Strange rear brake and a whole in a box

[Corvair_Corsa]

My English is bad, especially when I try to talk about tecknical things,
hope someone will understand this ....

I stopped using the handbrake on my Astro-88 one year ago cause it tended to lock the left rear wheel. But now I had to control my car (Swedish "besiktning" once a year) and have to fix it soon. (I asked the man not to test the handbrake, I wanted to know if there where more problems on the car, it was very few problems) I got one month to fix that handbrake.
After trying to use it, everytime it locked the wheel and I had to open it and do something (oiling, hit with a hammer, adjust the brakes, swear at it) it wasnt locked anymore, until I use the handbrake again.. But recently the left rear wheel started to brake though I didnt use the handbrake at all. It happened several times and finally, my only solution to get rid of that problem at least, was to take away that steal-thing that goes between the two "braking-things"
(we say "bromsbackar" here) cause it seemed to be too long !
It pressed the "braking things" out to much all the time.
This metal-thing seem to only be connected to the handbrake.
Now I have no problems with a braking wheel at all, but I have no handbrake at rear left at all ..
How is this possible, that metal thing is too long ?? I checked very much that it was mounted in the proper way. I think of making it some millimeter shorter.. Is that stupid ?

Another problem suddenly is there was a round cover in the bottom of the bigger of the two "exhaust-boxes" disappearing inside the box.
So the car started to exhaust not rear but through that whole. The whole is about 5 centimeter. (2 inches)
Why is it a small round cover there ?
What is the best to do ?

And again, excuse for the bad english ....

[Kings-x59]

One suggestion is to go to www.autozone.com and look at their repair guides. I don't know what model year your van is, but rear drum brakes haven't changed a lot over the years. You can find diagrams there to determine if the brake is assembled correctly. Do not make it a millimeter shorter.
It sounds like your drum brakes need service - a good cleaning and new springs perhaps.

I'm guessing the two small boxes in the exhaust system are the catalytic converter and the muffler.
If the exhaust is coming out a small hole, this needs to be repaired. There is risk of exhaust gas entering the passenger compartment.
Take it to a mechanic.

[Corvair_Corsa]

Originally Posted by Kings-x59

One suggestion is to go to www.autozone.com and look at their repair guides. I don't know what model year your van is, but rear drum brakes haven't changed a lot over the years. You can find diagrams there to determine if the brake is assembled correctly. Do not make it a millimeter shorter.
It sounds like your drum brakes need service - a good cleaning and new springs perhaps.

I'm guessing the two small boxes in the exhaust system are the catalytic converter and the muffler.
If the exhaust is coming out a small hole, this needs to be repaired. There is risk of exhaust gas entering the passenger compartment.
Take it to a mechanic.

Thx, didnt know about autozone, my van is of year - 88, I mounted new springs and cleaned it, didnt help. The metal-thing presses the two
(bromsbackar in swedish) out too much, perhaps its not the right thing for the brakes, the problem was existing already when I bought the car.
The brake-cylinder (?) is working nice. Taking away this metal-thing
completely ended the problem with car braking itself at that wheel now and then. (Before it didnt brake so hard as now)
But the handbrake stopped to work at that wheel.

Its easy to fill that round hole in the catalytic converter but I wounder
why there was a round metal cover of ca 5 cm, perhaps for some type of inspection inside ? The cover disappeared inside it, I dont know how it was fixed. Before I noticed this I could hear a strange vibrating sound
down there and now its vibrating inside the catalytic.
Its not the muffler anyhow but I am not sure the bigger box is an catalytic, cause here in sweden year -88 usually didnt have one.

[Corvair_Corsa]

Now I found they are called brake-pads in english ......
Looking in autozone I couldnt find anything special for Astro if I dont
buy some prospects, and I never bought anything with internet cause I have no Visa-card and if I had I shouldnt use it there...

So there is a "metal-thing" between the pads making them move if the
wire for the handbrake moves. And my problem is connected only with this thing. When its there, mounted correct, it presses the two pads out too much all the time. The pads cant "rest" at the upper point as normal.
I think this part isnt the right one, not the original.
Worst type of problem. So perhaps I have to compare with the one inside
the right rear wheel or find it somewhere.

[Kings-x59]

Autozone.com has repair guides for older modely vehicles. They have repair information on your '88.
Try this link:
http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBr...3d8011ac84.jsp

There is a diagram of the drum brake assembly, you can click the diagram on the web page to make it larger. you can use the repair guides for free.
Compare this to what you have. Hopefully this will help you sort it out.

[Corvair_Corsa]

Yes, using the link you sended was easy, but in fact its hard to find it
in that sites puzzle other way.
Nice diagram, but tells nothing about problems with that "metal-thing" between the brakepads wich is called "link" in the text but "strut" in the diagram. It doesnt even tell me how it should be mounted, only that
its an existing part.
It presses the pads out too much so I have nothing else to do than
to make it a bit shorter I know, its completely sick..
It can also have to do with the "lever" for the handbrake, the other part
that is connected direct to the wire and mounted together with one of the pads, but I cant see how, its also correct mounted.

[Kings-x59]

The thing to do is pull both the rear drums and compare the arrangement of the right brake with the left.

[guyonearth]

You have a pretty old Astro. The small "cover" as you call it on the catalytic converter may have been used to fill it with catalyst or cushion material when it was manufactured. Some of the old converters used pellets of catalyst rather than a ceramic matrix. It may have some other purpose as well. I suggest you replace the catalytic converter if it is making funny noises, the internals are probably breaking up or fused. Aftermarke units are not expensive. As for the brakes, why not just turn the adjustment back a few notches? Its obvious your cables are corroded and siezed, and should be replaced. If you replace the cables and set the adjustement correctly, you will not have a problem. Grinding down the parts or leaving them out is not the answer. The strut that you want to modify not only activates the handbrake feature, it is part of the auto-adjuster assembly, and fiddling with it will ruin it's ability to adjust your brakes.

[Corvair_Corsa]

Oh, thx, but I tried the adjustment, adjusted back a little each time, it didnt matter. That adjustmment only affect the lower parts of the pad, it means nothing when the upper parts is pressed out to long with the "strut-link".
And also its no problem with the wire. Handbrake works fine at the right wheel and cause the left wheel started to brake suddenly during driving
and I didnt use the handbrake, the problem isnt with the wire for the handbrake, probably.
Its this strange strut or it is the self-adjustment that you talk about. Anyhow, now to be able to use the car i removed both the strut and the link for the self-adjustment, all springs are new. The brakes works fine and the wheel doesnt brake or lock during my nice trips.
But I have no handbrake and no self-adjustment.
If I now should put back the strut-link, I must make it shorter AND I WILL
The self-adjustment isnt that important for me.
I can easy open it and ajust it if needed.

[Corvair_Corsa]

I was still too lazy to remove the right wheel to compare the parts, perhaps the parts in the left
system are not the right parts. This problem seemed to be since I bought the car, I had to stop to use the handbrake. yes its strange.
And yes, I would compare with the right side...

[guyonearth]

I still think your cable is partially seized. This would have the effect of making the wheel want to lock as well as making it seem like your part was "too long".

[Corvair_Corsa]

The cable seem to be ok but I am not quite sure, I let a friend pusch the handbrake while I was looking inside the pads and shit and the lever for the handbrake was moving less than one millimeter, veryvery little.
The "strut" between the pads is there again, now 2mm shorter ... and
now there is no problems with self-braking or locking wheel.
I felt with the hand and a tool on the lever for the handbrake (a metal-
thing connected to the cable at one side and to one of the pads at the other side) but it isnt possible to move more than one millimeter or so.
The thing is that now is there no handbrake at all on the left wheel but works fine at the right. And the usual footbrake works fine and no locking.
I have to demont everything again and try to figure out why the lever for the handbrake inside the left wheel hardly moves.
I had a problem with the cable (wire) cause it was too long ...... it wasnt possible to tension it, it was tensioned maximum at that place with a long screw, so I put on a speciel, extra wire-tensioner, its
now good tensioned.
Perhaps the handbrake will never work again at the left wheel cause of the shorter strut, but anyhow this stopped the ugly locking of the wheel.
The problem is that I have to fix it to get the car ok at the test, but it seems easier to put on a radiocontrolled servo at the normal brake, when the test-man tryes the handbrake I push the button
Easier than to get this ugly shit to work ...

[guyonearth]

It only moves a millimeter or two normally, if your brakes are properly adjusted to start with. I would disconnect the cable at both ends and see if it moves freely. If not, it should be replaced. The front cable sometimes seizes as well. Here in the US where the roads are heavily salted and there are generally no inspections, most older cars are driving around with seized brake cables.

[Corvair_Corsa]

GRAND FINALE !!

Yes the cable was seized !
Inside the wheel the end of the wire and the mecanics was, all the time, situated almost as the handbrake was on, even if it was off ....
that made the wire "far too long" for me....
That made the pads going out too much all the time and I thought also the strut-link was too long.
It works now !!
Even if the strut is 2 millimeter too short now, its compensated with that wire-tensioner...
I didnt replace the cable cause I dont have one and it seem to be a bit complicated... but we worked hard to get it move inside, I promise..
Then I lubricated it as much as possible.
One funny thing is that at the left wheel now it works good forward, but
not good backward.
Anyhow the test is only forward.
Thx guys, you were quite right in everything, I made it wrong but
succeeded anyhow.

[Corvair_Corsa]

oops where is my Corvair-pic now ??