Broken Handbrake

[luflorence]

Hi there

I am a very novice morris minor owner by the way and at the weekend I took her out for a good run to Saffron Walden (Essex) and back from Loughton she ran very smoothly although was ponging of burning for a bit but other then that all was fine, she did well considering we only tend to take her out for a few miles each time..
Anyway arrived back home and as I parked her I pulled the handbrake up and a clicking sound appeared (sounds pretty dodge) after that it seemed we coudn't move her felt like it was still on with the brakes constantly showing up?
Any ideas whether this coudl of been me being heavy handed and breaking the handbrake or something completely different didn't know if this was connected with the burning smell too, aft first i put the burning smell down to her just being old and needing a good run....

Thanks

Lucy.

[bmcecosse]

So to let me understand - you had stopped the car and pulled up the handbrake. Was the clicking noise not just the ratchet bouncing over the catches on the handle? In fact - good drivers will hold the button IN while pulling up the handle - and so no noise (or wear on the ratchet) and then let the button go when the handle is positioned correctly to hold the car. So -did the handle come up much higher than normal for you? Is it holding the car on a slope? Is it not releasing ? Is there any chance your burning smell was due to the hand brake having been left (even partly) on while you were driving? What's the problem NOW - is the brake jammed on and the car won't move ??

[simmitc]

Lucy, as BMC says, clicking is normal for any handbrake when put on - although I too subscribe to holding the button in to reduce wear. From where did the ckicking come - the lever, under the floor? It is possible that one of your handbrake cables had seized. This held the brake partially on and produced the burning odour - that certainly is NOT normal for a Minor. As the drive progressed, the shoe wore slightly and got hot, reducing its effectiveness. When you got home, your pulled the brake on which pulled the cable enough to lock the brake but then the cable broke and is completely jammed - the "ticking" could have been strands of cable parting. When was the last time that the cable was greased?

How mechanically adept are you? Working on a level surface, chock the front wheels, jack up the rear of the car and support it on axle stands. Inspect the handbrake cables. If you disconnect the cables from the levers on the cylinders, do the wheels turn freely? With the handbrake lever off, do the inner cables slide freely in the outer ones - and does pulling one end move the other? When spinning the drums,, does operating the lever on the back of the cylinders stop the rotation? Does the handbrake lever operate normally?

[LouiseM]

Hi Lucy,

You posted to say that you were having problems with your brakes & handbrake a few months ago:

http://www.mmoc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=38388

The brakes were sticking and you were going to get someone to look at them. Has anything been done to them since your last post?

[simmitc]

Have you contacted Essex branch? Although you're a bit far away for me to pop over, there are plenty of other members who might be able to have a look. We're all trying to help, but in light of your other post, I must stress that we do need feedback from you, and you will have to have a look at a few bits. Nothing on a Minor is horribly expensive or difficult to fix, but brakes are a safety critical item, and it is essential that they are serviced correctly. You will also need them working for the MOT!

[ASL642]

If the car won't move at all has the master cylinder packed up?. This happened to me. Journey down to Cardiff no problems. Went to start the car felt like all the brakes were on and trying to drive against them.

[bmcecosse]

Never heard of a master cylinder 'packing in' in that way......... Was this with disc brakes?

[ASL642]

No discs - standard drums - just seized up. Working fine one minute - next not. Had to come home on a trailer Replaced braking system, drums etc everything had overheated/distorted. And yes - before you ask - she's very well maintained!

[bmcecosse]

Can't see how it would stick ON - could be the adjustment wasn't correct so there was no free play but hard to see how that could happen 'suddenly' .

[simmitc]

So, Lucy, what's the latest? Have you got the brakes sorted? What was it? Have you bothered to do anything at all, or should we just forget about you, and not try to help netx time (if) you post?