97 Fiesta - problems in reverse, ideas please

Post by **d_harris** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 9:53 pm

One of my friends has a problem with her 97R Fiesta. I am going to give the car a look over at the weekend, but thought I'd pick you guys brains...

Her description?

"Back passenger wheel creaks when I reverse and then theres resistance as if I'm driving over something and the car kinda goes up on that side. Then it makes a bad creaky buckling sound. Sometimes gets better if I drive forward and reverse back again"

Her handbrake is next to useless and this happens "pretty much" every time.

My suspision is that the brakes are binding in some way but I welcome suggestions.

Post by **les** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 9:58 pm

Ideas? Trade it in, under the scrapage plan!!!

Post by **alanworland** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 10:06 pm

Brake would be top of my list too!
I had similar on the rear wheel of my Astra where oil had got onto the shoes, worked ok going forward but in reverse it would really grab violently, as though a stick was stuck in the spokes!

Post by **Mogwai** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 10:31 pm

sounds like a brake fault. a lining may have come away from the shoe & jamming when reversed

Post by **d_harris** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 11:04 pm

First plan of action was to whip the drums off anyway (which is a pain in the bum on fiestas) and have a good old root around

Post by **rayofleamington** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 11:26 pm

my guess would be a broken lining, or failing that something has come loose and getting jammed inside.

which is a pain in the bum on fiestas

the last Festa I did had a pair of tapped holes and the drum came off easily by screwing in a pair of M8's

Post by **d_harris** » Wed Aug 19, 2009 11:31 pm

That certainly was not the case on the one I just scrapped, but well worth knowing. Thanks

Post by **Matt** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 10:06 pm

You just need to undo the big nut on the hub, remember one of them is left hand threaded. The wheel bearings will come out so some bearing grease and somewhere clean to put the bearings would be a good idea!

Unless its got alloys you can even leave the wheel on....

Post by **d_harris** » Thu Aug 20, 2009 11:17 pm

Didn't work like that with mine.....

Post by **bigjohn** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 12:12 am

sounds like the shoe linning as come away i had this problem with my old 306 pug

Post by **d_harris** » Fri Aug 21, 2009 12:18 pm

Thats kinda what I'm expecting, but it never hurts to get alternative suggestions

Post by **d_harris** » Sun Aug 23, 2009 4:48 pm

Friction lining had parted company with the shoe! The car now sports 4 new rear brake shoes and I'm a few beers richer!

As an aside, the handbrake wasn't working because the adjuster had seized solid. Plenty of penetrating fluid and some brute force sorted that out though...