Handbrake disintegrated i think😬

[trikey]

All the handbrake innards can be removed if you need to drive the car to a garage, it will not harm the bearing or hub / disc running with the bits removed.

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by postbasher

... am thinking its handbrake components...

Hello Mark,

You haven't mentioned any other evidence to support your thought. For example, does the handbrake still hold the car when stationary in drive? Is there an alarming noise if you crawl forwards in drive with the handbrake released? Can you use the car's scissor jack to lift the rear wheels off the ground and try to spin them?

I'd certainly be carrying out some basic checks to try to confirm the problem before making any speculative purchases. Indeed when I first read your initial post I was contemplating a broken spring.

Simon

[gnu]

I’d definitely recommend both sides. If one side’s failed the other won’t be far behind, and you need to balance the brake shoes anyway. If the car’s a keeper, could do discs and pads whilst you are there, as Trikey mentioned above.

[postbasher]

Thanx everyone for yr comments.
SD1too, i just had been thinking for sometime that i needed to replace he shoes...and the symptoms just seemed to fit...no leading edge on shoes in revere etc... i havnt dared try applying the handbrake since the other night.
gnu, yes am def gonna replace the cmponents on both sides and later, the disccs too when i can afford it.

Quick update, car is jacked up and i cannot budge the caliper bolts... so am going to call a mobile mech...
Thatll be one for monday i guess... never easy to sit on ones hands eh😉

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by postbasher

... never easy to sit on ones hands eh��

It's the perfect opportunity to get those hands into action then Mark! As the car is now jacked up, can you turn the wheels? Try applying the handbrake to see if it's working? You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

By the way, it's extremely unlikely that the handbrake shoes need replacing unless you've been doing handbrake turns! Mine are the originals, working perfectly as a recent MOT pass testifies and are now 22 years old!

Simon

[postbasher]

SD1too ... the car is back on its wheels(seemed safest til monday) but while each wheel was off the ground i took the oppotunity to spin the wheel backwards and altho there was a fair bit of rubbing noise... (a bit like sandpaper on wood) there wasnt anything catastrophic... having said that when i tried a little reversing manouver this morning it sounded like somthing was bucklingand crunching

I think a previous post suggested bolts coming out of back plates and shoes peeling etc sounds about right..especially considering the abscence of a leading edge in reverse..
. what you say about shoes not wearing unless making handbreak turns makes a lot of sense...indeed why would they wear? ... perhaps they just get weaker but most certainly i can see why the other components might let the shoes down.

[postbasher]

Ive tried calling DMGRS and would have left a msg but they apparently dont listen to them(according to their own msg)
So i sent an email approx 2pm on friday and have no reply...
i included a contact number and explained the situation...
Can anybody recommend an alternative pls?
Or perhaps i am being impatient?🙄😕

[bsafly]

Originally Posted by SD1too

By the way, it's extremely unlikely that the handbrake shoes need replacing unless you've been doing handbrake turns! Mine are the originals, working perfectly as a recent MOT pass testifies and are now 22 years old!

Simon

Unfortunately i had to replace the handbrake shoes on the 75 tourer, the linings looked virtually unworn but had become detached from the shoe (failure of the bonding).
New set from DMGRS sorted it perfectly.
Paul.

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by postbasher

... while each wheel was off the ground i took the oppotunity to spin the wheel backwards and altho there was a fair bit of rubbing noise... (a bit like sandpaper on wood) there wasnt anything catastrophic... having said that when i tried a little reversing manoeuvre this morning it sounded like somthing was buckling and crunching.

Thanks Mark. The rubbing noise is what I would expect to hear from a correctly adjusted handbrake (supplemented by the brake pads on the disc).
Did you also take the opportunity to look at the springs, front and rear? When mine fractured earlier this year I initially thought that the handbrake had seized on. I also heard a terrible noise not unlike what you describe.

Mark, I would urge you once again to explore other possibilities but you don't sound at all keen! I'd say that DMGRS have done you a favour by not responding immediately. It's far better to wait for your mobile mechanic to expose the handbrake shoes and make an accurate diagnosis before putting your hand deep into your pocket, isn't it?

Originally Posted by bsafly

Unfortunately i had to replace the handbrake shoes on the 75 tourer, the linings looked virtually unworn but had become detached from the shoe (failure of the bonding).

I wonder why mine haven't suffered this fate? Could yours perhaps have been inferior aftermarket shoes fitted by a previous owner? If so, then I agree that this could have happened to Mark's car.

Simon

[postbasher]

Thanx SD1too for staying engaged with this...
I cannot see any damage to springs on rear... if there were wouldnt the tendency to lockup occur in forward gear also?
If i could just remove the blasted callipers🤪