Parking brakes adjustment question?

[Mattias_Sweden]

How do I adjust one side of the parking brakes the easiest way DIY...?

[Mattias_Sweden]

Serious, no one has a clue...?
I cant find any type of self-adjuster and I just dont have the money right now to intsall new parking-brakes and cables both sides right now.
So any way to tighten one side, the other is fine...?

[Breezy_Pete]

Drum brakes I presume?

Usually, when the adjuster behind the handbrake sits at a funny angle, it's caused by one of the handbrake levers in the drum having a seized pivot.

The adjusters inside the drums are little vertical wedge-shaped things with a spring coming down from the bottom end.

 

[Breezy_Pete]

This image has a red circle around the pivot that locks up with corrosion, and a pink arrow showing the normal movement that you may find doesn't happen.

 

 

The (in theory self-) adjusting wedge is on the left side of the stub axle with a spring coming down to the shoe.

Edited 17 July, 2018 by Wino

[Mattias_Sweden]

Yes, drum brakes, 1.4 liter 16 V, petrol & 5 manuell gearbox som only drum brakes in the rear =)

Well the thing is, i have tighten the adjuster inside/under the parking-brake stick...

So one side is really tight and good, but the other is not...well normally a selfadjuster would kick in i presume.....but somethings are stuck, so i guess lots of wd40 and wiggle all moving parts around to loosen any rust...???

[Mattias_Sweden]

Aha, now i get it, ive been looking for something like this:

[Mattias_Sweden]

So there is no spring-type adjuster as in my picture......instead it´s inside the cylinder-thingy in the top?
Pardon my horrid english

[Breezy_Pete]

It isn't usually a problem with the adjuster, as I said; usually the pivot stops allowing the lever to move as it should.

I will add a green arrow pointing at the adjuster though.  One minute.

[Breezy_Pete]

It gets pulled down vertically whenever there is space for it to move, effectively lengthening the horizontal bar that it goes through. Check the pivot with the red circle round it first, it's almost always the problem.

[Mattias_Sweden]

Thank you so much Sir, really appiciate it =)

[Breezy_Pete]

You're welcome. Please let us know what you find.

[Mattias_Sweden]

So about 1 month later, how did it go...??

Well, i tried just wiggle and move the parts/springs around with some WD40 to make it moving.
Unfortunetely everything kind of broke up, and I ended rebuilding it from scratch again thnx to the video below...

But the breaking-power was worse after my rebulilding it with my old parts, (Im quite broke right now)
 

its a bit "glassy" right now so no friction...
I will try regaining some friction tomorrow, with breakercleaner, sandpaper and carefully grind the drumbrake and the pads (I know they are called something else but to tired to google it right now) )....

 

[Breezy_Pete]

"Shoes" is the word for the friction surfaces in the drums, in English.

Not sure you've linked to the right video?

 

Was the pivot that I circled in red  seized/immobile?

Did you bleed the wheel cylinders after your work?

[Mattias_Sweden]

Haha, sorry wrong video, also did front suspension on the Fabia and couldnt find a fabia video so i used the octavia, it worked out well....but rusty as hell =(

I used the pivot point you marked, but since some springs started popping out, I just rebuilt the brake...so now ive done that too
and No, of course I forgot to bleed the wheel cylinder, my bad....gonna do that tomorrow...difficult??
 

 

[Breezy_Pete]

If the wheel cylinders are the ones fitted in the factory, there's a significant risk that the bleed nipples will break off, rather than loosen, depending on when they were last loosened. Maybe leave them until you've tried cleaning, abrading etc. without improving function.

[Mattias_Sweden]

Ok, thanks for tip... =)

But lets sey the nipples aret that rusty and they actually loosen, when I bleed the system, do I press the foot brake or do I tighten the handbrake to flush the brakefluid out and get rid of air....?

[Breezy_Pete]

Foot brake.

[Breezy_Pete]

Now that I think about it, air in the wheel cylinders would make no difference at all to the function of the parking/handbrake, so if that is what you meant when you said this, then bleeding will not help :

 

1 hour ago, Mattias_Sweden said:

breaking-power was worse after my rebulilding it with my old parts

 

[Mattias_Sweden]

then what is the wheel cylinders function, self-adjuster...or? 

[Breezy_Pete]

Foot brake function only.

[TMB]

No offence but if you have to ask how to bleed brakes you shouldn't be messing around with them.

[Mattias_Sweden]

No offence taken, I know how to bleed brakes, so no worries...

[Mattias_Sweden]

Looking at the video I noticed that the pistons of the rear brake cylinder went right back out when he pressed them in, mine didnt when I pressed them in, so if they are stuck in I guess it can be due to bad breaker fluid stuck in the system, reason for bleeding...or worse bad cylinders...will try to make them run more smoothly tomorrow...

[sepulchrave]

...and don't use WD40 inside brake drums, that stuff gets everywhere and if it gets on the shoes they'll never work properly again.