Separate handbrake shoes/drums

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
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Sat 25 Oct 2008 10:24
Separate handbrake shoes/drums - gordonbennet
In a current thread i notice one or two drivers use the transmission lock on their auto's without applying the handbrake, swmbo does the same with our pick up, but only on our flat parking area.

Just pondering about the lack of use of things, and i thought of those cars that have separate handbrakes with shoes, usually inside the rear discs, MB's and BM's and Volvo's notably but there are others too.

Do those with such systems apply the handbrake gently now and again whilst moving to clean the rust and muck build up off the drum, or does the constant use of the handbrake stop the build up enough?

I'm thinking of how quickly the clutch can rust solid on a car stood for even a few weeks, sometimes resulting in removal to free off.

Edited by Pugugly on 25/10/2008 at 11:19

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Sat 25 Oct 2008 11:16
separate handbrake shoes/drums - martint123
When I was in the USA for a while with a freebie car, my American colleagues were astounded that I was applying the "emergency" brake and not just relying on "park".
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Sat 25 Oct 2008 11:58
separate handbrake shoes/drums - Number_Cruncher
>>Do those with such systems apply the handbrake gently now and again whilst moving

No, those handbrakes really aren't designed for use while moving. IMO, you'll do more harm than good.

I tend to use the handbrake on our W124 when parking on a slope, to make sure that the handbrake is holding the car, not the gearbox lock. This avoids the jolt as you wrench the gearlever out of park, which must be really bad for the gearbox, both in terms of wear on the pawl itself, and the thought of where all of those wear particles might end up (have you ever seen a hydraulic schematic for a 722.4xx gearbox!)

If you never use the handbrake while moving, the device should outlast the car.

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Sat 25 Oct 2008 12:12
separate handbrake shoes/drums - dxp55
GB

I always use the handbrake as well as park - force of habit really and I regularly hold it on slightly to keep drums clean - this comes about from previous Mazda 626 which had handbrake as part of calipers and they had a habit of seizing up - Mate never uses his just sticks it in park.
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