Front Drums dragging with adjusters all the way out

[britlover]

Having issues with front drums dragging on my BN1. New (10 years ago) rubber lines and wheel cylinders. No leaks, stops fine and straight, drums clean inside. They don't seem to drag enough to get really hot while driving, but I can hardly spin them with the car jacked up and wheels on. Any thoughts? I haven't tried changing fluid and bleeding yet. Initially, the car had a very hard pedal at the top of the travel but stopped OK. I think one or more of the wheel cylinders were stuck at that point. With a little more short-trip driving, now have much better brake pedal feel/ modulation, and I noticed the fluid level dropped a bit, so I topped up.

Any thoughts? Clean fluid and bleed? Have drums turned and try new shoes?

 

[HealeyRick]

I'd check the rubber lines after 10 yrs. They can swell shut on the inside so the brakes won't fully release.

 

[nevets]

I had a similar issue. I replaced the rubber hoses thinking that they might be clogged, as HealeyRick suggested. Turns out two of the wheel cylinders were not functioning properly, not retracting completely, and had a buildup of what I believe to be caked on brake fluid from a small leak. I replaced all the wheel cylinders and the problem was solved. The biggest headache of the whole process was bleeding the brakes after replacing making the repairs.

 

[HEALEYJAG]

I'm leaning with wheel cylinders.......on my car some bozo put in new kits without honing the inside.. Had to take them ALL out and sent to "white post restorations" for a rebuild. Yep ..the hardest part is bleeding the brakes.. My wife's leg is still sore...or so she says!!


Pete

 

[steveg]

I'm leaning with wheel cylinders.......on my car some bozo put in new kits without honing the inside.. Had to take them ALL out and sent to "white post restorations" for a rebuild. Yep ..the hardest part is bleeding the brakes.. My wife's leg is still sore...or so she says!!

Is White Post going to sleeve them for you? If so, is that cheaper than buying new ones?

FWIW - there's been discussion here about honing aluminum cylinders, but there are excellent sources online which advise against it, as it removes the hard coating and makes them wear out quickly.

 

[nevets]

I went with new one from Moss, which were not very expensive. The old ones are Girling and I may send them to White Post for rebuilding some day.