pete schuhmann wrote:
>
> Hi Neil, thanks for your advice. Got the midget started this morning after
> cleaning things up per your suggestions. Will buy a new battery asap. In
> the meantime I have a new problem: the (emergency?) brake is locked on.
> Even when I release the handle, the brakes are on. Undrivable. The brake
> padal is very hard. Usually it goes pretty close to the floor. Not sure
> what to do, or why this happened. Any ideas? Thanks for your patience.
>
> Pete
>
Lift up the rear axle, AFTER chocking the front wheels so the car cannot
roll away. Put in axle stands so it will not drop onto you!!! Remove the
wheels for easy acces to the rear brake backplates.
Unscrew the brake adjuster on the backplate,( little square headed bolt,
ANTI-CLOCKWISE facing the plate,) this should free them enough for you
to remove the drum and free up the levers inside, and clean the shoes
and drum surfaces. BUT..........if this does not work.......
You may have two faults, either the shoes have rusted onto the drums, or
the internal lever pivots have siezed 'on'. ALL PERFECTIONISTS NOW JUMP
THIS NEXT BIT.....you will see the handbrake levers sticking out of the
back of the brakes, it is easy to identify, it has the cable attached to
it with a clevis pin, ( pin with a slpit-pin.) Whack the lever IN
towards the brakes with a mallet, ( called precision-precussion.) The
lever should move in about 1/4". Do this with the hand-brake (
emergency-brake) lever in the car OFF, and the adjusters fully undone.
Now see if the drums rotate, car out of gear.
If they do, you need to clean up the levers inside, and this means
taking off those drums, held on with an extra little counter-sunk
set-screw. Use a picture out of a manual to identify the parts.
If the drums are still solid, you have a problem.....Rusted on linings
to the drum. I usually let off the hand-brake and start the car, and
with the rear axle up on axle stands, wheel off, I put the car in 1st
and reverse and just let the clutch out enough to move the wheel a
little. Alas this only free one drum due to the action of the
differential....so the FREE drum has to have its wheel refitted, and
lowered to the ground, chocked, and then the other locked drum can be
freed.
Once this is all done, you still cannot drive the car, as the fault has
to be fixed. Those drums have to come OFF for the insides to be cleaned
up.
You may need a combination of both these methods to free up the brakes.
Grease the handbrake cables, clean out all dust, WEAR A MASK FOR THIS as
the dust can be dangerous, loosen up the inner lever pivots with a bit
of WD40. DO NOT GET ANY OIL OR WD40 onto the linings. Refit it all in
the correct order, getting those shoes over the axle shaft is fun, best
done with the springs fitted from behind hanging from the top shoe. Do
NOT push the brake pedal down with the drums off, or you will eject the
brake slave-cylinder pistons into orbit. lose all your fliud, and
operate the dual-brake-line emergency valve.
Also..............if your pedal is solid, the front disc caliper pistons
may be rusted up. Check these out before you drive the car. Again remove
the wheels, and get someone to put the brakes on and off, whilst you
check the discs will spin and lock up.Look carefully at the pads, see if
BOTH move. If not, its a full brakes system overhaul alas.
Neil
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