Rear Brake Smoking Help!!!!!!!!

[cheese]

My fiesta mk6 was below rear brake threshold on my MOT test including parking brake last year. They adjusted the handbrake up to its maximum tension, so in preparation for my new MOT I replaced I the back shoes, the drums were fine. On my way to work I smelt burning, jumped out and smoke was coming out of my rear right drum. That night I drove slowly back home.

I removed the hub and adjusted it so it wasn't rubbing anymore, but noticed a problem with the handbrake. I have a lot more tension on the left side than the right. So when adjusting the handbrake the left wheel is getting stuck before the right. So now the left side is rubbing. I have bleed all brakes and no air is in the system. Should I be putting the auto adjuster on the lowest settings on both sides since there new shows or have them set the same as before with the old shoes?

Is the handbrake cable ment to be longer on one side or should it be even on both sides?

[FOCA]

If its like the Mondeo you can only adjust them together (no seperate handbrake adjustment for each side) so its best to replace both handbrake cables together

You might have to buy new shoes for both sides, the brakes should work evenly on both sides and should not rub when the handbrake is down

[wase16ll]

if ive read this right, recommend you start from scratch.

handbrake cables should never be adjusted without cleaning and adjusting brake shoes first.,..so if they only adjusted HB cable and thats not been de-adjusted since, then your never going to have full rear brake efficiency on either hydraulic or handbrake.

de adjust the handbrake fully, then clean out all the dust from shoes etc, make sure the handbrake lever on the shoes are free and not sticking or siezed

adjust the shoes..ideally they should be set that if you spin the wheel by hand, you'll get a full 1-2 rotations before wheel comes to stop..if you spin it and rotates freely endlessly, brakes too loose, if you spin it and wheel doesnt do a full rotation before stopping, then brakes too tight.

once your happy, only then does the cable get adjusted...adjust the cable till you get approx 4-6 clicks, double check that wheels are free when handbrake is released, if not then check for sticking cable [bearing in mind lever on rear of shoes has already been checked]

[cheese]

Thanks for the reply. I have replaced both shoes with new ones and cleaned inside. The one on the right spins freely as I adjusted it so low after is rubbing and smoking.

So am I right in saying that the auto adjuster inside the hub should be on the lowest setting then through pressing the break once assembled it will adjust correctly.

Only problem is this doesn't explain why I have different tension on the handbrake cable on both sides. Is it possible the cable has become more stretched on one side? I have to adjust the nut so far down on the handbrake that it reaches all the way to the bottom of the thread.

[wase16ll]

if the lever on the shoe isnt resting against its stop when handbrake is released then either the lever is siezed/sticking, the cable is siezed or sticking or most likely from what you have said, handbrake is way over adjusted...

do what i said originally, de adjust that handbrake...before adjusting the shoes, make sure that shoe lever is free and resting against its stop.

although the adjuster on the shoes is referred to as an auto adjuster...trust me, theyre not that good, much better off adjusting manually to set it right

if handbrakle cable has been over adjusted to compensate for free movement without having had brakes adjusted first in the past...which by sound of it, is what happened at previous mot...then yes, cable could be stretched...but only way of knowing for sure is to follow procedure i gave earlier..if after that, you still have to adjust cable to its max, then cables need renewing