Rear Drums Sticking

Hi, 04 TD4 commercial.

The rear brakes seem to be sticking on quite badly when left overnight. Particularily bad if I leave the handbrake on but seem to stick a little even if just left in gear.

When pulling off in the morning, there is a crack or bang as the brakes free themselves.

What causes this, is it easy to fix for a basic DIYer?

(All I have tools wise is spanners/sockets/drivers/jack and axle stands)

Thanks very much

Steve

it can happen with healthy brakes if it's damp and h/brake applied overnight, just caused by rust forming and is soon cleaned off when you drive away. shouldn't,t happen when h/brake left off however

could be a handbrake cable seizing or brake lining parting from the brake shoes. maybe even a seizing wheel cylinder thats not returning properly.
if the handbrake cable/s are seizing you can usually feel the free play when you move the lever up and down.
brake drums are fairly easy to remove providing the brakes are released.

remove wheels then remove the two philips screws holding the drum in place then tap one side of the drum while pulling the opposite side towards you. don't hit it too hard you could break it, just keep swapping hands and tapping each side a few times until the drum comes off.

if the brake lining is/has come off the shoe then it will be more difficult as the lining will probably be broken up.

Might be there is water in the handbrake cable housing which with the actual cold freezes thus preventing the cable to move freely ??

Are you sure the rear drums are causing the noise? You will also get a banging noise as the front brake pads free up when driven away - again its rust that forms and is cleared off as you drive away.

Warning tho - I had a similar situation and it turned out to be a front brake caliper cylinder that had rusted and wouldn't retract back - one new brake piston and all sorted!

I had problems with poor hand brake performance, would not hold on even a minor slope nor when standing in gear (auto). How it passed an MOT I do not know!

On investigating the N/S drum showed little sign of use, no wear and in 'as new' condition. The O/S showed only marginal use. On stripping down further it was obvious that the 'hairpin springs' holding the shoes against the back plate were the problem. They were solid having no compliance left so that the shoes were held ridigly against the back plate. I cleaned and sparingly greased the landing areas, especially the spherical head of the retaining pin, and reassembled. The springs were difficult to fit and still very tight but the brakes do work now.

I am looking for alternative retainers which use helical springs and the dimpled washer system more frequently used, since this is a much 'softer' clamping system. This will require different retaining pins since the current ones are too short to accommodate coil springs. Does the Disco handbrake have the spherical head arrangement which could be substituted, or are they the bayonet type head?

Don't know if it makes a difference but Disco's have the hand brake on the prop shaft. As do series landrovers and range rovers. I seem to remember them being alot larger than the drums on my Freelander.

According to Microcat, disco's use small coil type springs and dished washers on the handbrake drum

Freelander has conventional handbrake. Mine also sticks: being an auto we don't use the handbrake for that reason! Wet drums will rust and stick overnight.

Wait till its a clutch on a the Commer camper you haven't started all winter..
Umm. yes, start in second gear, hare off down farm track, and hit brakes and clutch HARD. That freed the B***tard. Well it was old, even then..