floydwhite

hi everyone im a newbie here, very sorry that my first post is a post asking for help but ive run out of ideas! right, i have a 1986 cabriolet as per title with abs. The rear brakes dont work, I have fitted new wheel cylinders i have cleaned all the handbrake mechinism ive bled the modulators and the brakes. When brake pedal is pressed you can still turn the back wheels by hand unless it is completely depressed to the floor it does seem to lock them, upon releasing the pedal you then cant turn the hub freely. I have cleaned the levers on the load proportioning valves they appear to be working. If you undo one of the brake line connections to the wheel and depress the brake pedal brake fluid does come out but not as fast as it should. please can someone help

many thanks in advance

floyd

Rogeyboy

iTrader: (2)

Its sounds like they are not properly adjusted... Take the drum off and looking at the shoes you should see a small ratchet adjuster mechanism, level this so that the shoes move outwards. Do it a small amount at a time, testing that the drum still goes back on. Keep doing this until the drum just about goes back on without too much force.

Rogeyboy

iTrader: (2)

Also the wheels have to be on the ground for the rear brakes to work fully!
It may also be worth cleaning the rear drums out with an airline or some brake cleaner aerosol... The grease up the moving parts making sure not to get any grease on or near the shoes or drum housing itself! While the drum is off file the lip off it, if it has one!

rob115

check rubber pipes feeding the back brakes some times they can brake down inside and limit flow easy to check dissconect feed pipes and see if you have got full flow back

floydwhite

thanks for your replies, pretty sure their adjusted right because the handbrake holds and you could hear the self adjusters clicking as it took the slack up.

As for the flexi hoses, we did check either end and fluid was coming out before and after the hose but not with any real pressure. will take the pipe off before the flexi and have a better look tommorow.

thanks floyd

JonathanJ

As Rogey said if you try and do these up in the air the load proportioning valves go into the unloaded state so cuts down the pressure to the rear brakes to prevent them locking up , one way to do this is jack car up then drop the rear uprights onto axle stands so the recover their natural ride height then press the pedal again and see if it work any better

floydwhite

hiya we ve tried what you suggested and the back brakes now lock up and seem ok but when you actually drive the car although it does eventually stop it still isnt right and feels like there is no servo? we are going to change the flexis just incase but any ideas what else we could try? thanks in advance