Handbrake lever removal from inside car

[colb]

Fellow Zedder who breaks Z4's has devised a way of extracting the handbrake lever from inside the car, it requires a few bends to be made to the bodywork around the handbrake mounting hole in the centre tunnel to allow a long socket to get on the lever unit retaining bolts, the bends can be easily bent back after installation of a replacement or refurbished lever.
Sure beats having to drop the exhaust and propshaft on the underside.
Seems the most common issue with these levers is the wear on the ratchet teeth, once extracted from the car some delicate filing the teeth to a sharper profile will usually restore the ratchet to reliable working. Before and after pics of the method.
Pic 1 Before removal, centre console removed.
Pic 2 Access bends for access to unit securing bolts.
Bends achieved using a suitable crowbar.
To avoid premature wear of the ratchet teeth in the first place people should get into the habit of pressing the lever button in when applying the handbrake, seems simply pulling the lever up without pressing the button and hearing a reassuring clicks of the teeth on the ratchet takes its toll on the not so hard teeth on the lever.
ATTACHMENTS
Handbrake Pic 1.jpg
Handbrake Pic 1z.jpg (261.67 KiB) Viewed 237 times
Handbrake Pic 2.jpg
Handbrake Pic 2.jpg (186.62 KiB) Viewed 238 times

 

[panoss14]

"Hi there,

I saw your guide on extracting the handbrake lever by bending the bodywork to avoid dropping the exhaust. It’s a lifesaver! I just have two quick questions before I start:

1. The Foam Insulation: In your photos, the foam seems to be out of the way. Did you have to remove it completely, or did you just push it back? On my car, it feels like the driver’s seat is pinning it down quite firmly.
2. The Crowbar: What size/type of crowbar did you use to make the bends? Was it a standard flat pry bar or something more specific to get enough leverage in that tight space?

Thanks for sharing this method, it’s much appreciated!"

 

[colb]

A large Prybar may do it but a large crowbar might be better to bend the metal.
Not sure about the foam as it wasn't me who devised this method, I would cut it and remove it if it can't be pushed well out of the way. You can always put it back in as it won't show with it all back together.

 

[panoss14]

"Hi everyone,

Quick update: I managed to bend the metal using a large flathead screwdriver and I’ve already reached the first bolt! It definitely takes patience, but it works. I'm proceeding with the other two bolts now.

Once I have all 3 bolts out, what is the best way to unhook the Bowden cables (handbrake lines) from the lever assembly while it's still inside the car? Is there a specific trick to get enough slack to pop the cable ends out of their sockets without damaging them?

Thanks for the help so far, this method is saving me hours of work!"

 

[sadiklafta]

"Hi everyone,

Quick update: I managed to bend the metal using a large flathead screwdriver and I’ve already reached the first bolt! It definitely takes patience, but it works. I'm proceeding with the other two bolts now.

Once I have all 3 bolts out, what is the best way to unhook the Bowden cables (handbrake lines) from the lever assembly while it's still inside the car? Is there a specific trick to get enough slack to pop the cable ends out of their sockets without damaging them?

Thanks for the help so far, this method is saving me hours of work!"

Please let me know how you did this if done by now, about to do mine but not sure yet how to deal with the cables

 

[Umfaan]

So once all 3 nuts are removed …lift the handbrake lever off the splines .This allows the slackness on the cables as the lever moves backwards.
Then remove the plastic triangular cable stay to the rear with a long nose pliers.
Once removed the ends of the 2 cables have balls on the ends.
Uses a thin long screwdriver to move the ends out of there sockets one at a time and gently move the lever forward..thus releasing the cable from its socket.

I will post a close up of the cable release process tomorrow night

 

[panoss14]

"Thank you so much! I actually managed to get it out just before reading your post, but your guide is 100% accurate.

Please do post the close-up photos anyway, as it will be an amazing resource for anyone else tackling this in the future!

I have already taken my lever to a machinist to reshape the teeth, and I will post the results here tomorrow once it's done to show everyone how it turned out."