Handbrake and drums

[SkUG]

Fitted new cables, adjusted handbrake to a few clicks, ran out of adjustment again few months later, anything else worth changing? Pads still have plenty of meat on em, no hint of a lip on the drums

Cheers peeps

[Breezy_Pete]

Too drunk to make sense now, but have one or two suggestions that I'll try to convey

tomorrow.

[KenONeill]

One thing that springs instantly to mind is that new cables do sometimes stretch in the first few months after fitting.

[Golf-Fiend]

The little automatic wedge adjusters on the shoes are useless. Take out a wheel bolt line up to wedge. Use long tapered pokey thing to nudge wedge up and down till shoes just off touching ( handbrake off). Fine tune with nuts on cable after pumping brakes and activating hand brake a few times.

[SkUG]

Brakes adjusted out when fitted, useless adjusterers cleaned and freed up and adjusted, cable stretch adjusted for stretch and now back to out of adjustment after a few months - can the handbrake handle end stretch?

[Breezy_Pete]

Are you saying that the adjuster wedges are all the way down, after it's self-adjusted?

[SkUG]

The nut inside the car has run out of adjustment, the wedges had plenty of movement left

[JWvrs25]

My handbrake on my 1.2 has been getting progressively worse over the last few weeks (adjusted every couple of weeks). Cable adjustment nut is all the way in now and checked self adjusters, think it might just be stretched cables. 

Think there about £15 for new cables but why do they last such a short amount of time?

[poiuytre111]

The wedges should be properly adjusted before tweaking the nuts near on the handbrake - if the auto adjust aspect doesn't any more, you will have to do it manually every now and again. Slacken the nuts back off to untension the cables and get the wedges right then tighten as required.

[SkUG]

Wedges where adjusted properly before tweaking cable, cables are only few months old - what else is there to stretch?

[Breezy_Pete]

Were the cables slackened right off centrally before adjusting the wedges? Is it pulling evenly on both cables when you lift the handbrake?

[poiuytre111]

Of course, the other fairly common issue would be brake fluid leaking from rear cylinder(s) causing a reduction in braking efficiency for any given force from the brake shoes. Have to remove drum to look for this although a loss of brake fluid at the master cylinder would eventually give this away.

[TMB]

Of course, the other fairly common issue would be brake fluid leaking from rear cylinder(s) causing a reduction in braking efficiency for any given force from the brake shoes. Have to remove drum to look for this although a loss of brake fluid at the master cylinder would eventually give this away.

 

That wouldn't affect cable adjustment.

 

 

It's possible that the cables, if they are non-genuine ones, might be manufactured slightly too long. I've had this happen myself.

Edited 17 October, 2016 by TMB

[poiuytre111]

Except in that the cable would need to be tighter for the same degree of handbrake effectiveness.

[TMB]

Except in that the cable would need to be tighter for the same degree of handbrake effectiveness.

 

Yes but the cables would still adjust. It may not hold the car if there was fluid contamination but the cables wouldn't be slack.

[Golf-Fiend]

I've never liked the handbrake action on the Wife's SDi. Even with new cables, shoes and drums and further adjustment after a month of use I feel the lever travel is too long. However, it holds the car firmly so I'm not too concerned. Too cold to faff with cars now.

[SkUG]

No fluid contamination, new cylinders at same time as cables. All cleaned with brake cleaner, adjusterers frees up, Cables slackened, adjusterers adjusted until wheels binded slightly and then adjusted  cables back up, few weeks later back to hitting the ceiling and no more adjustment on the cables 

[SkUG]

Any other suggestions? 

[Breezy_Pete]

Where did your replacement cables come from, and what part number were they?

 

Do the cables pull up approximately evenly at the 'spreader bar' in the cabin, or does it skew off as the lever is raised?

Edited 24 October, 2016 by Wino

[SkUG]

Nice n even, from eurocarparts - can't remember exact part number but I found it on the forum