and diff erent vehicles may require slightly diff erent variations of the same basic tool. Other spring tools are used to retract parking brake tensioning springs. Allen and Torx Bits Th ese tools are used to remove fasteners found on disc brake calipers. Instead of using standard hex head bolts, many cal- ipers have attaching bolts with openings recessed into the bolt head. Th e two major types of recessed head bolts are the Allen and the Torx. Special tool bits are needed to loosen and remove these screws. In addition, many other fasteners in the brake system have Allen or Torx screws. As a brake technician, you will require an entire set of these bits. Typi- cal Allen and Torx bits are shown in Figure 3-5. Some systems are equipped with a variation on the Torx fastener. Th is fastener is referred to as a tamper-proof Torx. Tamper-proof Torx fasteners look like the standard Torx however, they have an additional raised point in the center. Th is prevents removal using a standard Torx bit. Th ese are used on some anti-lock brake systems. C-Clamps and Caliper Piston Compressors C-clamps are tools with one surface fi xed at the end of a C-shaped body and the other surface at the end of an Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure 3-3. These pliers are specially designed to aid in removing brake shoe return springs. Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure 3-4. This brake tool kit includes spring removal tools, brake spoons, and specialized offset wrenches. Safety guards Spring removal tools Brake spoons Tamper-proof Torx bit Torx bit Allen bit Allen wrench Wobble-type Allen bit Goodheart-Willcox Publisher Figure 3-5. This collection of drive bits includes a Torx bit, a tamper-proof Torx bit, an Allen bit, and a wobble-type Allen bit, which can pivot while maintaining solid contact with the recess in the head of the fastener. A typical L-shaped Allen wrench is also shown.