Hello there I bought a Skoda Fabia 1.2 htp 2008 and it was driving perfect then I went on holidays for 3 weeks and just tried getting in it and it starts fine goes into gears fine but once I let go of hand break and try to reverse or go forward it won’t move or nudge its like the handbrake is stuck. Any ideas on what’s happening.

 

Thanks

is the car exposed to heavy rain  or did you wash the car before going on holiday ? Mine jams up the day after i wash it you can hear a cranking sound, happened on every skoda ive owned, but usually can release it just by driving

The rear shoes are stuck and this is extremely common. If you don't want to try the extreme method (usually reverse is better) -you need plenty of room in case it shoots back or forward when it lets go with a bang.

 

Alternatively get a wooden pole (i.e. broom stick) insert into rear wheels and give the drums a good bashing to loosen the shoes. Hit them hard. 

 

Only way to stop this nuisance reoccurring is to strip clean and lubricate rear drums/shoes operating mechanism which is not as difficult as it sounds but dirty and time consuming.

Edited 24 July, 20187 yr by xman

2 minutes ago, xman said:

The rear shoes are stuck and this is extremely common. If you don't want to try the extreme method (usually reverse is better) -you need plenty of room in case it shoots back or forward when it lets go with a bang.

 

Alternatively get a wooden pole (i.e. broom stick) insert into wheels and give the drums a good bashing to loosen the shoes. Hit them hard.

I’ve tried going forward and reversing with low and high revs once should I keep trying ? And I’ll give bashing the break drums a go and see if that helps thanks  

5 minutes ago, Ken2869 said:

I’ve tried going forward and reversing with low and high revs once should I keep trying ? And I’ll give bashing the break drums a go and see if that helps thanks  

Keep trying, don't be shy, I also find jumping up and down to make the car bounce at the back helps, you can usually hear when the shoes release. Often its more one side the the other.

Edited 24 July, 20187 yr by xman

16 minutes ago, xman said:

Keep trying, don't be shy, I also find jumping up and down to make the car bounce at the back helps, you can usually hear when the shoes release. Often its more one side the the other.

I’ve tried reversing but just managed to get it moved about an inch or two and also banging the rear breaks with a wooden pole do you have any other suggestions  I could try thanks 

I presume you bashed really hard with the handbrake off? Bash them end on really hard at the rear top quarter if possible thats near the internal lever pivot which is the main source of the trouble....

Retry moving with the engine, fwd/rev repeat, show no mercy....usually works

 

Next step would be secure car in first gear to stop moving, handbrake off, jack up rear wheel, remove wheel, then try a large hammer  on the drums.

 

Next would be to release the auto adjuster or move the internal parking lever using a screwdriver but that requires the drums to be in a certain position......

Edited 24 July, 20187 yr by xman

1 hour ago, xman said:

I presume you bashed really hard with the handbrake off? Bash them end on really hard at the rear top quarter if possible thats near the internal lever pivot which is the main source of the trouble....

Retry moving with the engine, fwd/rev repeat, show no mercy....usually works

 

Next step would be secure car in first gear to stop moving, handbrake off, jack up rear wheel, remove wheel, then try a large hammer  on the drums.

 

Next would be to release the auto adjuster or move the internal parking lever using a screwdriver but that requires the drums to be in a certain position......

I’ve managed to get the left back drum unstuck but the right drum is still stuck any ideas on what to do with the right rear drum thanks.

Did you remove the wheel and bash the drum hard with a hammer? 

27 minutes ago, xman said:

Did you remove the wheel and bash the drum hard with a hammer? 

I don’t have a car jack but my next door neighbor does and he should be back within an time so when he gets back I’ll try this method, so do I just give the wheel drum a few good bashes around the circumference and put the wheel back on and try to drive ?? Thanks 

A good bashing usually releases, ideally a rubber faced mallet all around and front outer edges. You'll be able to spin the drum by hand when it releases. Wiggling the brake cable behind the drum may help.

 

This youtube video shows the drum brake internals (the still below is the rh drum but video shows lh so rh is mirror image of the actual video). The adjustment wedge can be levered up by putting a screwdriver through a bolt hole (which should be approx at 3 o clock position for rh drum). Use a phone torch to shine into the hole and look to see the bottom of the wedge.

The lever that is stuck is the large vertical metal bit on the opposite side to the wedge behind left shoe the bottom of this is connected to the brake cable.

 

Again a screwdriver put in through a bolt hole at approx 7 to 9 o clock aiming towards the right you can get behind that lever and push to the left  to the release position.

Hope you understand. 

 

If you move the adjuster, it will need to reset by pressing the brake  pedal a couple of times. Do this before driving off anywhere as the pedal will drop low and give you a fright!

Edited 24 July, 20187 yr by xman

Try rocking the car, either manually with a few big lads, or with forward/reverse gears and quick changes! You most likely just need to brake the bind! It would be better long term, to remove, clean, lube and re-assemble everything, taking care no to lube the shoes friction material and the inner hub, of course!