Seized brakes advice sought

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Mike Shipman
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Seized brakes advice sought

Post by Mike Shipman »

My rear brakes are seized and I have tried , the last 3 evenings, the banging with hammer , prying (gently but firmly) and sprayed penetrating oil but only succeeded in getting around 5mm of play in the drum. I have read that " heat" can help and will buy a camping gas blow torch and extinguisher today to try it out.
I would like some advice with applying the heat, ie where to aim it, roughly how long, and any other words of wisdom.
Many thanks in advance for any suggestions you can provide.
Cheers, Mike
Mike Shipman,
Seaton, Torpoint, Cornwall.
kennatt
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by kennatt »

invariably its the handbrkes linkage,before doing anything else ,take off all the brake .adjustment,then tap the handbrake lever,the one that comes out of the drum and is attached to the cable, with a small hammer. knock it back a forth to free it. This also has the effect of knocking back the brake piston as well .
Just thought,you probably cant take the adjustment off until you free up the drum,so do the handbrake first and once you can move the drum then you can get at the adjuster cam through the drum to take all the adjustment off.
bmcecosse
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by bmcecosse »

Disconnect the handbrake cables - you are going to need new cylinders anyway. Heat is no use - where will you apply it? Just wiggle and turn -use a lever between studs if necessary (put nuts on..) - the drums will come off.
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anthony2
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by anthony2 »

I managed to release the drums by pouring a kettle of boiling water over them , I think the hot water loosened up the gunge inside the drum also.
Mike Shipman
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by Mike Shipman »

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll try them out over the weekend.
Cheers, Mike
Mike Shipman,
Seaton, Torpoint, Cornwall.
bmcecosse
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by bmcecosse »

And never park it up with the handbrake on again!
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Mike Shipman
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by Mike Shipman »

Yay! I got the offside drum off. Now just to try and do the same with the nearside - bit less space so it could be a bit awkward.
Mike Shipman,
Seaton, Torpoint, Cornwall.
Mike Shipman
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by Mike Shipman »

Just wondering.... The brake shoes looked like they have lots of wear left in them but should I be looking to change anything with the brakes having been seized , like the springs ?
Mike Shipman,
Seaton, Torpoint, Cornwall.
ianmack
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by ianmack »

The seizure will most likely be in the cylinders, and it is better to replace these than try to fix them. The other parts can be reused if they clean up ok. The springs are always in tension whether the brakes are on or off so may be unaffected.
bmcecosse
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by bmcecosse »

Just two new cylinders - but I strongly advise a small tub of 'red rubber grease' (ebay) - remove the handbrake piston and stuff a good wad of the grease in before refitting the piston.
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whyperion
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by whyperion »

Having used the heat method to unsieze one side of brakers I stupidly removed the shoes ( yes they did need replacing due to containmination), as the main objective at present time was just to get car rolling down for MOT (!). Anyway, didnt realise the handbrake cable loosen and wiggle, I applied heat and hit the drum around to get large hole to line up with adjuster (why dont they quite line nice and straight in ?) one notch and the wheel spun freely.

Meanwhile back to the 1098cc Front Drums, these are stuck firm too, as there is no handbrake cable here, ideas on what to hit hard to free off (or do I invest in a larger hub puller to hope its enough to shift things ),
bmcecosse
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by bmcecosse »

Just keep tapping (wood block to protect the drum) and turning with a lever between the studs. A puller will just crack the edges of the drum....
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firehor5e
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by firehor5e »

would not hurt to remove the bleed nipples too.
1968 2 door 1275
whyperion
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by whyperion »

After suffering in a relatively cold garage, and fighting computer issues, finally released the n/s rear and the fronts.
Amounts of WD40 around the studs , etc and leaving overnight things got moving. Found another thin but substantial hammer in the in-laws toolbox and a 2ft length of quarter in square bar in the bedroom (!) using it a drift ( marginally too large thinner would be easier ) and hitting the re-fitted wheel nuts with the drift I was able to get the adjuster nut visible through the drum holes ( aren't the 1098 front holes small comparatively? ). Bit of a problem as the normal screwdriver would not get enough twist to release, one screwdriver has a nut on the far end so with correct size ring spanner thereon it was easier to turn.
car now rolls with a fingers push.

Rear shoes and drums are scrap, no problem, but can I re-use the front shoes after the WD40 soaking ?
bmcecosse
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by bmcecosse »

I would say not.... Don't fancy your 'drifting' on the studs - they may be bent now...and possibly weakened.
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les
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by les »

Maybe you'd be safer replacing the studs that were hit, side impact is not good.

whyperion
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by whyperion »

Doubt if they are bent, I re-fitted the wheel nuts and hit on them, not too many strokes as I could then rotate with the bar wedged accross a pair of studs ( that normally works better with a flat bar but I didnt have one to hand ). They will get a wiggle and test though before I get cylinders as required and fit them.
andypocock
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Re: Seized brakes advice sought

Post by andypocock »

I'll just add one suggestion to the whole seized brakes subject.

If a bit of banging isn't working go to the rear of the brakes, remove the hydraulic line and unbolt the cylinders from the backplate.

Now have another go, you could be surprised.
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