Sticking calipers
Not always your pistons that are the problem, i've found more often than not, its the calipers sticking. They are suppose to slide to force the pad oppersite the piston against the disk as the piston moves. Usually its this sliding system that siezes...
Remove the calipers, (2 bolts). Now where these bolts pass through the caliper, there is a sleeve which is ment to slide... Check that... If its stuck, remove the rubber sleeves, then rest the caliper against something solid (like caliper mounting bracket), whack it out with a hammer (maybe hitting each end, going back and forth to loosen it). To knock it out completely, use a socket thats about the same size as the sleeve, but smaller than the hole and hit the socket to drive it all the way out. Clean it up, grease it up...
Handbrake
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The self adjusting mech. isn't to great imo, tends to sieze up and stop working...
clearly not worth replacing, can usually be cleaned up, and got to work (sort of) fwn ... but if you just want to get it though the MOT, then why not manually adjust the automatic adjusters??
Remove center cap off rear wheel, remove collet pin, and nut (think theres a washer too?) try pulling drum off with wheel (handbrake off!!).. if no go, then remove wheel, and get going with a hammer around the drum...
once u got the drum off, get someone to operate the handbrake, and u should see and hear the adjuster moving clicking (its the bit that sits between the two shoes and has a little toothed wheel) If you dont see it working, u can try (later) to free it up. Otherwise turn the adjust wheel manually, to the shoes are forced apart.
How much you ask... enough so you can get the drum back on!!! bit of trial and error really. u should then feel the handbrake operating much sooner
