Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Centre wheel nut very hot

Just wondering if anyone can suggest likely cause please. Arrived back from a 40 mile drive cross country this afternoon and noticed the nearside rear wheel centre nut was extremely hot, felt the hub and it almost burnt my hand. I also noticed the car does not roll freely on a gentle slope as it used to. Any thoughts on like cause appreciated.

Thanks

Sounds like rear brake is binding.

Could be a problem with the self adjusters, or a sticking brake cylinder or possibly a handbrake cable issue.

Assuming no LSD chock other wheel and with handbrake off jack up offending wheel then try turning it.

If it's stuck or very stiff it's likely the brake shoes are binding as suggested by TBM. Unlikely given the age but a worn bearing would give a gritty feel when turning and would have given some audible groaning when driving. Assuming brake issue though, car is out of warranty and you want to tackle the problem yourself you will need to remove brake drum to investigate.



The picture shows my Roadster rear but yours will be similar. The four ¼" UNF hex head setscrews need to be removed first. Ignore the larger slotted head screws, they are not relevant. Problem then will be removing drum if it's jammed on. This wiil likely be for one of the three reasons TBM suggests. If its not handbrake cable it may be an over enthusiastic auto adjuster. I believe there is an access hole on backplate which needs to be aligned with auto adjuster to allow freeing off same with screwdriver. More advice from GoMog here particularly with regard to handbrake cable adjustment which should be done last after brake re-assembly.

Once you have drum off it will be obvious which is the culprit.

Sounds like the brake or maybe the bearing.

Most often the cause is a seized brake cylinder, especially on the nearside which is more subject to going through puddles. However, it does seem rather young for that to happen, unless it doesn’t get used regularly? It will be essential to release the auto brake adjuster first to get the drum off but I expect it will still be a bit of a struggle. If the cylinder is the culprit, the linings may also need to be deglazed and the drums checked for trueness. It would also be wise to inspect & repack the wheel bearing grease as well as it has suffered extreme heat.

Not much use speculating, pop off the brake drum and find out.

As suggested, binding brake shoes are probably the cause.

You haven't told us what year and model Morgan you have which isn't very helpful given there are various types of rear brake setups, each with their various foibles.

Likely cause could be a seized wheel cylinder, seized adjuster, broken return spring, broken hold down spring, detached brake linings

Arwyn

In his signature - 2019 Ivory Plus4

I don't think the signatures show up if you access the forum by phone.

Many thanks for your replies - the car has been pretty well used having done c10,000 since new and given no issues until now. As it is still well within the extra 3 month warranty Morgan gave at the start of the C19 pandemic and given the likely issues may not be easy to fix given my limited garage facilities I think this time around I will be best off taking it in to a dealer to sort out. Once again thanks for the advice.

I have my phone and tablet browser agent set to Desktop. That way you always get the full version of any website although accept you may need to zoom a little more.

Common fault, happened to my +4 at about 15k, seized wheel cylinder. Just replaced again at 44k