MG Car Repair: Midget Brakes, frozen handbrake, rear drums

Question
Had a bit of a strange on with my midget – I was a really cold morning and I drove it to the garage, but it the brakes felt a bit funny – I got to the garage and realised the back brakes were stuck on + hot ! (frozen handbrake I’m presuming) ….. took it home and left it for a couple of days and then decided to try and get the brakes the sorted. When I took it out, it seemed not too bad, checked round the wheels and the fronts were warm, but the back brakes were cold ….. Decided to take it for another run to check this out – did a few emergency stops and locked up the brakes to check they were stopping – half way though my drive, the brake pedal went rock hard and the brakes didn’t seem to be functioning that well, this eventually eased off …. Got it home and noticed that the rear brake lights are permanently on when the ignition is on …..



Any ideas? I’m baffled ……. Any advice / possible solutions or at least a place to start would be good ….  

Answer
Hi Paul,
Address the brake light first. Turn the key on and look at the brake lights to see if they are still on with the key on. If not, pump the brake pedal hard then check again. If they are on, loosen a brake line at the master cylinder to relieve any fluid pressure. If the brake lights go off, then check for a sticking brake pedal and if that is ok, then you have a master cylinder problem that needs to be addressed.

If the rear brakes got hot, it would be advisable to remove the rear drums and inspect the shoes. If they are not burned up you should sand all of the shoe lining with sand paper and clean the drums. After reinstalling the drums and adjusting the shoes you need to check the hand brake to see that it releases correctly when off.

Let me know,
Howard