parking brake only holds going forward 98 v70 na Any

frisky99 · Post by **frisky99** » 08 Dec 2017, 15:03

Hello , just finished rotors, pads ,shoes, and cables and the parking brake holds great moving forward but not going backward.
The springs and clips all cleaned up nicely so I reused them . I did a search but must have missed what seems like a common enough problem . Any help would be appreciated . Thanks in advance . Frisky 1998 V70 NA

Post by **abscate** » 08 Dec 2017, 15:06

You need to adjust, apply brake hard, then adjust again. Most people leave them too loose. A little bit of friction is ok - the shoes need to bed to the radius of the 'drums' on the internal part of the rotor.

Post by **rspi** » 09 Dec 2017, 10:49

+1, Usually not adjusted tight enough.

Post by **scot850** » 09 Dec 2017, 11:04

If you have not had the rotors off in a while, remove them and clean the drums up and remove any remaining brake dust. To clean up I use a rotary wire brush on a drill which gives a little texture to the drum surface.

Also check both cables are working and releasing as they should. Disconnect the cables and get someone else to pull the cable and hold the end with vice grips to see if the cable moves. Also check it will pull back easily when released.

Problem usually is people believe this is a non-maintenance item and it should be cleaned and lubed every couple of years.

Finally check the cables where they mount to the body just forward of the rear wheels. They can crack the outer casing with age and let water in which helps the cables swell and become reluctant.

Neil.