Hello Car Crafters.... I have another problem..... My rear brakes locked open on me so bad that I was forcing my engine too much to move. There were so open that they were smoking alot. I had to pull over and take of the problem right then and there. But it happened again on my way home. What causes this. Also the dam speedometer doesn't work because of that problem. Asking for advise. Thanks!  

The brakes and speedometer are separate systems. If both quit then it is for different reasons.  The brake problem could be caused by the parking brake cable getting caught up on something (what I have no idea but it does hang beneath the car) and causing the brakes to be applied.  Or some how the adjuster on the brakes is over tightening the system.  Though I've done rear brakes on old Fords I can't think of how the auto-adjuster would over tighten the brakes on it's own, usually when worn out they loosen up.  I'd start by checking the parking brake cable and pulling the drums to look for broken parts.

The speedo....Could be a few things, broken speedo cable, speedometer internal's failed, or the unlikely event the speedo gear in the transmission broke.  

The only way I could think they were related is that they both get routed under the car and if you drove over something that snagged on both the speedo cable housing and the brake cable...but that seems unlikely.  

(This was a Cougar right???)  

Yeah 69 cougar. Also this happened to me on my dads 83 caprice wagon after one of the back tires shredded on the freeway. The wagon moved fron side to side viciously but I managed to stay cool. But yeah I fixed the problem on the side of the road to get to work. I loosened up the adjuster on boths sides but like I said on the way back home, they got a little tighter again. I have to check'em again. and that speedo cable to.

Thanks!  

the speedo cable is kind of a pain to change unless you have slim hands. It takes about 15 minutes to pull the dash pad out so thats probably the easiest way. Pop that off, take the screws for the cluster out and you can get your hand behind there juuuuust enough to undo the cable to the back of the cluster. did it stop suddenly? or did it do the clicking and bouncing routine first?  

I didn't see when it stopped or how.  

Wassup guys... a co-worker told me today that he had the same problem with the bakes to expand. He said that the brake fluid heats up and that makes the brakes to expand. Can this happen or be possible. In his case, he said it expanded because of the exhaust heating up the the line. Let me get some info on this.  

If the rear brakes are drums I would suspect the wheel cylinders this would cause them to lock up and then bleed back off once you are riding along or just lock up and stay locked up.also check if equipt the rubber hose that tees off of the rear end  

things that can cause brakes to lock up and stay locked...

improper fluid in the master causing the seals to swellup and block the ports in the master..

a  brake light switch that has come out of place holding the pedal down a little....

someone who backs up hard  and then applys the brakes ..  this overtightens the ajusters...

i did see one car come through the shop that had the self ajusters installed totally wrong..  

the self ajuster cable or link needs to be on the rear/secondary shoe...


normal operation is. when you back up the top of the secondary shoe is pulled away from the anchor pin at the top..  if the ajustement is out it will pull a lot and pull the cable or link and cause the self ajust lever to move the star wheel to tighten the brakes...


if parts get mixed up ... and the cable/link is on the primary shoe it may tighten the ajuster each time the brakes are applied while going forward.....


leaking rear axle seals can cause problems also as the lube changes the friction propertys of the lining and locked brakes will result..


some cars also have a residual pressure valve in the master.. if those clog they can hold the brakes on


one last thing..    on some models of brakes ... when the shoes are worn they will also lock up when braking but not stay on..  

did u jump some tracks and bottom out, or did u lend a friend your car, thats what happened when a buddies of mine car got stolen, had to replace the entire rearend and suspension