Rear rotors and E-brake job

Post by **tailor** » 02 Jul 2008, 20:49

I finaly got round to doing the rear brakes and the e-brake.
Here is why I think the e-brake was binding, notice how the shoe "pad" has come away from metal.
Have a look at the rear wheel sensor, it gets all "gunked up and can throw a code. A good spritz of brake cleaner and you good to go!

Here it is again nice and clean.

I replaced the rotors, pads and shoes as well as the e-brake hardware.

I used a drum kit repair tool which closes onto the spring nice and tightly, took two attempts, all done in two minutes, the springs that is.I need to go back and adjust the e-brake, it does not feel right, I hope that the cable is not the problem

See the effects of the salting in the winter!!!

Nothing major to report, except a lift would be really, really nice, knees and back are killing me.

Post by **tailor** » 03 Jul 2008, 20:54

Went back into the e- brake adjustment this P.M., the left rear still seems to bind.It does not want to release easily.
I park on an incline and I always prefer to let the e-brake take the strain as opposed to the gears. I raise the brake first before putting the vehicle into park.
I now notice that the right rear of the vehicle is raising up more than the left, which I think corroborates the binding of the left rear e-brake.

Any words of wisdom in trying to determine why the left rear is binding and how to solve it?

Post by **Maxbaby** » 03 Jul 2008, 22:26

When I was experiencing binding, I too thought it was the pads. It was not. It was actually the cables themselves. If you get underneath your car, follow the parking brake cable to the point where they are held in place by a clamp just before entering into the body of the car. In my case, the plastic had broken down and the metal housing had corroded quite significantly on one side, thereby causing the cable itself to bind inside the housing. I replaced both of them to be on the safe side...
FCP Groton had the cheapest price.

Post by **tailor** » 04 Jul 2008, 03:32

Thanks Maxbaby

I think that lift will really be handy now!

Any pointers on the cable replacement...
Found this here:
https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/handbr ... eplace.php
seems comprehensive enough! I should be able to get myself in enough trouble doing the job

I can see there some differences , the orientation of the cable and pads are different as well as the " sliding callipers".

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 04 Jul 2008, 05:56

You can check the cables by having an assistant pull and release the handbrake while you observe the movement of the actuators at the bottom of the brake shoes.

To properly center the brake shoes inside of the drums you need to adjust them to a point where they are showing resistance and then spin the rotor a few turns and then do it again. Once the shoes are centered back them off to "just touching" and do the final adjustment with the cable adjuster in the console.

...Lee

Post by **Maxbaby** » 04 Jul 2008, 15:15

The writeup you found is the writeup I used. It was just fine for the job.

Post by **tailor** » 04 Jul 2008, 16:06

Thanks to both Ozark and Maxbaby, I was thumbing through the Haynes ,some time this A.M.

, and that also gives a good "show" of how too for the cable replacement.
I will go back "into" the e-brakes again, detain one of my children for the purpose of pulling up and releasing the handbrake and see for sure whats going on.
Seem to be somewhat short on assistants!
I am trying to remember if I was also a magician and disappeared when my parents needed help.
........Oh Yes, now I remember, my mother "told me" mow the lawn before you go out with you friends, we "only" had a 1/4 acre