99 V70. Handbrake works in forwards motion only. Topic is solved

Liggywuh · Post by **Liggywuh** » 01 Feb 2020, 12:42

Hey!

After a little bit of advice, as in, what I need to do to fix the issue. Base V70, 2.5 manual.

About 2 or 3 years ago, the car got 2 new rotors, pads and handbrake shoes and cables (all blue box). Got stuff installed, probably not perfectly adjusted, but the car stood still on hills, pointing in either direction.

Gradually, the car has started rolling backwards with just the handbrake on. If I put the car in reverse and gently lift the clutch, the car will roll backwards (on flat ground). If I put in in first gear, and lift the clutch, the handbrake bites, and the rear suspension compresses. Lift the clutch and repeat with reverse gear, and the car rolls back. I tried basic adjustment at the handbake lever, it makes the handbrake come on "earlier", but has no effect on the overall power of the handbrake.

Is this just a screwdriver through the hole adjustment issue, or maybe something else (there was a fairly "complicated" bit in the hub that was basically seized when I did the repair, that I got working smoothly, has the same happened again?)

The car has done 50k km in the last 7 years, we don't travel a lot with it, so I guess stuff has had more time to seize up due to rust, than I would like.

Many thanks for your input, and let me know if you need more help to help me diagnose the issue!

Post by **scot850** » 01 Feb 2020, 13:25

Remove the rear rotors and clean the inside of the brake drum portion. Use fine sandpaper or steel wool to make sure there is a little 'texture' to the drum surface. A build up of brake shoe dust and environmental dirt polishes the drum and due to the design of the shoes, they then work only in the forward motion. The second issue is de-laminating of the shoes which has a similar affect, or polishing of their surface. Again roughening the surface of the shoes will also help.

Volvo had a process for cleaning the shoes involving driving the car with the parking brake on for a short distance. It was to clean any dirt or debris from the inside of the drum face. I can't recall if that was in the handbook or in an older version of Vida. Wish I could remember but my old Vida laptop has died and don't have time currently to try to fix it, sorry.

Finally, check the parking brake cables have not split or are sticking. That will also have a similar effect. Make sure they are moving smoothly on both sides.

Then adjust the shoes on each side until they lock the rotor up completely, and then back off 2-3 clicks. Then adjust at the hand-brake lever to allow 3-5 clicks when pulling the lever up.

Good Luck.

Neil.

Liggywuh · Post by **Liggywuh** » 01 Feb 2020, 13:34

Thank you very much, I can defo make sure to clean them up at lower speeds. I barely uise the brakes so the rear rotors are rustier than I would like as well

Liggywuh · Post by **Liggywuh** » 01 Apr 2020, 07:10

I got them properly adjusted, the adjuster on the right side needed to be removed and lubed up with a bit of copper grease, the other side required just an adjustment.

Car stands still now in either forwards or backwards motion!

Thanks!

Post by **scot850** » 01 Apr 2020, 11:23

Well done! It is a piece of the maintenance that gets over looked by most owners. Even at dealers they will typically only look at it if you complain about it or when the rear rotors are replaced. When owners have automatic transmissions, most rarely use the parking brake and only find it is an issue when they have to use it. For me, it is something to be looked at every 2-3 year minimum and at least the cables checked while wheels are off twice a year while swapping over rimes from summer to winters and back.

Neil.

Post by **abscate** » 01 Apr 2020, 12:31

I think MASS is the only state I know where the e-brake gets really checked.

Now there are a whole bunch of people in GER and SWE wondering what happens in the other 49 states...

crlande · Post by **crlande** » 01 Apr 2020, 13:27

If I remember, from last time I had a manual, in PA they want the parking brake to hold with a manual transmission. Now we are down to 48 states to check!

Post by **abscate** » 01 Apr 2020, 13:45

The test in MA is severe, like must hold the car at 2000 rpm in gear and clutch slipped.

Prwoodl wrote this up in the P2 Forum, I think

raivis_rsn · Post by **raivis_rsn** » 01 Apr 2020, 14:02

I wonder if it's safe at all to drive on public roads in USA if they don't check so basic things like handbrake.

Post by **abscate** » 01 Apr 2020, 15:22

raivis_rsn wrote: ↑01 Apr 2020, 14:02 I wonder if it's safe at all to drive on public roads in USA if they don't check so basic things like handbrake.

Most cars are under 7 years old, but there are places where it is common to see cars in very poor condition. Driving defensively is always good, but drivers in the US lack the very aggressive behaviour you see in many other countries. Also, 80 mph is considered fast here. In urban areas, 80 mph can get you a large ticket or even a visit to the police station