Handbrake dramas

[rar110]

My handbrake has been progressively getting more useless.

I put this down to a rear output seal and oil leak. However, thats been fixed.

I followed the book and did a readjustment, i.e. back the cable right back, adjust the shoes, adjust the cable up. That resulted in the the drum heating up to over boiling point. On the side of the road I adjusted the shoes right back, and then adjusted the cable again. The drum is still too hot to touch. I adjusted the shoes back again, and then the cable up to its limit. The drum is still warm.

The shoes have about 3mm of meat left on them, and as indicated the cable adjusted to its limit.

So is the solution to replace the shoes or the cable or both?

thanks.

[DeeJay]

You undid the cable lock nut & wound the adjusting nut until there was only enough thread for the locknut? - I cut down an old open ended spanner to make that job easier- That's a lot of adjustment.
The cable must be stretched pretty badly

[chopper]

I had a similar problem with td5 disco last week and after adjusting and cleaning and so on it turned out to be a cracked drum ( wright across the face ) I have never seen a cracked drum before and believe it or not I came across a second one a few days later. They were both the silver painted "light weight" type. I replaced one with a D1 V8 heavy weight drum.

[rar110]

You undid the cable lock nut & wound the adjusting nut until there was only enough thread for the locknut? - I cut down an old open ended spanner to make that job easier- That's a lot of adjustment. The cable must be stretched pretty badly

Yep, no thread left. I'd say the cable is old.

[rar110]

I had a similar problem with td5 disco last week and after adjusting and cleaning and so on it turned out to be a cracked drum ( wright across the face ) I have never seen a cracked drum before and believe it or not I came across a second one a few days later. They were both the silver painted "light weight" type. I replaced one with a D1 V8 heavy weight drum.

Thanks, no sign of a crack.

[JDNSW]

I would guess that several strands of the cable are broken, making it much more stretchy. Another possibility is that the expander is either partly seized or not able to move on the backing plate to allow the shoes to centre.

John

[rar110]

thanks. I'll order a new cable today.

[Jock The Rock]

As a general rule I normally replace the shoes as well, depending on how much oil they were contaminated with.

Think they are only about $50 for a set, comes with the new adjuster bolt as well

[AdsLandies]

Another possibility is that the expander is either partly seized or not able to move on the backing plate to allow the shoes to centre.

John
I'd second checking the expander also while you're at it. Mine was barely working at one time as the grease had gotten so old and hard that it didn't move freely.

[rar110]

So is the expander the part that hooks up to the cable or the shoe adjustment?

[JDNSW]

So is the expander the part that hooks up to the cable or the shoe adjustment?

The expander is the bit that hooks onto the cable and expands when you pull on the cable! If replacing the cable or shoes, I would be very much inclined to strip it and at least clean it - it is likely to be filled with hardened grease, mud, or rust, or all of these, none of which will engender effective operation. (they are pretty simple - a wedge, two rollers and two "pistons".)

John

[DeeJay]

The expander is the bit that hooks onto the cable and expands when you pull on the cable! If replacing the cable or shoes, I would be very much inclined to strip it and at least clean it - it is likely to be filled with hardened grease, mud, or rust, or all of these, none of which will engender effective operation. (they are pretty simple - a wedge, two rollers and two "pistons".)

John


I had assumed this was done when it was dismantled - I shouldn't assume these things, yes it might be clogged up.

[rar110]

Ok, well a new cable is fitted as is the same length as the old one. It is extended up to the maximum like the old one. I rebuilt my 110 from bits so I checked the cable adjuster bracket for size to ensure its not shorter than standard LT95 type. It is the standard part.

I bought new brake shoes but they are near identical to the old ones. The drum is still burning up, heating up the cabin. But the hand brake doesn't actually hold the vehicle on a slight slope.

Any suggestions, apart from get another car?

[Blknight.aus]

give it to me and then get another car?

hows the inside of the drum look, how about the shoes, more importantly is the drum oversized and are the shoes correctly radiused to the drum?

did you check the operation of the mechanism prior to assembly and did you assemble it with the wedges in the right way around?

how are the linkage pins?

have you got elongation on any of the pins and the holes?

is the cable mounting effectively or is it pulling through?

how much effort do you have to put on the handle? (it should rise 1 click, take up slack rise one click to contact, the third click should hold the vehicle 4 clicks should be an effort)

[rar110]

Unknown to most of those, except the last. In a futile attempt to hold the 110 on my drive way (which you've seen) I pull the handbrake on as far as it will go and no hold.

May be we should make another day of fixing this and putting the gear box back in the other Perentie (back after being refurbed by bearman).

[LR1953]

I would guess that several strands of the cable are broken, making it much more stretchy. Another possibility is that the expander is either partly seized or not able to move on the backing plate to allow the shoes to centre.

John
I agree a new cable should solve your problem. A damaged cable may not release fully (ie inner jambs in the outer) leaving the shoes dragging. I had this problem in my '98 Deefer. Cheers Rob S

[Bearman]

I would be checking the expander (not the cable adjustment). There are 2 ball bearings inside it which may have become dislodged or broken. Easy way to check this is by taking the rear tailshaft off, put the transfer in neutral with difflock off and adjust the shoes up with the adjuster screw while turning the drum. Take it up until the linings scrape on the drum then back off slightly. Then check what the handbrake feels like. If it is still no good take the drum off and get someone to operate the handbrake while you look at the shoes. They should be expanding as the lever is moved. If not, the problem will be there in the expander (the rod that comes out of the front of the drum under the rubber boot). There is a service kit available for it (AEU2735). There is also a service kit for the adjuster (8G7019). Hope this helps mate. I would probably have a good one here - send me a pm if you need it.

[rar110]

I agree a new cable should solve your problem. A damaged cable may not release fully (ie inner jambs in the outer) leaving the shoes dragging. I had this problem in my '98 Deefer. Cheers Rob S

New cable fitted and was exactly the same.

[rar110]

I would be checking the expander (not the cable adjustment). There are 2 ball bearings inside it which may have become dislodged or broken. Easy way to check this is by taking the rear tailshaft off, put the transfer in neutral with difflock off and adjust the shoes up with the adjuster screw while turning the drum. Take it up until the linings scrape on the drum then back off slightly. Then check what the handbrake feels like. If it is still no good take the drum off and get someone to operate the handbrake while you look at the shoes. They should be expanding as the lever is moved. If not, the problem will be there in the expander (the rod that comes out of the front of the drum under the rubber boot). There is a service kit available for it (AEU2735). There is also a service kit for the adjuster (8G7019). Hope this helps mate. I would probably have a good one here - send me a pm if you need it. Thanks Brian. I think that is my next option. I have a new spare so will give that a go. I've backed the handbrake off at the backing plate to almost nothing. The nut adjustment at the bracket is backed off to nothing. Heat from the drum and the gearbox continue to radiate onto the floor and seat box despite reflective heat insulation. Makes the other handbrake very uncomfortable.

And the handbrake barely works.