Lomax stuck in gear?

[hotfoothowell]

With the car in neutral, the front wheels can't be rotated when jacked up - it is as if it were stuck in gear, with the wheels not rotating more than an inch or two before coming up against resistance. With the engine running, and the gear change in the neutel position, I have checked that the car is not in gear. Any suggestions, please? Obviously, I can't adjust the front brakes until the wheels are free (have just replaced the rear brake shoes and cylinder).

[callum]

I might be stating the obvious, but..

1) Is the handbrake off?
2) Did you bleed the brakes following the rear cylinder replacement?
3) Have you tried bleeding off the front nipple to relieve any pressure on the front pads?
4) Are both wheels off the ground (thinking locked diff here....)
5) Are the brake discs locked as well as the wheels?

Rgrds
C

[hotfoothowell]

These are drum brakes, and yes, the handbrake was off. The cause was both front brakes locked solid, no idea why that should be, but the adjusters were really stiff, no lubrication there. I notice that on each wheel, one brake lining is about 3 cm. shorter than the other, despite having a similar size shoe - is that intentional? Patrick

[Ken Hanna]

Patrick,
in order to minimise the chances of the brakes grabbing, the leading shoe will either have the lining offset away from the cylinder or it will be fitted with a shorter lining.

Note that in the other brake thread running at present, in the photograph the linings are offset and the shoes should really have been fitted the other way round...
Mind you, most replacement sets of rear brake shoes nowadays are made to suit disc braked cars, for which all the shoes are identical.

Ken