MOT fail

[oneidadan]

Hi, my surf failed its MOT this morning (although stranglely not for the things I thought it would) and I need a little bit of advice regarding what the tester has put down please.
Its failed on 3 three things:

Nearside lower ball joint excessive play

Service brake is causing the vehicle to swerve to the nearside

Parking brake efficiency below requirements.

The ball joints I think I can replace so that should be OK to sort out.

The service brake i'm assuming that means the normal brakes is that right?
If so i'm not sure what that means as when I brake normally or brake hard it doesn't seem to swerve in any direction just goes in a straight line

The parking brake efficiency is 12% so could this mean the rear drums have mud in them or do they need adjusting or could the rear pads need replacing? Are there any easy guides to drum brakes, i've searched through some threads on here but drum brakes look alot more complicated than disk brakes and i've never taken them apart before. Also could the rear brakes make the truck pull to one side?
thanks everyone

[Apache]

Rear pads first. Doesn't need them. Had them for the MOT before you bought it. 2nd gen hand brakes are legendary cr@p. I suppose it might need a bit of adjustment, thats all.

Service brake? No idea what that is!

Bottom balljoint. Possible I suppose. The top ones were replaced in July 2009.

Thats the first time she ever failed an MOT...

[oneidadan]

Cheers for the reply, i'll not order the rear brake shoes then, i'll have a look to see if the drums are full of mud, it's been in the water a few times lately.

I did some google searching and I think the service brake is the normal brakes. The tester says it's pulling to one side but i'm not convinced it is.

Upper ball joints were replaced again earlier this year as they had failed again, but lower ones had always been OK, wheels were aligned last month and it wasn't picked up them so must have only gone recently.

I have to admit I didn't have much time to prepare for it (although I wouldn't have noticed the things it's failed on anyway) as I only remembered it was running out yesterday

[BUSHWHACKER]

Take up any slack in the handbrake cables by pulling the handrake on a few times.
If that doesn't work, there's an adjustment nut on the rod near the transfercase/torsion bar adjusting nut, easy to see it, 12mm spanner to adjust it.

[MUD MUNCHER]

check that the brake calipers are not seized as this is quite a common problem on the surf
cheers shaun

[Albannach]

The service brake is the main brakes. If the machine shows a disparity beyond a certain percentage, the tester has to fail it. If the truck is pulling to the nearside, the offside calliper isn't working properly.

Handbrake is probably maladjusted and the brakes gunged up as you say.

Ball joint is a simple job.

[oneidadan]

Thankyou, do you think the pulling to one side could be due to the rear brake shoes or would it definately be the nearside caliper. Or could it even be wheel alignment that's causing it?
Obviously if the guy has had it on a machine and it says its pulling then it must be, but it must only be very slight as you can't tell from driving it. I've been out and on a flat level surface under hard braking it doesn't pull to one side, it will slightly on the road but I put that down to the camber of the road

[Apache]

The pull wont be due to the rear shoes. If he has had it on rollers, it measures the brake force applied by each brake, which is how he would know it was pulling, rather than by actually driving it and feeling it swerve to one side.

[oneidadan]

Cool, thanks. So is there anything else that would give the same results like wheel alighnment or is it definately a sticky caliper?

[Albannach]

There are a few things that could cause pulling, but if it's only under braking (particularly if it's on his test rollers) it's a caliper siezed. If it were something dragging, or a warped disc or the likes, the machine would have picked that up too.

[oneidadan]

Many thanks for the replies, i've set about it today, took off the rear drums and gave them a good clean out inside, then adjusted the shoes. The handbrake feels more positive now.
Started the lower ball jpints but i've broken two ball joint splitters trying to get the ball joint out. Will have to have a think what else to use to prise off the ball joint.

[wishbone]

I've had success with the bolt type splitters by tightening them up as much as I can then giving a good whack with a lump hammer on the side of the joint. Works every time (nearly )

[Albannach]

2 hammers, one (the big one) held against the socket, melt the other side with the smaller hammer. Never fails.

[oneidadan]

yar i tried that, and heated it up and used some wd40, andthe little arms broke off one then the screw head twisted off another. I've got one now where you just smack it wth a hammer but it seems the prongs aren't deep enough as you can hammer it into the joint without it touching the top of the ball joint.

Hmmm I think if I wedge some C4 into it that might loosen it

[oneidadan]

2 hammers, one (the big one) held against the socket, melt the other side with the smaller hammer. Never fails.

I will try that tomorrow thankyou