Handbrake Jammed On

[steptoe]

so, needed some new brake shoes on the van,

after an age of trying to batter off the brake drum get the new shoes fitted and drum back on, tight fit but I thought just due to me maybe not having the step/edge grinded[?] off completely,

NO,!!!!!

handbrake is solid on.!!!!! WTF?!?!?!?!?!

Ive let off every adjuster I could find,

any ideas?

where have I gone wrong?

Ive done this loads of times on various vehicles, but this is a first for me,  :C

citroen relay 55plate 2.0 HDi

 

[Evans Electric]

Dunno Stepps ...  is the cable rusted up with gunge .  I had it on the old Escort last year , realised,  I was slowing down   .....................handbrake not releasing ...two red hot rear brake drums.    Fuel consumption much improved now.

Oh  does that van have an equaliser thing between the rear wheels ,  they'll sieze up .

 

[steptoe]

best way I could derscribe it Deke is a Y pattern, one cable down the middle pulls on another cable that goes to both wheels,

cable moved freely when I put shoes on,

maybe Im describing it wrong, handbrake prob not stuck on, shoes on new side are simply solid on drum,!!!!!!!

ive obviously ****ed up somewhere, I just dont know where,

oh well, batter hub back off tomorrow and have another check.....

 

[steptoe]

Make sure cable is actually released - if it is and shoes still stuck on then Use BIG hammer on the drums

I didn't think vehicles had drums and shoes any more   :innocent

sounds a plan,

yes, normal poor people with old vans still have drums,

BTW, I like drums 

 

[boltonsparky]

You can get different diameter shoes and drums but the difference is usually so different that you can't get them on at all if they're the wrong size. Had it before where the adjuster inside the drum has tightened up too much after the drum is fitted causing them to lock on. 

Seen adjusters on the compensator (where the one cable goes into 2 to each drum) On the cable sleeves themselves, inside the drums, and on the handbrake lever itself, and then various combinations of all of the above on the same vehicle, is it possible one was missed.

When I was an apprentice mechanic years ago we were always told to fully slacken off all adjusters, fit the shoes then pull the handbrake one click before fitting the drum and adjusting the shoes then release the handbrake and they'll never be too tight.

 

[Andy™]

I didn't think vehicles had drums and shoes any more   :innocent

my car has both drum & disc on the back... drum for handbrake, disc for foot brake

changed them the other week and the new shoes were slightly different size - had to cut a little out of adjuster to get the drum back on. maybe similar problem with yours?

 

[Andy™]

normal routine is to take the lip off in a lathe  :innocent

and for us mere mortals... normal method is an angle grinder...

 

[steptoe]

You could have a lip on the drum and where you have fitted new shoes these ate now jammed and stuck on the drum - normal routing is to take the lip off in a lathe  :innocent

therte was the slightest of a lip,

sorted by a 4" grinder, 

Ive slackened adjuster at handbrake end, and adjuster at split/Y point, cant find anything at wheel end.

is it possible footbrake is keeping pressure on? would bleeding/open resevoir help?

 

[steptoe]

and for us mere mortals... normal method is an angle grinder...

indeed Andy,, 

I corrected that for you :slap

I'm sure Steps has a lathe and other large machinery in his dungeon workshop….

if i put a lathe in there [which I cant afford! ] then there'd be no room for me to get in to operate it!

 

[Andy™]

cant find anything at wheel end.

ive never seen any that dont have an adjuster at the wheel end. usually at the bottom between the 2 shoes

quick google and looks as though this is your adjuster

 

[sprocketflup]

methinx a big hammer is going to be your greatest ally here Steps

 

[steptoe]

ive never seen any that dont have an adjuster at the wheel end. usually at the bottom between the 2 shoes

quick google and looks as though this is your adjuster

yer, thats inside the hub Andy, its been wound off,

I meant external, some have an external adjuster,

BTW, its at the top,

 

[Sharpend]

It's possible that as you put the drum back on you've unseated the shoes which is now causing problem. Knock the lot off and change for discs!!!!!

 

[steptoe]

It's possible that as you put the drum back on you've unseated the shoes which is now causing problem. Knock the lot off and change for discs!!!!!

what?

and pay 3times what the van is worth?  :slap

 

[revjames]

Jack the back end and place the back wheels in milk crates. It wont fix it but you will have fun

 

[Sharpend]

Wouldn't he look silly going down the road like that?

 

[Evans Electric]

best way I could derscribe it Deke is a Y pattern, one cable down the middle pulls on another cable that goes to both wheels,

cable moved freely when I put shoes on,

maybe Im describing it wrong, handbrake prob not stuck on, shoes on new side are simply solid on drum,!!!!!!!

ive obviously ****ed up somewhere, I just dont know where,

oh well, batter hub back off tomorrow and have another check.....

Did you forget to take the adjustment off ....that will have been self adjusting and would be fully extended perhaps.

 

[steptoe]

OK, solved, at last,

stripped it down today, couldnt see anything wrong TBH,

until,

I 'dry built' it on a piece of board on the floor,

the internal adjuster wouldnt seat properly on the new shoes,

the notch on the new shoes tapered slightly by about a mil, stopping the adjuster sitting home properly,

meaning when built the adjuster was putting slight pressure on the shoes,  :shakehead

30seconds with a grinder and all sorted,

jaysus, it was tiny, but obviously the extended leverage meant a lot more extension at the end of the shoe,

what a fricking nightmare, still, a lesson learnt, dont assume cos youve done it a hundred times before that its straightforward and easy,

pay attention to the smallest of details,

 

[NozSpark]

So which bit got the grinder, the new shoes or the self adjuster????

 

[steptoe]

So which bit got the grinder, the new shoes or the self adjuster????

both,

to be sure

to be sure