A handbrake story Topic is solved

[MoVolvos]

Another thing to consider on these is the "expander" or "dolphin", as this lady calls it, often becomes rusted & basically immobile. The hinge point is essentially just a zinc'd rivet that corrosion affects over time, eventually limiting it's range of motion to nil. They are salvageable, don't cost much new but why buy a new pair if you can rejuvenate the old ones? Takes some media blasting, beating in a vise & some greasing & fiddling around but end result is nice if done right. Then your only cost is a spring set, shoes, and a new lead cable if yours is busted. I haven't seen seized cables in the sheaths ever, it's always been the expander in my experience.

Great Find But Yikes! Grease all over the gloves, brake shoes and rotor. Don't let the caliper hang. Everyone one at 1A Auto has never been to a good Automotive Repair Training School. Nice people and quality videos but Yikes!

[MoVolvos]

The part that is broken is at 4:50. Adjustment is at 33:10. A round thin coupler would work if you can find it.

[gcha8e]

The story continues.

I did replace the adjuster cable with one off a Frenchman on Ebay for 10 Euro. This returned the handbrake to the previous partly unusable condition. With the brake lever all the way up (13 clicks by my count) the car holds in the uphill position on a sharp incline. But will not hold the car in the downhill position on even a shallow incline.

with the car lifted, the rear wheels can be moved by hand back and forth several inches until the brake seems to catch hold. (rolling forward I can move the wheel by hand still with brake applied)

I then removed the parking brake assembly completely, (and reassembled in wrong once and had to redo the job) Nothing seemed broken or excessively worn out. I was able to verify that the brake cable is pulling inward and the expander is moving. The whole assembly seemed much too jiggly with the rotor off, but that could merely be due it being the first parking brake I have ever inspected.

I pulled the cable end out of the hub and it was kind of rusty but not damaged. It looks all like it should, a 15 year old parking brake cable, I was able to move it back and forth and hear it moving on the console end inside the car.

I am considering that the brake job done 3 years ago has used the wrong after market parts and replacing the shoes shoe back plates or perhaps just start with the expander piece. The expander seems to be an original part, and the shoe back plates look like newer. Perhaps they don't mate properly to expand the shoes enough. Or is it the shape of the shoes not making full contact with the rotor?

Is the rotor worn out on the inside so that there is not enough metal being reached by the brake?

I'm at a loss, but willing to start pricing out a full blown brake replacement. All advice is helpful. Thanks in advance.
I have photos and will post them as needed. Didn't get a good one of the expander by itself though.

[- Pete -]

The expander should move freely, there should be no resistance at its hinge point. Like a butterfly knife.

I don’t know for a fact, but I don’t believe it is possible to put your shoes on backwards. Do you have the small H shaped metal thing in its proper position? Your expander won’t work right (can’t expand the shoes) if you don’t have the H shaped thing in correct.

I highly doubt your rotor “top hat” is worn that badly on the inside that the shoes simply aren’t grabbing. The most likely scenario is your shoes have delaminated (no longer have the half moon material adhered) & this is the reason you have insufficient contact. That, or you need to tighten up the adjuster near the hand lever.

[gcha8e]

The adjuster was tightened all the way 3 years back, and then I snapped it off when I attempted to re tighten, hence this story. Here are some photos of the condition of things, perhaps they show the de-lamination? I cannot see anything wrong with my novice eyes.

All I know right now is that the manual says that my brake should be adjusted such that 5 clicks is fully applied, and I have to pull fully up and I'm not getting good contact. Have my brake lines stretched over time?

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[- Pete -]

That all looks like it should. Now that you've replaced the take-up cable I'd re-check the tension set on it.

It's pretty normal for the car to "rock" an inch or a bit more with the p-brake pulled.

Snug that cable adjuster nut up a little & post back here.

[gcha8e]

unfortunately I cannot tighten the nut any further

[gcha8e]

unfortunately I cannot tighten the nut any further

EDIT: Do this at your own discretion and risk.

Look at the cable end starting @ 17:30. Put a sleeve half the size of that cylinder cable end to decrease the length of the cable.

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Find an aluminum rod slightly larger in diameter than the cable end. Drill a hole the size of the cable and cut in half. Due to the Kerf (the width of a groove made by a cutting tool) hopefully the cylinder will be the same size as the cable end. Sandwich and insert. At 42:24 in the video, tap cable end back in. If you do both sides you can loosen the hand brake lever cable adjustment quite a few turns back.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1- ... /204273994
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[gcha8e]

That's a pretty cool idea. finding a rod of the perfect size seems tricky, the cutting might be a tricky one, but that is a cool idea. I'm considering this!

Thanks for the tip!

[MoVolvos]

That's a pretty cool idea. finding a rod of the perfect size seems tricky, the cutting might be a tricky one, but that is a cool idea. I'm considering this!

Thanks for the tip!

You can use a tube and cut straight down to split and cut off. It does not matter how large the hole is inside as long as when you insert the fit is tight so it can come down to rest on the stop. Measure the cable end stop and you'll get an idea if the standard size solid rods or tubes may work.
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https://www.homedepot.com/b/Round-tube/ ... ,3634,3616