Rear wheel lockup?

[Mervaka]

Hi,

I've inherited an old 1983 Austin Maestro 1.6L, and have ironed out most of the problems i had with it (carb, radiator etc) but theres still an intermittent problem with the rear left wheel. It locks up sometimes when rolling backwards, and usually does it when i tap the footbrake. I have stripped the brakes down and they appear to run fine, and even filed the leading and trailing edges down on the shoes. when propped up it seems to roll smoothly in both directions. I'm all out of ideas, any suggestions? :S

[tony]

muck in there or weak return springs come to mind ,
:)

[Ricky]

Wouldn't be anything to do with a faulty g.p valve (I think thats what its called!) would it? You know, that funny box that all the brake lines screw into, think it lives on the right side of the engine bay, nearish the battery (I think!)...? I am sure this was the part we changed on my mate's C reg 1.3L when the back brake kept locking up and it seemed to do it nicely, a little too nicely as it then needed a couple of new rear cylinders!!!

HTH,

Ricky.

[Mervaka]

thx for the swift replies :)

but wouldnt those apply to forward motion as well?

[E_T_V]

I don't think it is the GP valve as it doesn't happen when travelling forwards. When travelling backwards shoes can tend to "grab"

Check the self adjusting mechanism and also that both return springs are located properly.

[Beaker]

Digressing from the topic of conversation briefly. Whereabouts in Cornwall are you from Mervaka? Just asking as I grew up in Falmouth.

Also Welcome to the Forum :)

[G Force]

Hi, Check the hand brake cable is not too tight, the maestro h/brake should pull up 6 to 8 knotches to allow the self adjustment to work and stop the brakes pulling on over bumps.

This is how I adjust the brakes on the maestro. Make sure the cable is free, then slacken the h/brake adjustment right off. then take off 1 drum and release self adjuster to off then refit drum, press foot brake hard a couple of times you should hear ratchet mechanism ajusting inside drum, if not just remove drum again to ensure adjuster has moved. Then do exactly same for other side. finally adjust h/b cable to pull up 5 to 8 knotches.

Regards Gary :)

[Mervaka]

thx for the tips guys, i'll get back to u after i find time to have a go at it all. However, I think the shoe assemblies themselves are free to move

btw im in Truro atm, but might be going uni (maybe reading or portsmouth or somewhere)

[nate]

Originally posted by G Force
Hi, Check the hand brake cable is not too tight, the maestro h/brake should pull up 6 to 8 knotches to allow the self adjustment to work and stop the brakes pulling on over bumps.



in order to passs the mot test, a handbrake should start to operate on the 2nd clickand be fully applied between 3 to 6 clicks. more than 6 is considered 'out of adjustment' and would result in a fail.

[MGTurbo]

Originally posted by nate
in order to passs the mot test, a handbrake should start to operate on the 2nd clickand be fully applied between 3 to 6 clicks. more than 6 is considered 'out of adjustment' and would result in a fail.

Agreed.

I've had rear brake snatch when in reverse, my 1.3 used to do it all the time, it's worse on car's not used often. Try putting a chamfer on the edges of the shoes, making sure the backplates is lubricated with copper grease where the shoe makes contact, and abrade the drum surface with 80 grit or emery cloth.

Gareth

[E_T_V]

Just a note to peeps, those adjustment numbers should only apply to monty and maestros, not all cars, as my rover 214 is supposed to be fully applied between 9 and 11 clicks!

[e692wtt]

My Monty has just passed his MoT... the car can still be pushed along with the handbrake lever on the fifth 'click' and the car will only stay put on a steep hill with the lever on its ninth 'click'. It's always been more-or-less like this and has never raised an eyebrow with several testers (at the same MoT station) for the seven MoTs it's had there...

Admittedly the cable could do with tightening (it 'feels' slack, ie is either 'on' or 'off', at the handbrake lever...), but it's been like this since 1997 when I got the car. Will sort it when the weather is better and I have time - hopefully this week?