Drum brakes problem

[adamm]

Hello all, it's been a long while but I'm still here!

Had this little incident yesterday and today - put it down to a 'one-off' yesterday but as it happened again this morning it's obviously not and needs urgent attention.

Twice now I've been over large potholes/drain covers and the left side rear brake has locked up completely! Fortunately i was going not too fast on either occasion or it could have been 'fun'!

To save me hours of fiddling, does anybody have any experience of this or know where i could start looking? I have no idea why a bump would cause the brakes to lock up? It just seems impossible to me...

TIA

[Mike Self]

Did it release all by itself or did you do something? I presume you checked to make sure the lug nuts were good and tight, as the brake drum is held on by the lug nuts and if they're loose the drum will wobble--but of course so will the wheel and you should notice that.

Did the brake lock up tight enough to drag the tire? How fast were you going?

The more symptoms/circumstances/results you can describe, the better the doctors can diagnose!

mike

[adamm]

Hi Mike, forgot that bit! Yesterday when it happened I stopped on a slight incline and as I stopped I rolled back a little and it released and off I went. Today I pulled over and again, it released itself. Both times I have fortunately been going only 30-40mph and both times it's taken quite a thump for it to happen - our awful roads are a real pleasure! I believe the wheel nuts to be tight - i haven't checked today because it's pissing it down and i'm in my work suit! i can't imagine they're loose however as I'm sure i would have noticed. Regarding the lock up - the wheel locked completely dragging the wheel, squatting the car down and pulling me into the kerb - you can imagine my surprise (and my better half's distress!!!).

cheers

[Mike Self]

the brake drum so that when you hit a bump, the brake shoe(s) can shift until they touch the drum and then are pulled into contact with the drum as it rotates.

I would suspect a loose or weak retaining spring--the upper coil spring or tension lower--and my money woud be on the lower "W" shaped spring--the one that's a real PITA to install...

mike

[JerryC]

the brake drum so that when you hit a bump, the brake shoe(s) can shift until they touch the drum and then are pulled into contact with the drum as it rotates.

I would suspect a loose or weak retaining spring--the upper coil spring or tension lower--and my money woud be on the lower "W" shaped spring--the one that's a real PITA to install...

mike

I'm with Mike, I think a shoe return spring has gone kaput. The front shoe is a "leading" shoe, i.e., with the fixed pivot at the bottom it is self-locking without the return spring to disengage it.

Do the same repair to the other rear brake to keep things balanced.

[adamm]

right, i'll check it out, thanks chaps!

[scestes]

I'm relatively certain that when you pull the drum off to do a visual inspection, you'll see what your problem is.

[Napes]

If your rear brakes are correctly adjusted you'll probably need to completely loosen the e-brake adjustment nut (@ the e-brake handle in the cockpit) in order to remove the brake drum. At least, it's always easier if you do that.

Bob Napier