Needed to pass retest on my car it failed on rear driver side drum brake is stuck open and rear middle fog Is not operational , I have no mechanic as he was incompetent the first time and failed to pretest the car. Any help appreciated 

Edited 2 September, 20205 yr by Skrrrda

When you say ''middle fog'' I presume you mean middle brake light?

 

If the brakes are binding it's usually either the wheel cylinder piston(s) is/are seized or the rivet joint(s) in the handbrake lever(s) is/are seized. Orange arrow in this pic...

 

 

In some cases the handbrake cables can also become stiff and not return properly.

Edited 2 September, 20205 yr by TMB

Do I need to buy a brake drum rebuild kit before taking the new one apart and it says on the fail sheet that it’s the middle fog maybe brightens the middle brake light

19 minutes ago, Skrrrda said:

Do I need to buy a brake drum rebuild kit before taking the new one apart

 

Depends how you want to do it and what state the current components are in. A kit would be a good option if a complete refresh is needed.

 

Quote

and it says on the fail sheet that it’s the middle fog maybe brightens the middle brake light

 

OK, I've never heard of that.

Edited 2 September, 20205 yr by TMB

Would the front brakes from a donor fabia fit the rear of mine

4 minutes ago, Skrrrda said:

Would the front brakes from a donor fabia fit the rear of mine

 

Absolutely not. Front discs are totally different to the rear discs that some Fabias have.

Edited 2 September, 20205 yr by TMB

Lucky enough to obtain one with disc brakes already in the rear? What do you say are the chances of that and would they go straight onto my car passed on everything else except this and the mechanic clapped out today

8 minutes ago, TMB said:

 

Depends how you want to do it and what state the current componenets are in. A kit would be a good option if a complete refresh is needed.

 

 

OK, I've never heard of that.

Do I need to do the two drums at the same time type of job? 

 

8 minutes ago, Skrrrda said:

Do I need to do the two drums at the same time type of job? 

 

If you want to do a proper job I would overhaul both sides. How long is it since the rear brakes had attention?

Edited 2 September, 20205 yr by TMB

7 minutes ago, Skrrrda said:

Lucky enough to obtain one with disc brakes already in the rear? What do you say are the chances of that and would they go straight onto my car passed on everything else except this and the mechanic clapped out today

 

I don't know if rear disc brakes fit straight onto a car with drums. Probably different handbrake cables, brake hoses and suchlike.

Edited 2 September, 20205 yr by TMB

The juice isn't worth the squeeze, just rebuild the drums so they work properly, the car simply isn't fast enough to derive any benefit from rear discs, you'll end up with a worse performing handbrake and the discs will rust out through lack of use.

 

Don't bother trying to modify this car for performance, it's not a viable platform as a starting point.

But don’t the rear work with the foot brake also whichever takes less time for me not trying to ditch it just maintenance with new technology.
have my retest in 8 days 

Safety first 

keep the race in its place

Says Rear Fog Lamps (58). Rear Fog Lamps Not Working Or Faulty MiddleRear Major

44 minutes ago, Skrrrda said:

But don’t the rear work with the foot brake also whichever takes less time for me not trying to ditch it just maintenance with new technology.
have my retest in 8 days 

Safety first 

keep the race in its place

 

Yes, but most of the weight of the car shifts to the front under braking so the rears do very little work otherwise they would just lock up.

38 minutes ago, Skrrrda said:

Says Rear Fog Lamps (58). Rear Fog Lamps Not Working Or Faulty MiddleRear Major

Check fuse, if that's OK, change bulb

 

if its the third (middle) brake light. They rarely fail but have been known to stop working when the ground terminal (E5 at base of LH 'C' pillar) in the boot has a poor connection The light itself is LED and rarely fails so, if the fuses are OK. (Left Hand fusebox F5, 5A) Check/clean the ground connection for corrosion. (This also goes for your boot light not coming on, especially in wet conditions.)

OP- TMB has posted a decent photo of the assembly.https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/484528-2004-tdi-mk1-brake-fluid-quantity/ I've been working on my rear brakes recently and after many years of car DIY, I'd suggest you at least change the shoe hold down springs ( the circular items almost half way down the shoe). From experience it's almost impossible to get these at a reasonable price ( unless someone knows different ,and I'd be happy to hear that), so the next best option is a rear shoe fitting kit which includes all the springs and the holding fixings.

NB- do not forget before or very soon after removing shoes to secure the pistons( or better still if you don't), be prepared to open the bleed nipple to allow the shoes to contract ( and get the drum back on). (I do it with two levers after opening the nipple. It's easier that way and simpler to bleed with something like a Gunsen. most of the fast fit places simply remove the shoes and wait for the new ones to arrive. Result more air than fluid in system.

Depending on age of car and what's been/not been replaced it might be worth replacing the wheel cylinders. Best place for this is something like Euro car parts/Car parts 4 less/GSF ETC with one of their weekly sales .

Another problem you may find is that the drums have worn slightly and a lip has developed, where you may need to grind off the rusty lip to get the drum back on easier.

 

23 hours ago, TMB said:

 

 

If you want to do a proper job I would overhaul both sides. How long is it since the rear brakes had attention?

It makes sense to do both sides. That way the rear braking is balanced and a little bit of extra work and expense now means more consistent brakes in the future. Believe me the last thing you want to experience is loss of brakes. Rear brakes are a bit more difficult to keep tabs on, but when you put new tyres on the front, it's a good chance to look at the front pads. The outer pads are visible through the wheel, but the inner ones are not, and I've seen calipers where the inner and outer pads wear differently.

I bought the full shoe kit that came with wheel cyinders too.

Edited 3 September, 20205 yr by TMB

OP- TMB has posted a decent photo of the assembly.https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/484528-2004-tdi-mk1-brake-fluid-quantity/ I've been working on my rear brakes recently and after many years of car DIY, I'd suggest you at least change the shoe hold down springs ( the circular items almost half way down the shoe). From experience it's almost impossible to get these at a reasonable price ( unless someone knows different ,and I'd be happy to hear that), so the next best option is a rear shoe fitting kit.

 

Backing the auto adjuster off is done by using a thin screwdriver through a wheel bolt hole. It's also far easier to renew the shoes if you take off the wheel hub/bearing.

 

 

 

4 minutes ago, TMB said:

I bought the full shoe kit that came with wheel cyinders too.

As per my other post ( ref axle grinder 😀), after a few years the so called 7mm allen key on the cylinder nut rounds and it's not possible. Only other option is to use angle ( not axle) grinder on the cylinder.

As for knocking up the adjuster - it's great if the rivet has not seized. Then the alternative is hammer and levers. That's why I recommended the holddown kit replacement as at least one of the cups gets damaged forcing off the drum in this case.

1 minute ago, VWD said:

As per my other post ( ref axle grinder 😀),

 

😀

Another nice thing to have in the box is a spray brake cleaner. Gets rid of muck /dust and in the case of a bad cylinder -brake fluid. I've found Screwfix do a decent one https://www.screwfix.com/p/holts-aerosol-brake-cleaner-600ml/1396g

Got rid of the old dust+ fluid on my rear wheel.

Remember to check the nylon glide pads on the backplate too. Mine had thrown the towel in.

 

 

 

 

They should be lubricated with a smear of appropriate brake grease.

 

Edited 3 September, 20205 yr by TMB