Parking brake adjustment and rehabilitation

[FireFox31]

Hello, the parking brakes are dragging on my 2000 V70 NA FWD with 200k miles. I'm working to rehabilitate and properly adjust them. I'm trying to eliminate drag to avoid heat buildup and improve gas mileage.

What lubricant should I apply to the expander and cable sheath? I also need to remove the hub to replace the dust shield and Haynes said to lubricate the nut threads. What lubricant should I apply to them?

Here's a video of the dragging sound after I cleaned and adjusted everything. Is this the "correct amount of drag"? Why is the dragging inconsistent? The adjustment procedure said the shoes would settle into a neutral position.


With the wheel and rotor off, I pulled the parking brake lever and observed the shoe movement. Is it right that only the front lower corner (at the expander) should move?


On my left wheel, the front lower corner (left, at the expander) is 1.5mm thinner than the other corners of the shoes. It shows shiny metal abrasion while the rest of all shoes show only dust buildup. I'm assuming this is what's dragging. Must I replace all four shoes just because this one corner is thin?

I've been terrified to mess with parking brakes for decades, but your help is getting me through it. Thanks.

[scot850]

I have written on this subject several times before. The fear of parking brakes is greater than the reality. The biggest issue is everyone thinks it is a fit and forget issue. That is where it all goes sadly wrong. The 2nd thing is that in particular is with auto trans where the parking brake is seldom used which allows parts to seize.

The biggest 3 issues are:

1) The parking brake cables seizing internally. On a FWD it is just forward of the rear wheels where the cable is clamped to the frame. The outer sheath splits and allows water to enter and eventually the inner steel cable seizes or drags and is slow to return. On an AWD it is where the cable is bolted to a short stud on the rear suspension which acts as a pivot point and splits letting water in with the same result.

Cable break forward of rear wheel

2)This seizing will also cause a constant stretch on the return springs which will loose their ability to pull the shoes back off the inside of the parking brake drum on the inside of the rear rotors. The springs can also dislodge or break with rust.
3) Finally with age, the shoe braking material starts to detach from the metal portion which can cause rubbing on the shoes and even the brake to seize on.

The lesser issues are rust build up on the inside of the drums due to lack of use (Volvo stated a 'cleaning or bedding in' process in the drivers handbook involving pulling the parking brake on and driving a short distance to clean rust off the drum and clean the shoes. The last issue is a build up of dust on the inside of the drum which can cause the shoes to slip on the inside of the drum.

Of all the repair parts, the hardest is the parking brake cable removal and replacement. This involves removing the center console and lifting the rear carpet to remove and re-fit the a new cable. Before removing the console though do the following:

IF the cable has any splits as mentioned before then replace, don't try to grease or repair. It will only frustrate you and lead to re-doing the job over.

Before replacing the cable, check if it is moving easily or not. I suggest with everything removed, hold the cable with pliers and have someone else slowly pull the parking brake lever in the car to the on position while trying to resist the cable moving. Feel if there is any drag on the cable or if it is jerky in motion. Then have your helper release the parking brake lever and see how easily or not it allows you to return to maximum stretch. If it is all good, then it is simply a case of cleaning, de-rusting the adjusters and arms, using a little hi-temp grease refit all the parts. Make sure the adjuster rod is minimised in length before re-assembly.

The return springs can be a little tricky to re-fit, but a good pair of needle nose pliers helps.

Before re-fitting the rotor/drum check the inside of the drum and make sure it is clean and all dust is removed. Wear a mask while doing this. Clean it all with brake cleaner to remove any grease or dirt build up. I normally use some fine wet/dry sandpaper to lightly roughen the braking surface of the drum and remove any glazed or polished areas to give the shoes better grip. Also lightly sand and roughen the surface of the shoes. Clean then carefully and check the bond between the shoe material and the metal portion. Any separation or cracking replace.

** NOTE: There are 2 sizes of brake shoes!! Make sure when ordering you are getting the correct ones for your car!!

If you have issues with the cable and have to replace, then I strongly recommend OE Volvo. I have had zero luck with aftermarket in longevity and even fit (last ones from FCP were too short).

There should be a plastic clip that holds the parking brake on a FWD car to the trailing arm.

Cable retainer missing

Cable retainer fitted (1)

Close up of retainer (2)

It is held in place by a aluminum rivet. Naturally this reacts with the steel it is in and corrodes and allows the clip to fall off. That is if the clip does not break off first! Very poor design. To find where the rivet goes will need sanding the rust on the trailing arm until you see the small indent of the remaining rivet. Drill it out or use a punch to knock it into the arm.

I have used the plastic cable mounts from Lowes, etc for the parking brake cable as they are probably no worse than the originals and you get a bunch in the package for what one costs with Volvo. I also use a small washer between the rivet head and the plastic loop to spread the load on the clip/loop.

Adjusting the parking brakes is fairly straight forward on a FWD. There is a handy hole on the front of the drum portion which allows you to put a small flat blade screw driver through it to turn the parking brake shoe adjuster.

First back off the adjuster nut at the parking brake handle end of the cable to remove any tension in the cable. This is done by opening the arm rest and removing a small cover in the pen holder/cubby base. A small screw driver should pop it out. In there you will see 2 nuts with a T55 or T50 if I recall correctly Torx headed bolt/adjuster. Back that off so the cable is slack.

At the drum end, turn the adjusted until the drum cannot be turned by hand and locks up. Then back it off 2 clicks and no more!

Do the same both sides of the car.

Finally tighten the adjuster at the lever end in the car for both sides until it pulls evenly and give 4-5 clicks max until the brakes lock up.

You will need to drive the car and follow the Volvo bedding in/cleaning process to settle the brakes. Then adjust if needed. ALWAYS start at the wheel end of the cable, then the lever end.

Fitting a new cable is a bit more work than I have time for just now. I will add that later.

Neil.

[scot850]

OK. Part 2:

Cable replacement.

Assuming you have everything apart. Plenty of a good penetrant (Deep Creep/PB Blaster, but not WD40) sprayed around where the cable comes out behind the dust shield and the rear hubs. Also where the cable is mounted just in front of the rear wheels.

You will need to remove the center console. There are how to's on MVS on that. Takes about 10 minutes when you have done it before and maybe 30 minutes first time. My only addition to this is chock the front wheels front and back. Then use the parking brake pedal and the shift over-ride button depressed and move the gear shift (auto-trans) back to at least neutral. This makes it way easier to access screws and lift out the front area of the console.

Open the rear door. Pull up the carpet plastic trim at the door. It may also help to remove the rear seat in a sedan or remove the lower seat section of a wagon.

This allows the carpet of the rear passenger area to be lifted partly to give access to the parking brake cable on either side.

Disconnect the cable at the parking brake handle. Attach a string or length of wire to the end of the cable to aid in pulling a new cable in.

In the center of the rear footwell there is a fiddly clip holding the cable in place. For the life of me I can't recall how it is removed. I think it has barbs on it and gentle levering allows it to be prized up and off.

At the rear hub, you have to pull the cable out of the hub. This can be difficult if it has been in there a long time. I think the last one I did both plastic end parts broke off. I can't recall if you have to twist it to remove it or pull straight out. I do recall it has an 'O' ring on it to seal it. (see pictures I found I had below from a 00 V70 FWD). They pull out but twisting and penetrating lube help as well as long Vice grips. Once removed clean inside the area well removing any rust. Use a little silicon oil to aid pushing the new cable in.

Cable at rear hub

Cable ends

New Volvo OE cable fitted

Disconnect the clamp forward of the rear wheel and then the cable can be removed by undoing the rubber floor boot under the passenger footwell and pulling the cable out. Leave the string/wire available in the car to help feed the new cable in.

Then as the saying goes, re-fitting is the reverse of removal. Adjusting the cable is as before.

I think there may be a couple of parts like removing the cable at the hub may need someone with a FWD car who has done it recently to chime in.

Hope this is of some help.

Neil.

[abscate]

You typically service rear brakes about 2-3x longer intervals than fronts , so it can stretch to 100k miles

Anytime I have the rear rotors off, if I have less than 1/2 of the lining anywhere, I replace them with FreeCP ones. My drivers are trained to use the e-brake with both out slushers and swiffers.

Stop car with foot brake, keep pressure on foot brake.

Engage ebrake

Shift to park or 1st gear

Release foot brake

Engine off