Rear wheel play ????

[Mazza]

I was changing the wheels over this morning and was a bit confused over some movement in the passenger side rear wheel.
I jacked the car up to remove the wheel and found that although the handbrake was on I could move the wheel a bit and get a metallic knock . ( movement direction as if trying to spin the wheel).
When I did the drivers side rear, no movement at all. Any ideas what this could be?

Also, when jacking up the car .....there is a worrying amount of creaking from .......springs/suspension/bushes???
Is this normal when raising the car?

 

[5harp3y]

the knock on rotation is the brake shoes in the handbrake taking up slack, nothing to worry about (you ca rock the car on the handbrake when sat in it)

noises when raising the car etc arent unheard of as the shocks / spring and bushes unload

 

[t-tony]

The reason you get this knock only on one side is down to the adjustment of the parking brake shoes Malc.
One is s bit tighter than the other, you can stop it by 're adjusting the shoes but I wouldn't bother.

Tony.

 

[motco]

Mine has always done it. It reminds me of an old Fiat transmission brake taking up the backlash in the final drive.

 

[Ianmc]

The E36 handbook used to say that you should apply the handbrake at low speed every now and then to clean the shoes. Don't know if this would help "balance" them.

 

[t-tony]

It can't if they're not adjusted equally.

Tony.

 

[Mazza]

Thanks to all, put my mind at ease !!

Dropped off my recently purchased BMW rims today for the full refurb treatment. New Tyres already delivered ( used Black Circles...really good service and price) So plan for next week....Wednesday run the car to warm it up, then back home to lift it up and drain gearbox and diff. And refill with new oils. Take the Wolfrace wheels off, Thursday over to Tonbridge to collect rims, Friday have the new tyres fitted and put them back on the Zed,
Thats the plan....
Problem areas......getting the car up onto 4 axle stands....really nervous about this as first time with the Zed
And Hopefully all the fill and drain plugs will behave and undo without a problem.
Got all the tools, and got the method....what I lack is the confidence !!!

It must be an age thing as I did this loads of times to various cars in my 20’s and 30’s

 

[motco]

It can't if they're not adjusted equally.

Tony.

Quite so. The handbrake lever to the drums have separate cables and the only way they can be balanced is by careful adjustment of either the cables or the shoes. The 'proper' way would be to slacken off the cables and nip up the shoes until they bind and then drop them back a couple of notches, then puling up the cables individually until they just bind then, once more, backing them off a touch. All the occasional application of the handbrake in motion will do is to scuff off any rust on the drums. Not a bad idea from time to time.