help seized brakes

[mahony]

just removed front calipers off my sprint to replace seals and have found rear brakes also jammed on,how do i remove the drums in this situation without doing any damage to drum(s).

<p></p><i>Edited by: <A HREF=http://p206.ezboard.com/bthetriumphdolo ... >mahony</A> at: 10/6/05 7:03 pm<br></i>

[Silvery]

Remove the handbrake cables from the levers, then hit the hell out of the drum all around with a hammer. If possible try and gently tap at the back of the drum if there's room between it and the backplate.<br>
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As soon as there's the slightest sign of a gap between drum and backplate big enough to get a "lever" (screwdriver) in, start trying to lever the drum off, being firm but not harsh. Work at it diagonally, so if you start to lever at 12 o clock, as soon as it starts to move a little, lever from 6 o clock. Do this all around the drum.<br>
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Oncer there's a gap between the hub and the drum, you can try getting a substantial lever (I use the end of a claw hammer) in there to gently help things on their way.<br>
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Also try levering the slave cylinder to and fro to free it up in the backplate.<br>
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I've never yet damaged a drum doing this, and the Dolly has a very rigid backplate that seems to stand up to a lot of punishment - But I am not responsible for any skinned knuckles or other disasters that may occur follwing the above <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START ;) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... s/wink.gif ALT=";)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END-->

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[mahony]

thanks for the help will try this tomorrow.

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[Jon Tilson]

method may be effective but not very scientific.<br>
If the wheels wont go round its possiibly becuase the brakes have been applied and the piston wont go back in.<br>
The piston slides on the backplate so you can force the piston back in to the cylinder by gently tapping the non handbrake end towards the hanbrake... This should free the drum off and it will just pull off.<br>
It sometimess binds a bit on the inner rim too so a drop of plus gas here is a good iodea.<br>
Jonners

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[Silvery]

I was hoping the brakes were stuck through the handbrake being left on, in which case the unlatching the cable and beating the hell out of the drum can work wonders <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :evil --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /devil.gif ALT=":evil"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br>
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Although last time I had one wheel stick on after being parked up a few months, I just drove back and forth till it freed up... Left quite a bit of rubber on the drive, and the back end sat at some silly angles at times...<br>
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Actually, thinking Dolly is rwd, quite possibly getting it up on stands with the wheels off and running it in gear would do the trick of freeing things enough to get the drums off. It could of course place a lot of strain in the various mounts and drivetrain if the brakes are really solidly on. When I was trying to take up the play in my rears I overdid it, and had a bugger of a time getting one of the drums off. In the end I ran the car with the offending wheel off and that corner in the air, in gear till I heard the tell tale scraping noise of a drum wobbling loose.<br>
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I have seen wheel cylinders so corroded up that it's taken heavy blows with a large hitting stick to get the piston back in (out of boredom, not to be used ever again!), and I'd be surprised if both sides had the same fault to the same degree if it's the slaves. Although trying to free up the cylinder is a good idea <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :) --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /smile.gif ALT=":)"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END-->

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[2F45T4U]

there cast iron arent they so hitting them could shatter them? or so the warning we were given when trying to get them of a mates viva<br>
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Adam

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[Silvery]

Cylinders are alloy, IIRC, drums are cast. Yes, cast can shatter as it is a brittle substance, but you'd have to really belt the crap out of it to do so.<br>
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I have yet to shatter a drum, manifold, head, block or rod by belting them with hammers (note - most of those in the list have been scrap), whereas I've managed to nicely shatter old ally gearbox casings, not always on purpose <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :( --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... /frown.gif ALT=":("><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> Come to think of it, an old school way of seperating ball joints is to use a hammer either side of the hole and swing them together, and ball joints are cast on this sort of car.<br>
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The trick is not to hit the drum hard with the sharp edge of a hammer, but use the full face, so the energy is dispersed over a larger area. You need a sudden shock to break any seal that has formed between drum and shoes, and also to transfer through the shoes to the mechanisms. I'd imagine the drum also ovals for a split second, which helps. Levering cast can be just as likely to lead to sudden failure of the component as hitting it, and using enough heat to free it off may well warp it anyway.<br>
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The hammer and lever method is certainly recognised by everyone I know, admittedly they've mostly been hobby enthusiasts like me though. The run in gear up on stands works pretty well too in my experience, but I don't like suggesting it in case someone tries to free them off in top at 4k rpm - A flying drum can do a *lot* of damage!

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