'98 V70 Rubbing Parking Brake

[bmdubya1198]

I'm beyond fed up with my parking brakes, and the noise is killing me.
My parking brakes are making a rubbing noise, but it isn't constant. It's a "woosh woosh" kind of sound that only happens once every revolution of the wheel. I can't hear it while I'm driving, but if I'm backing down the driveway or something like that, I can hear it clear as day. When I rotate the wheel (or brake rotor) by hand, there is a noticeable hard spot when I hear the noise. It's incredibly annoying, and I don't like to think about the wear that it's causing.
I have adjusted the parking brakes through the adjusters on each wheel and the cable adjusting screw on the handle, but nothing fixes it. I just replaced the shoes today, and that did absolutely nothing. I tried adjusting the brakes as shown on Ozark Lee's thread, and they work, but they still have that one spot where they drag. The only way I was able to make it go away (and it only worked for about 30 seconds) was to back the adjuster off all the way and have no e-brake at all.
Unless my wheel hubs are bad, I just don't know. When I spin the wheels, they look even and they are not wobbling at all. I just don't get how it's happening when it's a circle, it should be a constant rubbing sound.
Does anybody have any other ideas? I'm totally stumped on this one.

[cn90]

I have the exact same problem. Parking Brake is brand-new (new shoes, new rotors etc.). Worked for a few months, but then stopped working.

My suspicion is seized cables, because the cables are cracked and original at 185K.
I just don't have the appetite to do this job simply because:
- It is 4-6h of my time.
- I have automatic and always park on a flat area. On a slope I turned my wheels against the curb as taught in driver ed school LOL.
- In the last 25 years driving automatic, I have never used it.

The "braking power" of the parking brake in any car (even brand-new) is very very weak. Try a brand-new car and use the parking brake to try to stop a car moving at 30 mph (find a quiet road to do it), you will see that the parking brake barely slows the car down.
We discussed this issue in depth in another thread (search forum) and one member attacked me for not fixing my Parking Brake, he called me "irresponsible" and all that stuff. I added him to the "ignored" list.

Also, I live in a state w/o inspection, so the parking brake cables go to the "back burner" for now. Once of these days when I have nothing to do (unlikely), I will get to it...

[bmdubya1198]

I have the exact same problem. Parking Brake is brand-new (new shoes, new rotors etc.). Worked for a few months, but then stopped working.

My suspicion is seized cables, because the cables are cracked and original at 185K.
I just don't have the appetite to do this job simply because:
- It is 4-6h of my time.
- I have automatic and always park on a flat area. On a slope I turned my wheels against the curb as taught in driver ed school LOL.
- In the last 25 years driving automatic, I have never used it.

The "braking power" of the parking brake in any car (even brand-new) is very very weak. Try a brand-new car and use the parking brake to try to stop a car moving at 30 mph (find a quiet road to do it), you will see that the parking brake barely slows the car down.
We discussed this issue in depth in another thread (search forum) and one member attacked me for not fixing my Parking Brake, he called me "irresponsible" and all that stuff. I added him to the "ignored" list.

Also, I live in a state w/o inspection, so the parking brake cables go to the "back burner" for now. Once of these days when I have nothing to do (unlikely), I will get to it...

That makes me feel better that I'm not the only one! I think you're right, I had the same thought about the cables. Maybe I'll replace them eventually, but I want to get my actual brakes working first. They still feel a little soft to me. I just got rebuild kits for the front calipers today along with those e-brake shoes, so those will go in when I get new brake lines and maybe I can stop worrying about my brakes.
I need the e-brake to work eventually though, because I'd like to manual swap the car, but that's not for a VERY long time, hahaha.

[misha]

Parking brakes should prevent the car from moving(forward or reverse) when engaged and safely stop the car in emergency situation.That's how you test parking brakes.
When an emergency situation occurs and your brakes fail and you have automatic transmission....it's nice to have a working emergency brakes(parking brakes).
Other than that....i agree....they are totally useless on a car with automatic transmission....but you never know when you might need them.

[bmdubya1198]

Mine hold the car when I shift into drive, but not reverse. I guess that's good enough. I thought I felt them dragging while I was driving, but I was probably just a little paranoid. I think the car would slow down a bit faster than normal when I let off the throttle if they were dragging.

[scot850]

Cables are the usual culprit and lack of use/maintenance the other.

The cables fail mostly at the point where they have a Torx screw holding them to the rear axle just forward of the rear wheel. This is a flex point and the cable is weakest there and eventually breaks the shielding and allows water in. This in turn swells the cables or rots them and they become stiff and reluctant to release. You can sit and adjust them all you like but it won't make a difference.

Parking brakes are just that, and not using them with an automatic car even when parking the wheels against the curb will shorten the lifespan of your transmission.

When you get around to swapping the cables out just don't use Pro-Parts Sweden parts unless you like do-overs. Not sure if there are any 'good' aftermarket brands out there, but I gave up and went back to OE Volvo. Would have saved me a lot of time.

Also check the 'drum' is not oval'd for the parking brake. When I service the system I take a wire brush on a drill to the braking area of the drum face and make sure there are no high edges new shoes could rub against. I read regularly of the issues people have with the system, but the only issues I have had are PO's lack of maintenance. Most folk think they are fit and forget but I recommend stripping and cleaning the system ever 2-3 years and it will last a long time. These are Parking brakes and not 'Hand-brakes' I grew up with on 60's Volvos which were great supplemental brakes in an emergency.

Neil.

[bmdubya1198]

Good to know.
The drums are in good shape, the rotors are brand new (well, as in I replaced them about 2,500 miles ago). I listened for the sound using the old rotor (still have it sitting in my scrap metal pile) and it was still there, so I didn't think the issue was with the rotor.
Like I said, I think I'll replace the cable eventually. It's on my list now!

[tryingbe]

Adjust the brake until it doesn't rub?

[bmdubya1198]

Adjust the brake until it doesn't rub?

Looks like those brakes were rubbing for a while!