FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

Hi All,
My left rear brake locks up sometimes very intermittent. What I have done / mechanic has done. I had the 2 rear wheel cylinders rekitted and brakes adjusted, seemed to fix the problem about 4 weeks ago. Drove the car on Saturday and it was really bad so heavily lubricated the handbrake cable and it seems free, it was a bit sticky. After doing this it appeared ok then it did it again. Now I'm lost for a solution.
Any Ideas?
Cheers,
Graham

Graham,

Grabs or stops-the-wheel-rotating locks up?  Did the car move freely when you first let the handbrake off?  Or did the problem first show up when you applied the brake pedal?  Going backwards or forwards?

Without inspecting all the components, I can't offer any more insights.  It'll be something subtle, though.

Rob

Hi Rob,
After freeing up the handbrake cable it reversed ok and drove ok for the first couple of stops and then it locked up and skidded. Then no matter how hard I tried it wouldn't do it again. So I let it all cool down and drove again and same thing stopped ok then locked up once or twice then didn't do it again.
Very frustrating.

Cheers

Graham, remove the rear brake hose and see if you can blow through it. THe symptoms suggest to me a brake hose which is practically blocked but not quite.
Ken

Hi Ken,
Thanks for the reply its a fairly new hose but I will check that thanks.
Cheers

Classic symptom of brake hose failure! They can look perfectly ok on the outside but the inner wall can collapse. What happens is that when you apply the brakes the pressure forces fluid through the pipe. when you let your foot off the brake you only have spring pressure returning the shoes and this is not enough to completely open the collapsed (inner) brake hose so fluid, and pressire, reduce slowly so that the brake locks on then slowly releases.  Even blowing through it won't necessarily be an indicator - they are relatively cheap, replace them all. Fraze

Thanks guys. Looks like the hose has lasted about 2 years where the original was still working 60 years + I just thought it should be replaced due to age and safety.
Cheers
Graham

Getting quality today is very difficult ,your hoses only lasted 2 years ,and its a safety item ,what ever happened to Standards ? If you don't like the choices you have now to replace your hoses..
For a Hillman Hunter I restored I had hoses made over the counter while you wait ,correct fittings, suit Lockheed ,which surprised me when he said "yep ,got those " ,American hose ,good price at Hawkesbury Hydraulics .. Cant see why your local hydraulic team cant do Holden ..Vern

Graham, phone me at work. I make brake hoses to SAE standards using high quality Japanese hose. I've been using this hose for decades, no problems.

Dr Terry

Hi guys me again well the brakes don't lock up since I put a big shamfer on the top of the leading shoe and made certain the handbrake cable was fee. However it still wants to. Looks like I will replace the hose as previously suggested.

Cheers
Graham

Just check the park brake lever and clip on the trailing shoe[ could be tight] ,just a thought . Another thought is that if the hose is failing also check the pipe and fittings between wheel cylinders for blockages caused from old wheel cylinders and old hose .

Well I swapped the right brake drum for the left drum and problem solved. Still confused as to why though?
Cheers 
Graham

Graham,

You might need to get your linings radius ground to suit the diameter of the drums.  An oversize lining will contact the drum at the heel and toe of the lining, which is a recipe for grabbing.

Did you have new shoes fitted recently?

Rob

Hi Rob the shoes are 24 years old,so not new.
Cheers,
Graham