Parking brake service
12-16-2006, 04:42 PM
#16
Team Owner
Thread Starter
I did the adjusting of the handbrake cable last year .. and it was my overzelousness that caused me to strip it dow.. i loosened the cable to much and the plates popped off the shoe ...... oh well it is all fun and I do enjoy this stuff.
If you want to just replace the shoes I would suggest the 101 projects method. It leaves the plates and cable intact. I stripped the whole thing down because I like to learn and tinker. If i just wanted the car to stop when I pulled the brake I would do the 101 projects method and adjust the cable using Jasons method.
I definitely found it usefull having a pair of needle nose vice grips to grab the spring when putting it back together.. having the shoe retiner spring tool would have been nice but I didn't have one so was a bit tricky.
Of course I could not have a project without my standard iceman bonehead move ... of course when i got the wheel back on I noticed the nice shiney new cotter pin lying by the wheel ..... DOH >>
Al least when I took the wheel caliper and hub off again it was quicker...
A few pics as I know Pete just LOVES my colour combinations ..
first pic pas side after removing just the shoes via 101 method
2nd pic drivers side all finished...
As it is going to be +15C tomorrow I decided to pass on the plates and do them the next time I have the Back wheels off for cleaning.. i'd rather drive ..
If you want to just replace the shoes I would suggest the 101 projects method. It leaves the plates and cable intact. I stripped the whole thing down because I like to learn and tinker. If i just wanted the car to stop when I pulled the brake I would do the 101 projects method and adjust the cable using Jasons method.
I definitely found it usefull having a pair of needle nose vice grips to grab the spring when putting it back together.. having the shoe retiner spring tool would have been nice but I didn't have one so was a bit tricky.
Of course I could not have a project without my standard iceman bonehead move ... of course when i got the wheel back on I noticed the nice shiney new cotter pin lying by the wheel ..... DOH >>
Al least when I took the wheel caliper and hub off again it was quicker...
A few pics as I know Pete just LOVES my colour combinations ..
first pic pas side after removing just the shoes via 101 method
2nd pic drivers side all finished...
As it is going to be +15C tomorrow I decided to pass on the plates and do them the next time I have the Back wheels off for cleaning.. i'd rather drive ..
12-19-2006, 05:46 PM
#17
Racer
I'll just add that the threads on the ends of the cables were worn smooth on mine due to years of neglect and I elected to not replace the cables, so I put some nuts and washers over the ends as spacers and after reassembly I was able to get the proper adjustment. One of my expander plates had slipped off the shoe on one side and one set of shoes was toast. It's a great idea to take the rotor off and inspect the e-brakes. As Iceman and Pete say it's not that hard to rebuild, the parts are available and especially with my new rotors and shoes, it's great to have an e-brake again!
12-19-2006, 07:37 PM
#18
Team Owner
Thread Starter
Well Der Mond I am glad I got to mine before the shoe got damaged As I had a plate off too.
Mine was due to slakening the cable too much at the brake end. During my adjustment I found that if I set the same number of threads on either adjuster at the wheels then my " equalizer bar was tilted ( not sure what it is really called. ) . I decided to adjust it more so the equalizer bar was where it was suppose to be and not worry about the threads. After that it worked great and both sides lock solid on the 3rd click and it rolls down my slightly inclined driveway without any noise with the brake off. I dio have to readjust my switch however as the light only comes on when I pull it the fourth click .. not like I need it but I like to have everything working properly. I will make the adjustment next.Interestingly the screws to keep on the rotors were only finger tight .. what a relief . ..
Mine was due to slakening the cable too much at the brake end. During my adjustment I found that if I set the same number of threads on either adjuster at the wheels then my " equalizer bar was tilted ( not sure what it is really called. ) . I decided to adjust it more so the equalizer bar was where it was suppose to be and not worry about the threads. After that it worked great and both sides lock solid on the 3rd click and it rolls down my slightly inclined driveway without any noise with the brake off. I dio have to readjust my switch however as the light only comes on when I pull it the fourth click .. not like I need it but I like to have everything working properly. I will make the adjustment next.Interestingly the screws to keep on the rotors were only finger tight .. what a relief . ..
07-17-2023, 03:08 PM
#23
Team Owner
Thread Starter
edited to add back in pics that rennlist removed.
Decided since I had the tail off anyway I may as well service my parking brake... on some level that is related I am sure...
Since my now infamous 911 runaway story I have been hesitant to go back and mess with the parking brake but I did have an annoying problem that was bugging me. After letting off the parking brake the brake would drag when backing out of the drive way , as soon as I went forward it would release and everything was fine.
I decided to pull it all apart and have a look. Glad I did.
it was a very minor problem caused by myself but because I got on it fairly quickly it wasn't too bad. The cable pulls on two pieces of steel which then kind of compress and stretch out ( the Bentley has a great pic ) then it pushes on two pins on the shoe. in my brake adjustments the metal had jumped off one of the pins so was not expanding the shoe evenly and causing it to twist and bind. Problem fixed.
This was a petty straight forward procedure and I figured out a couple of tricks.
1. When removing the caliper use an offset " English" wrench (19mm) . Mine is lying on the floor in the pic. This makes it easy to get off the lower caliper bolt.
2. Before undoing caliper take off spring clip holding flexible brake hose. Then you can push the hard line through the hole and rest the caliper on the trailing arm comfortably without stressing anything.
3. Use a hand impact driver on the two slotted screws in the Rotor. this may not be necessary in all cases but stripping those screws could be a nightmare.
Other than those few tips the rest is a breeze.
oh don't drop the washer on the cable side of the metal expanding pieces. it will fall right inside your hollow trailing arm. Then you have to turn your car upside down and shake it to get it out .. well not really.. there is a hole in the bottom of the trailing arm the washer will actually fit through ... my guess is someone at the factory did that so they drilled a big hole :-)
All the parts are in my ultrasonic bath right now .. All were in great shape though , just cleaning them up .
Since my now infamous 911 runaway story I have been hesitant to go back and mess with the parking brake but I did have an annoying problem that was bugging me. After letting off the parking brake the brake would drag when backing out of the drive way , as soon as I went forward it would release and everything was fine.
I decided to pull it all apart and have a look. Glad I did.
it was a very minor problem caused by myself but because I got on it fairly quickly it wasn't too bad. The cable pulls on two pieces of steel which then kind of compress and stretch out ( the Bentley has a great pic ) then it pushes on two pins on the shoe. in my brake adjustments the metal had jumped off one of the pins so was not expanding the shoe evenly and causing it to twist and bind. Problem fixed.
This was a petty straight forward procedure and I figured out a couple of tricks.
1. When removing the caliper use an offset " English" wrench (19mm) . Mine is lying on the floor in the pic. This makes it easy to get off the lower caliper bolt.
2. Before undoing caliper take off spring clip holding flexible brake hose. Then you can push the hard line through the hole and rest the caliper on the trailing arm comfortably without stressing anything.
3. Use a hand impact driver on the two slotted screws in the Rotor. this may not be necessary in all cases but stripping those screws could be a nightmare.
Other than those few tips the rest is a breeze.
oh don't drop the washer on the cable side of the metal expanding pieces. it will fall right inside your hollow trailing arm. Then you have to turn your car upside down and shake it to get it out .. well not really.. there is a hole in the bottom of the trailing arm the washer will actually fit through ... my guess is someone at the factory did that so they drilled a big hole :-)
All the parts are in my ultrasonic bath right now .. All were in great shape though , just cleaning them up .
Last edited by theiceman; 07-17-2023 at 03:11 PM.