Ducato handbrake - I'm fed up with it now! (1 Viewer)

[Feltwell]

Has anyone else had persistent problems with the rear wheels of their Ducato squeaking, caused it seems by the handbrake?

I've got one of the very last X244 Ducato's on the "Maxi" heavy duty chassis, which have an odd arrangement for the back brakes of having a disc brake for braking whilst driving, and a separate "top hat" small drum brake in the middle for the handbrake.

When I first got the van the handbrake was binding, but after a stripdown, cleanup & lubricate by the garage all seemed to be well, except for a squeak. Recently during some other work they misadjusted the handbrake which caused it to suddenly bind on whilst driving - in fairness to them, they admitted their mistake and stripped and rebuilt the back brakes again, all works well but there's still that damn squeak!

It's been suggested that new brake shoes for the drum is the way to go.

Anyone else had Ducato handbrake problems? I never like the way the van moves an inch or so after you put the handbrake on and release the footbrake either, but that's just a side effect of the design I presume.

 

[Hobbytwo]

We've got a X244 with an AL-KO set up so will be totally different to your Maxi chassis, but have owned other 244's with the more "conventional" set up like yours. It takes time and patience to get the handbrake set up correctly, if doing it yourself with a good workshop manual, or alternatively taking it to a mechanic who knows what he's doing (and I know that's not easy sometimes !). Another good source of info. is to be found on the Fiat Forum.com ......select Ducato......and then search.

By the way I don't see the point in just fitting new brake shoes, as that in itself wont solve anything, unless they're badly worn or distorted. I take it all the cable routing has been greased, and the problem is not simply that it's getting stuck after application?

 

[tonyidle]

It's more likely to be the disc pads - take them out, coat the back of each with Copaslip, then put them back.

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[Feltwell]

No, it's definitely the handbrake - the footbrake, for the disc, makes no odds to the noise, whereas the handbrake does affect it.

Hobbytwo, yours might not be so different to mine, don't Al-Ko re-use the Fiat back axle? Everything is well greased now. I do wonder if the previous issues mean that the shoes have distorted slightly.