Hey Guys,

So I'm just back from Canada, visiting my brother in law, etc.

left my Octy parked up for the 2 weeks at my sisters place, in her gravel covered yard.

turned the key and she fired up beautifully, and then .... fun time.

Put it in reverse to back out of the yard, and the hand brake would not release on the rear wheels.

had to reverse it through the gravel, tearing the crap out the yard, to the gate with the rear wheels not turning.

once i got out onto the road, the tyres could grip in and thankfully the brakes popped, and all was normal again.

But... does this problem mean im going to have to get the brake drums on the back replaced / refurbed?

is it likely to be a once off from the cold weather, or is it going to become a more frequent issue.

what shud i look for on the drum etc to know what state they are in?

cheers lads :-)

It's common for shoes to bind to the drum if they have been left sitting for weeks and the weather isn't going to help it. You may want to take the drums off and check the condition of things in there but them binding while sitting up doesn't necessarily mean they need a rebuild.

If I am leaving a car parked up I usually leave it in gear with the handbrake off for this reason (drums or discs) but obviously you can only do that if you're on flat ground

It's common for shoes to bind to the drum if they have been left sitting for weeks and the weather isn't going to help it. You may want to take the drums off and check the condition of things in there but them binding while sitting up doesn't necessarily mean they need a rebuild.

If I am leaving a car parked up I usually leave it in gear with the handbrake off for this reason (drums or discs) but obviously you can only do that if you're on flat ground

define: "you can only do that if you're on flat ground". I do this every time, regardless of the gradient.

And yes, mine don't always release on monday morning after 2 days of standing. I think this is a 'factory built undocumented feature', though never worry about it

I say that because if the hill is too steep it will move in gear or if someone was to bump into it it could start rolling. There is no lock in a manual gearbox so you are only using the engine to hold it.

Had the same problem (only one wheel) Cant seem to get the drums off. I have tried to poke a screwdriver through the hub to find the adjuster but I cant seem to find it! What position is it eg 1 o clock.

If its a drum just remove the wheel and give it a beating with a hammer to break it free. 

If it's that stuck the adjuster wont pull it back

Tried beating it with a hammer but with no luck

This is a drum setup we are talking about? Can you rotate the drum at all?

Have you tried driving it with the wheel locked? Pulling back and forward usually breaks them loose.

Only once have I had a drum that wouldn't free up but that was a vw t2 that had been sitting for 6 years

Can rotate the drum with a lever after a few minutes trying to get the drum off. but as soon as the brake pedal is applied it goes solid again. Tried the back and forward method to no avail. The drum seems to be stuck at the bottom as I can get a bit of movement at  the top. I have tried giving it a drive of about 3 miles but the drum is still stuck and hot when i get back.

The shoes are not stuck to the drum then. It sound as if a retaining spring has come adrift or something like that.

Can't say without looking at it but if you have wound the adjuster all the way back and it still wont come off then it may be a case of forcing it off and replacing bits afterwards.

Far from the easiest thing to do bur you may have no choice

Finally got the drum off The short springs behind the shoes had come adrift (Probably with me forcing the drum off) The hand brake mechanism was well and truly seized. All freed up now and working fine. Thanks for all the help guys. Note to self. Don't leave the hand brake on while on holiday