Brake Problem

Please help me cos I'm really struggling on this !
My brakes seem to be binding on after driving for a little while and all wheel hubs get hot. If I leave the car for half an hour or so its all back to normal again but the wheels soon start binding up again?
A friend suggested it may be the front brake hoses but that wouldn't explain why ALL wheel hubs are getting hot?
I'm stumped and need help !
Cheers !

have you checked pedal is not siezed or sticky? Can keep brakes on slightly then get worse hotter they get. When you have run landy and brakes are binding lift a wheel and crack bleed screw if wheel turns freely you have a presure prob, could be m/c but worth checking pedal. If pedal ok slacken m/c from servo and check again.

there should also be a spring for returning the brake pedal, if i remember correcteleledeletelely. I have to check, but if, than it might be this, or as fyne said, master cylinder.
Is it a single line or dual line brake? Servo assisted?
??

Check there's play between the pedal and the master cylinder - I've had loose brake switch on a non servo series remove the play and lock up the brakes. It was 'cos someone had used the brake light switch to set the clearance!

oxides said:

It was 'cos someone had used the brake light switch to set the clearance!

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Hmmm, let me try that...

I also meant to say that the brake pedal hardens as the brakes bind !
D'OH !
I hope the weather is going to be ok tomorrow cos I'm gonna be trying the above !
I know there was a servo added a few years ago but I dont know if its single or dual circuit, Ill have a look (if I can work out what I'm looking for ) and let you know.
Thanks for the above info, at least I've now been given some motivation to have a look, thanks to you !

what you're looking for is that the pedal returns to depressurise the breaks:

If it doesnt go back enough, you will have always binding brakes. (or nearly always, depends on how leaky your system is)

If it goes back enough, it takes off any pressure, but if drops a slight bit and you have assisted brakes it might build up pressure on the brakes. Same effect as if the pads were adjusted to bind.

Try driving around with a piece of wood between floor and pedal to keep the pedal up. Let us know how you are from the hospital!-)) (seriously: use some elastic band to keep the pedal up, drive around a bit VERY CAREFULLY and if it's that, you know it's somewhere master cylinder/pedal area)

The pedal returns but when I go to press it again there's very little travel and it feels very stiff, its as if the brake fluid is going into the brakes but somehow not getting back out ??
Does that make sense ? !

bushmanpm said:

The pedal returns but when I go to press it again there's very little travel and it feels very stiff, its as if the brake fluid is going into the brakes but somehow not getting back out ??
Does that make sense ? !

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When did you last adjust your brakes?
If it's not that, then it sounds like master cylinder...
I would take every wheel off before going at the MC first tho, might be cheaper and easier like a broken spring or something like that.

Are you losing brake fluid by chance? How much?

I just went out had a look:
There's a spring returning the break pedal!
Do you have one? If not: I bet you a fiver you're missing a spring!-)

It should be brake pedal to right of the break pedal, direction steering wheel kinda.

We have had this problem before. First thing to check...once it has "depressurised" .... using the pedal by hand (so you can do it gently, you might even want to take the pedal off the spring) - is there much play at all? There should be a little bit. If there is not then adjust the 2 nuts on the brake master cylinder until you do get a little bit of slack before the the master cylinder is doing anything - we had this issue on one of our series and it cured that issue. Might not be the cure for yours, but possibly worth a go!

rustyrhinos said:

We have had this problem before. First thing to check...once it has "depressurised" .... using the pedal by hand (so you can do it gently, you might even want to take the pedal off the spring) - is there much play at all? There should be a little bit. If there is not then adjust the 2 nuts on the brake master cylinder until you do get a little bit of slack before the the master cylinder is doing anything - we had this issue on one of our series and it cured that issue. Might not be the cure for yours, but possibly worth a go!

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Forgot about them, you're right.
Would check the spring first tho, mine was missing the clutch spring and I noticed it a few weeks ago, when the slave started leaking a bit

The spring thing...if there was no spring, it would make the pedal flop to floor (if there was no pressure) rather than make hard)

rustyrhinos said:

The spring thing...if there was no spring, it would make the pedal flop to floor (if there was no pressure) rather than make hard)

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Nope, not if it is correctly adjusted. Just beneith the bit where it closes the return valve it would start pressurising the brakes and stay there. When you start pressing it would be already "pretensioned", making it kinda hard. But as the pedal would never return completely, the pads would always rub a bit.
Just an idea tho. Let him check the spring first, after that adjust brakes (to properly adjust MC afterwards)

Oh, I see what you mean...you think perhaps the pedal isnt returning (rather than going hard at the top of the pedal travel which is what I have in my head from his description)

if it is a servo system i dont think it will have the adjusting nuts, cant think of one that does off top of my head.

Oh, yeah, thats a point fyne! I have no idea how those are setup, only worked on the older style.

rustyrhinos said:

Oh, I see what you mean...you think perhaps the pedal isnt returning (rather than going hard at the top of the pedal travel which is what I have in my head from his description)

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yes, that's what i was thinking of.
Kind of: the return is done by the pads and pressure of the brake fluid, but the return valve doesnt open to depressurise as the pedal doesnt come high enough.

bushmanpm said:

The pedal returns but when I go to press it again there's very little travel and it feels very stiff, its as if the brake fluid is going into the brakes but somehow not getting back out ??
Does that make sense ? !

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Yeh it makes a lot of sense, I've had it before where the flexi hoses have collapsed inside (usually after they've been clamped off) so when you press the pedal there is enough force to push the fluid past to apply the brakes but the fluid won't return and the brakes stick on,also giving you a hard pedal because in effect your trying to push fluid down a blocked flexi hose. But the chances that all the flexi's have gone at the same time is highly unlikely, did it just go like this or has it started after working on the braking system?

V8jon said:

has it started after working on the braking system?

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:hysterically_laughi
I know a bit in theory on mechanics but practiacl I'm severly lacking, a little knowledge is dangerous and all that! Saying that though, I've done more on this one car than all my previous cars & motorbikes put together!
Armed with all of the above I'm going to have a look later,
Many thanks for all the replies, lets see if I get anywhere !