Polo Rear Drum Brakes Binding

[DOILY]

I found that both rear wheels are tight to spin by hand when I jacked up the rear to adjust the hand brake on my 2005 1.4 TDI. I wanted to fix the excessive movement on the hand brake lever. After removing the drums I could see nothing obviously wrong (the shoes are half worn). As the brakes are binding I dare not tighten up the brake cables any more. The foot brake work very well. Has anyone got any ideas please on what could be wrong. Thank you very much in advance.

[itavaltalainen]

does this still have the 'split' bearing as the older polo?
other than that brakes binding could be the mechanism itself.... always good to take it apart, clean and lube back up (using the white metal free brake paste, not copper slip).

[DOILY]

Thank you to those that viewed and for the reply. The cause was in the brake mechanism as the reply suspected. The hand brake operating levers were siezed where they pivot on the brake shoes.

[r4vvm]

I think i have the same issue, when i go to pull away i hear a rubbing sort of noise like something is catching.
How could i identify what wheel is it coming from?

how did you fix this?

[DOILY]

You could have a completely different problem r4vvm. Try jacking up each wheel in turn and spinning them by hand (hand brake off, 1st gear selected when checking rears; hand brake on, gear box in neutral when checking fronts). A "rubbing noise" could be brakes, bearings or, if from a front wheel, somwhere in the drive train. If you identify a noisy wheel try rocking it to detect wear in the bearings. If you suspect the drive train, support the front of the car on stands so the wheels are clear of the ground. With hand brake on and rear wheels chocked idle the engine in gear, whilst listening outside the car. You might identify a suspect cv joint or, as I had once, a loose heat shield protecting one of the inner cv joints. If you suspect brakes examine the brake friction material for excessive wear and, if OK, then the brake mechanism. What to do with the mechanism will depend on if the noisy wheel has a disc or a drum brake. Also, a rubbing noise could be from a broken suspension spring. When they break they usually break near the top, look hard with a strong light as it is often easy not to see the break.
Hopefully other readers will comment as well. Good luck.