I was today years old when l learned.

[Turbo]

If you've got wear lips, it would suggest either the handbrake isn't disengaging or someone's been trying to do some sick skidz.

I've had 3 vehicles with this setup and the handbrake has been rubbish in all of them. It needs to be working 100% in order to scrape through an mot. Any problems with it at all and it will fail.
In order to fit inside the brake disc the shoes are relatively small. It barely works as a parking brake and nearly impossible to use for handbrake turns!

 

[indykid]

I've had 3 vehicles with this setup and the handbrake has been rubbish in all of them. It needs to be working 100% in order to scrape through an mot. Any problems with it at all and it will fail.
In order to fit inside the brake disc the shoes are relatively small. It barely works as a parking brake and nearly impossible to use for handbrake turns!

Yes, sorry. The skidz bit was firmly tongue in cheek. About as much use as trying to handbrake turn a Citroen BX.

I might not be seeing the MOT issues because our fleet have been CR-Vs so they'll get a Tapley test because of the haldex style transmission (or just get a blind pass). I don't recall my dad having any issues with the vauxhall setup though.

NB: these are all UK MOTs

 

[Melvyn Best]

I seem to remember, back in 1970's, struggling to wind back late father in laws rear calipers on his Rover P6 v8.

Easy, undo 4 bolts, drop the disc, remove old pads then clean, wind back piston , fit new pads then refit discs . Doing it with the discs in place was a pain

 

[qwakers]

my merc c220 had massive lips in the drum in disk setup. to the point where i couldn't wind it back far enough to get the drum off and had to destroy it to remove it. (no biggie, was replacing anyway)

no seized mech either.

 

[BrokenBiker]

my merc c220 had massive lips in the drum in disk setup. to the point where i couldn't wind it back far enough to get the drum off and had to destroy it to remove it. (no biggie, was replacing anyway)

no seized mech either.

ah, it wasnt the terracan i had this issue, was the vito i had...that was the nightmare...stupid bloody foot operated hand brake too

 

[indykid]

my merc c220 had massive lips in the drum in disk setup. to the point where i couldn't wind it back far enough to get the drum off and had to destroy it to remove it. (no biggie, was replacing anyway)

no seized mech either.

Interesting. Did you own the car for the life of the brake parts?

Unless the handbrake is used while the vehicle's rolling, I can't think of a mechanism to wear the drum significantly. Could it have been corrosion on the unswept inner edge of the drum?

 

[qwakers]

its got 176k on it, ive done 7k of that. i replaced the rear disks (probably the originals) a few weeks after buying it.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Easy, undo 4 bolts, drop the disc, remove old pads then clean, wind back piston , fit new pads then refit discs . Doing it with the discs in place was a pain

We didn't remove discs and it was a PIA

 

[ms08]

Given the number of tools I have today i wonder how i manged to do some things back in the 70's/80's with a basic socket set, torque wrench and a few other bits from my dad's tool box.

 

[Morris]

I've had 3 vehicles with this setup and the handbrake has been rubbish in all of them. It needs to be working 100% in order to scrape through an mot. Any problems with it at all and it will fail.
In order to fit inside the brake disc the shoes are relatively small. It barely works as a parking brake and nearly impossible to use for handbrake turns!

My Sorento is the same. They were barely capable of passing the MOT from new. 20 years later it's a struggle every time.

 

[qwakers]

Funny none of the three sorentos I had ever had any issues with the handbrake. Would always pull it up with a jerk on the pre mot check.

 

[Robotstar5]

Given the number of tools I have today i wonder how i manged to do some things back in the 70's/80's with a basic socket set, torque wrench and a few other bits from my dad's tool box.

I was the same, I had a 14" "barn door" type toolbox full of spanners, sockets, screwdrivers etc.

It even made it into the corner of a pic I took when rebuilding a bike in the 70's.

 

[bricol]

Yes, sorry. The skidz bit was firmly tongue in cheek. About as much use as trying to handbrake turn a Citroen BX.

Only those in the know and daft enough to try will know why . . .

Is it still a handbrake turn in reverse?

I, and some mates, may have been silly sods in our parents cars a long time ago . . . my mate in his dad's BX nearly took the front off on wooden road marking posts in a park when he tried the same handbrake turn as I was doing in a Renault 11 . . .

 

[Turbo]

Only those in the know and daft enough to try will know why . . .

Is it still a handbrake turn in reverse?

I, and some mates, may have been silly sods in our parents cars a long time ago . . . my mate in his dad's BX nearly took the front off on wooden road marking posts in a park when he tried the same handbrake turn as I was doing in a Renault 11 . . .

Subaru L series was the same.

 

[harveyp6]

Subaru L series was the same.

And some Saabs IIRC

 

[bricol]

And some Saabs IIRC

Alfa Suds too if I remember correctly.

 

[Morris]

Alfa Suds too if I remember correctly.

Correct.

 

[Munkul]

I've had 3 vehicles with this setup and the handbrake has been rubbish in all of them. It needs to be working 100% in order to scrape through an mot. Any problems with it at all and it will fail.
In order to fit inside the brake disc the shoes are relatively small. It barely works as a parking brake and nearly impossible to use for handbrake turns!

When I was into drifting, those of us with 200sx/Silvias the preferred and OEM+ upgrade was to go to skyline rear brakes, these bolted straight on and had the shoes and drums for the cable handbrake which were much much better for handbrake turn initiations. The standard cable handbrake on the s14 with combined calipers was absolutely rubbish.
I just upgraded to a hydraulic handbrake instead, was cheaper.

 

[Munkul]

Is it still a handbrake turn in reverse?

We called it a "J turn" or "J flick"

 

[harveyp6]

Alfa Suds too if I remember correctly.

And they were inboard as well. Once again, IIRC. At least the Saabs had the common decency to be outboard.

Incidentally, a lot of this type roll away when parked after hard braking, because the discs have expanded due the aforementioned use, and when they cool and contract the pads no longer grip the disc.