Whoa!! Brakes locked up doing 45 mph. That was scary.???

[Poptopcamper]

It's been a couple years since I've worked on my bus. I had two surgeries which required a lengthy recovery and I don't hav a warm garage to work in during our frigid Wyoming winters. The last thing I did was replace the front brake pads, check and adjust the rear brake shoes, bleed all four brake lines and adjust the emergency brake. Then it sat for two years in my garage.
This summer I've been busy making up for lost time, getting a lot done on the bus. I decided to drive it to the gas station, about two miles, to fill it with fresh gas. On the way home, I was doing 45 mph and gently hit the brake pedal to slow for a left turn. A brake on the passenger side locked up and wouldn't release. I left a long black stripe on the road. I finally stopped and traffic was going around me. The brake finally let go and I was able to pull off on the shoulder. I got out to see if there was smoke coming from the tire or brakes, but there was none. So I don't know if it was the from brake pad, or rear brake shoe that locked up. I was able to drive home, slowly so I didn't hit the brakes. But when I stopped on my street and started, they released okay.
Question: where do I start to determine which brake s faulty. What could cause a brake to lock up like that. I'm glad I wasn't doing 65. We might have rolled. Thanks.
_________________
If you only have one tool in your tool box, and it's a hammer, pretty soon, everything looks like it needs to be whacked!
1978 VW Riviera
2021 Dodge Ram 3/4 ton
2020 VW Tiguan
2001 Harley Electraglide Classic
1986 BMW R 800cc motorcycle
2002 Chevy Camaro Z28
1999 Harley Sportster 1200 Custom

[aeromech]

Not this matters in your case but you really shouldn't ever need to adjust your parking brake. When you adjust the rears, the parking brake should tighten up as well. If you adjusted it BEFORE you adjusted the shoes then the parking brake might have been too tight. I guess a likely suspect could be a brake hose collapsing internally. What kind of shape are your hoses in? Keep in mind that lots of time they look ok on the outside.
_________________
Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[Poptopcamper]

Another thing I just thought of. When I've left the bus sitting over night and then move it in the morning, the brakes have stuck. I pumped the brakes and they came lose and no Problem. I was going to check the brakes again, but went to gas up before I did. I'm just trying to diagnose the problem. Collapsed brake hoses could be a real possibility, after 39 years. I just put braided steel brake lines on my Harley. I probably need to do that on the bus.
_________________
If you only have one tool in your tool box, and it's a hammer, pretty soon, everything looks like it needs to be whacked!
1978 VW Riviera
2021 Dodge Ram 3/4 ton
2020 VW Tiguan
2001 Harley Electraglide Classic
1986 BMW R 800cc motorcycle
2002 Chevy Camaro Z28
1999 Harley Sportster 1200 Custom

[aeromech]

Just buy regular hoses and you'll be fine
_________________
Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[Poptopcamper]

Regular hoses. Right. Thanks.
_________________
If you only have one tool in your tool box, and it's a hammer, pretty soon, everything looks like it needs to be whacked!
1978 VW Riviera
2021 Dodge Ram 3/4 ton
2020 VW Tiguan
2001 Harley Electraglide Classic
1986 BMW R 800cc motorcycle
2002 Chevy Camaro Z28
1999 Harley Sportster 1200 Custom

[Tcash]

Chock the front tires. Jack the rear wheel up. Apply the brake, then try and turn the wheel. Repeat process on front wheel. This will isolate which wheel it is.

[Poptopcamper]

Thanks Tcash. Will do. I've ordered new brake lines from Bus Depot. 39 years on a brake hose is a long time and I drive over 10,000 foot mountain passes in Wyoming. Brakes are a good thing.😎
_________________
If you only have one tool in your tool box, and it's a hammer, pretty soon, everything looks like it needs to be whacked!
1978 VW Riviera
2021 Dodge Ram 3/4 ton
2020 VW Tiguan
2001 Harley Electraglide Classic
1986 BMW R 800cc motorcycle
2002 Chevy Camaro Z28
1999 Harley Sportster 1200 Custom

[TDCTDI]

Leaking wheel cylinders that contaminate brake shoes can make the friction material sticky. Pull the drums & inspect the brakes.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[Poptopcamper]

All good feedback. I plan to pull the wheels and check the brake shoes.
_________________
If you only have one tool in your tool box, and it's a hammer, pretty soon, everything looks like it needs to be whacked!
1978 VW Riviera
2021 Dodge Ram 3/4 ton
2020 VW Tiguan
2001 Harley Electraglide Classic
1986 BMW R 800cc motorcycle
2002 Chevy Camaro Z28
1999 Harley Sportster 1200 Custom

[TDCTDI]

Also, rust on the braking surface of the drum where the shoes weren't while the vehicle sat can cause this too.

But if everything checks out visually, suspect the brake hose.
_________________
Everybody born before 1975 has a story, good, bad, or indifferent, about a VW.


GOFUNDYOURSELF, quit asking everyone to do it for you!


An air cooled VW will make you a hoarder.


Do something, anything, to your project every day, and you will eventually complete it.

[Wasted youth]

I judge by your signature line that you are talking about your 1978 Riviera, which should feature front disc brakes.

Twice now on my 1973 bus, the brake calipers have seized due to inactivity. Each event required a disassembly of the caliper. This last time was after a near three-year sitting period... shortly after I rebuilt the calipers!

Jack the front. Relieve the caliper brake pressure from the bleed port because you're changing the hose anyway. Try to rotate the disc.

If they are seized, I got a nice pair of rebuilt ATE calipers from O'Reilly Auto Parts, if you can believe that.

[Poptopcamper]

Living in Wyoming, I have been mail ordering most of my parts and paying shipping. I recently discovered that my local O'Reilly's can order parts for my bus and have them usually in one day. And no shipping fee. Who knew?😎
_________________
If you only have one tool in your tool box, and it's a hammer, pretty soon, everything looks like it needs to be whacked!
1978 VW Riviera
2021 Dodge Ram 3/4 ton
2020 VW Tiguan
2001 Harley Electraglide Classic
1986 BMW R 800cc motorcycle
2002 Chevy Camaro Z28
1999 Harley Sportster 1200 Custom

[aeromech]

Autohausaz is a good source with no tax and free shipping over $75.
_________________
Lead Mechanic: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Licensed Airframe and Powerplant Mechanic
Licensed Pilot (Single engine Land)
Boeing 727,737-200-300-400,757,767
Airbus A319,320,321
DC9/MD80
BAe146
Fokker F28/F100
VW type 1 1962,63,65,69,72
VW Type 2 1971 (3 ea.) 1978, 1969
VW Jetta
VW Passat
Capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound

[Tcash]

Start soaking those fitting with rust penetrant. You will also need a 11mm Flare nut (brake line) wrench.
Good luck
Tcash

[Wildthings]

The only times I have seen brakes lock up while driving any automobile or light truck with correctly assembled brakes was due to hypoid gear lube leaking and getting on the shoes or the adjustment being way way off.

Not sure what would happen if you just got wheel bearing grease onto the shoes verses hypoid gear lube.

If your brakes aren't put together right and/or the adjustment is really loose that would be a different story. Yes if you adjusted your parking brake before adjusting the brake adjusters themselves then the normal brake adjustment could be really loose which might well cause problems.

[richard123vmt]

I have had a front caliper lock up partially, enough to get hot, not enough to stop the bus. I did not at that time know about collapsed hoses so switched in a caliper from the then common junkyard vws. The cost of rebuilt calipers is low and I guess as good as new. You need new hoses front and rear (and the quality willnot be as good as original). The cost of wheel cylinders is riddiculously low. If the shoes are not worn out and /or contaminated, you can reuse them. That leaves the MC which is also cheap. But I think if you exmaine the tires you will see which one was stuck. I have never heard of a wheel cylinder locking up.

[TomWesty]

[lil-jinx]

check the push rod at the master cylinder for proper adjustment or binding.
_________________
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620186
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1974 Bay Westfalia. she likes to be called Ethel.
1968 Dune Buggy
1974 parts bus
A smart man learns from his mistakes,a very smart man learns from other's mistakes.