Handbrake woes

SWMBO just took her Freelander for MOT, failed handbrake test =10%. Last year handbrake was borderline but passed, 6,000 miles since new Pagid cables, drums, shoes, springs etc less than 3 years ago.
Drive is flat, SWMBO never has to park on a hill and always leaves in gear
Quick test, creeping forward and reverse, apply handbrake = about as effective as opening the door and use my foot.
Both wheels raised, same procedure both sides.
Drums rotated freely with no binding, although they did not just slide off, clean with no drum wear. Shoe lining wear typical of 6,000 miles light use. Handbrake lever travel smooth, both cables run freely as expected, nothing binding inside the drum, shoe expanded and returned freely. Cleaned drums and shoes with sandpaper, although I saw no real reason to.
Backed adjusters off a few clicks
Drums back on, let brake pedal do its adjusting, then SWMBO gently applied the footbrake until I could feel binding, felt the same both sides, brake pedal travel normal.
Turn drum adjuster 1 click nothing =, next click = binding, next click could not turn the drum -
Backed adjuster off 2 clicks, and 3 clicks, adjusted cable at the lever each time, applying handbrake with little finger until 3rd click, drums binding with equal resistance, 4th click could not turn either drum .
Back on the ground - apply the handbrake as hard as I normally would on a incline (6 clicks)
Gently raise the clutch pedal and the Freelander will pull forward and reverse . Yanked handbrake to 7 clicks, no difference, adjusted at the lever so I could apply handbrake to 7 clicks and 5 clicks, no difference.
How the bloody hell could it be such crap, I am stumped.

Replacing the drums and shoes is no big deal, but after less than 6k, when they look fine.

BTW, said rear brake test was fine.

Must admit, cannot remember last time I touched a motor with drum brakes,

I had a similar issue and it turned out the brake shoes had been incorrectly fitted by the PO. Refitted correctly and all OK.
If you replaced them 6k miles ago and copied the previous fitment you may have unknowingly copied his mistake.

Hi Steve.
I will be over tomorrow and we will get it sorted out, Arctic

Arctic2 said:

Hi Steve.
I will be over tomorrow and we will get it sorted out, Arctic

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Good man. Let us know what the issue was.

The FL1 handbrake is pretty hopeless imo. You need to maximise pressure at the shoe, by minimising losses in the movement.

Make sure the slide dimples on the backplate are completely free of all corrosion. I use a wire brush on the grinder to really polish them up shiny. I do the same with the shoe backing that rests on the dimpled area. I then use the smallest smear of copper grease to keep the corrosion at bay.

I then roughen up the shoes friction surface with course paper to provide a better key.
I've had some makes of shoes that just don't like to "bite" into the drum. I now use Delphi or genuine if I'm feeling flush!
It sounds like you are doing the job correctly, so just polish the dimples and see how it works.

Thanks for the replies.

Alibro said:

I had a similar issue and it turned out the brake shoes had been incorrectly fitted by the PO. Refitted correctly and all OK.

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Shoes are fitted correctly, I did not fit them.

Nodge68 said:

I've had some makes of shoes that just don't like to "bite" into the drum.

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About the only thing that makes sense Nodge.

After everything was replaced, first MOT pass, 2nd MOT 1% above limit, 3rd MOT 10% and that = putting a sausage roll under one of the wheels.

It is as though the cylinder seals gave in, leaked fluid all over the place, the seals were replaced, and the shoes were wiped over with an oily rag .

I will check the backing plate dimples.

Going to be an interesting day tomorrow.
Just checked a load of new spares that came with the FL, all brake parts are Borg & Beck, sets of pads but no shoes, so reckon shoes are B&B.

Almost definite that something is installed incorrectly.

They may not be the best of brakes, but they shouldn't be anywhere near that bad.

I'm sure Arctic will sort it - but might be worth getting a pic of the correct installation for your model year - they changed quite considerably at MY01.

Backing plate dimples will or should be ok in about 10hours time we will know for sure

I am sure Mr Devlish will report sometime later, when I go there this morning we double checked what he had done yesterday and as stated in his previous post he had done exactly what should be done when the rear handbrake is set, we took the drums off made sure everything was clean and all moving parts were as they should be, also cleaned out the drum which to be honest was minute dust, put it all back together and still no handbrake, super ridiculous, totally absurd the only conclusion we could come up with was it had to be the shoes, his wife duly went out and got some Delph ones fitted those, 30 pumps of the front brake pedal, handbrake on one notch adjusted the front cable a little, we had bite on the drums, at last he had a decent handbrake, I will let him say what the MOT chap said when he took it back to have it tested.

Arctic2 said:

his wife duly went out and got some Delph ones fitted those, 30 pumps of the front brake pedal, handbrake on one notch adjusted the front cable a little, we had bite on the drums, at last he had a decent handbrake

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I find Delphi to be as good as the factory shoes. I've had similar experiences with that make were fitted a couple of years ago.

Nodge68 said:

I find Delphi to be as good as the factory shoes. I've had similar experiences with that make were fitted a couple of years ago.

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Hi John.
It turned out that the shoes on the rear where pagid which were fitted about 26 months earlier, how do I know this, one it said on the shoes when we removed them & two I had fitted them the 26 months previous, as Mr d now as my FL1, I just could not remember which ones I had fitted, i thought they were Borg & Beck, same as the front pads, but I also fitted new handbrake cables Pagid so I must have bought the shoes at the same time but fitted them about a month or so after the cable fitting.

The meat left on the shoes were the same as the new Delph ones, it must mean that the Pagid ones do not suit after a certain time ok for normal braking but not for parking brake.

Arctic2 said:

it must mean that the Pagid ones do not suit after a certain time ok for normal braking but not for parking brake.

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I've had the same issue with Pagid but on a the FL1 and other vehicles too. Foot brakes fine, handbrake hopeless. I now fit Delphi as my preferred choice.

Nodge68 said:

I've had the same issue with Pagid but on a the FL1 and other vehicles too. Foot brakes fine, handbrake hopeless. I now fit Delphi as my preferred choice.

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Just fitted Delph to my MGZT the ones I took off still had quite a bit of beef left on them, it was that the NS had worn down uneven so as I was checking the car over i decided to change them out.

Sorry for the late reply, I have been going away every weekend on Big Blue.
After we replaced the shoes, the difference was night and day.
Took the Freelander for re test, inspector said the reading was as good as any he had seen, he applied the handbrake as normal, and the display shot up to 30 without him even trying.
What it was with the Pagid shoes I have no idea, they cannot be that bad, must have got contaminated.

Devilish said:

Sorry for the late reply, I have been going away every weekend on Big Blue.
After we replaced the shoes, the difference was night and day.
Took the Freelander for re test, inspector said the reading was as good as any he had seen, he applied the handbrake as normal, and the display shot up to 30 without him even trying.
What it was with the Pagid shoes I have no idea, they cannot be that bad, must have got contaminated.

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Yes very puzzling indeed, all I can think is as you say either contaminated ? but hen wouldn't effect the stopping ability of the brakes? as well, maybe after a certain time Pagid go hard and glaze up making them inefficient to hold as a parking brake but ok for normal braking, anyway at least we got it sorted, a good weekend on blue hope the weather is ok in Scarborough, I think Rob needs a couple of good breakfasts inside him