(T) Sei rear brake / handbrake setup - help!

Hi all.

Hope you can help. My handbrake cable snapped a month ago so i gave it to my friend to fix. He ordered a handbrake cable and when fitting he found it was too long.

He also metioned I should replace the rear shoes. No problem but since then the brakes feel dodgy and the handbrake cable, now shortened is V stiff. We opened and inspected the drums and found there are 2 springs inside keeping the shoes A)in place and B)off the drums. Now the 2 spings are different. One is small and weak, the other is strong. They can either be at the top or bottom, there is no indication which way they should be and we may think he put them in the wrong place as the top one (the strong spring in my case) pulls the shoes off the drums and I think it my be pulling them too far off, this would also explain the stiff handbrake.

I'm not asking anyone to dissassemble their drums but someone by now must have done and remembered the setup or if you own a Haines manual?

If this is the correct setup can anyone suggest a fix. They have recently been bled by a local garage and the system has not been opened at all so it must be a problem with the rear drum/shoe setup.

Cheers if you can help.



GavN
E-Mail Gavin.Nesbitt@Orange.Net


GavN

The bottom one should be the tight one, and it is a sod to fit!
If your handbrake cable was too long, it means the rear shoes are worn, you don't need much wear to run out of handbrake adjustment (another stunning piece of Fiat engineering). Check the rear linkages too, where the handbrake cable connects to, if the pivots are stiff then change them (about £8 each from Fiat).

Pete.
Cinq sporting 1242cc
http://mysite.freeserve.com/close_to_cracking_up/

Cheers for that Pete.

I was sure they were wrong! No wonder I'm having problems. I will need to look at this when I get back. I am away to work in the Czech Rep. on Monday for a long time but will be back on the odd occasion and will only use the car then.

The rear shoes have been replaced but I can only think I've been supplied a Cinq cable and not the Sei one. The rear break adjustment appears to be a combi handbreak one too, rather funny. The linkages you mentioned were a bit tight at first but I greased them up and they were moving freely.

I also need an exaust as mine snapped at the back-box about 1 week ago but that's an easy one to fix. I think i will look at some mods also like a punto engine, if possible the 1.2 turbo! Mucho fun! Failing that a performance cam-shaft and the head skimmed a bit.

Any thoughts?

Thanks again.

GavN.

GavN

another 1242cc wannabe? - or is he serious

Was a wannabi, but after my time in the Czech I will have a few pennies to spend.

What you got? Any advice?

GavN/

GavN

i am a wannabe - still got my 1.1i sei sporting - getting there tho - got my airfilter soted out, and just reonde my bumpers - check it out in the pics section

if you are thinkning of an engine replacement pete (fixitagaintomorrow)is your man

Check the link to my website below.

Pete.
Cinq sporting 1242cc
http://mysite.freeserve.com/close_to_cracking_up/