Handbrake cable appears to have snapped.

[ben g]

Bugger! Pulled it up and it went straight to the roof (near enough). It had done this before, but it wasfine after going down and back up again, so I assume it had stretched and appears to have finally snapped.

Any ideas on the cost to replace? Don't fancy tackling the job myself so hoping it's not a huge job as labour fee's are ridiculous nowadays.

Cheers.

 

[Z4M-2006]

Defo the cable ?

Maybe the ratchet adjusting mech on the lever itself...

 

[ben g]

It's possible, although i'm not exactly sure how it all works.

Had a look on realoem.com and it just shows an L shaped cable and says you need 2 of them, one for right rear brake and one for the left.

Part 1 (handbrake bowden cable x2 needed) here:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BT52-EUR-04-2003-E85-BMW-Z4_30i&diagId=34_1293

I assume the cables connect to part 4 (mounting clip for bowden cable) here:

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=BT52-EUR-04-2003-E85-BMW-Z4_30i&diagId=34_1292

Those are the only things I can think of being affected.

 

[Ewazix]

Ratchet mechanisms can slip sideways so the hanbrake pops loose, sometimes re-engages and is OK for a bit, it's not just a BMW issue. It's probably best to replace the mechanism once this starts as there isn't really a repair or adjustment.

 

[ben g]

Ah ok, thanks for the heads up. It's booked for an Inspection on Thursday with my BMW specialist so hoping he can diagnose the problem quickly and get it fixed asap.

Left it in gear for now on my sloping driveway. Not a nice experience :lol:

 

[ben g]

Took it into my local BMW specialist today. He had a look on the ramps and said he's fairly sure it's the cable but theres heatshields and the exhaust in the way, so it's best to book it in to remove stuff and replace whats needed.

No charge today so that was nice of him. Also got an oil leak and squealing pulley/tensioner on the drive belt so he's going to do them at the same time.

Probably cost a fortune but needs must!

 

[sw4nny]

Mine ,felt like it had snapped.It had not .replaced handbrake shoes they were well worn.
After doing this the hand brake was still not holding.
So after endless googling found out that under hand brake gaitor there is a strong spring that needs resetting sideways into place.
it does take some persuading but after doing this my handbrake now works fine.
Do some reading first,replacing the cable as you have said is quite a bit of work.

 

[ben g]

I'll have a look at that spring tomorrow mate, thanks for the heads up.

The indy is fairly sure it's the cable as there is no tension on the handbrake handle whatsoever.

 

[sw4nny]

There was no tension on my handbrake either,I would have bet money mine had snapped too.
I am only going on my experience, I am no mechanic,but at least have a you tube first ,its not obvious by just looking under the gaitor
as visibility is poor,if you want me to explain in more detail pm me ,its easier on the phone .
I had a couple of car minded friends help me who did know what they were doing.
hope this helps.

 

[Nala]

Hi I have recently bought a Z4 and I'm very interested in the forum, most informative, thank you! I'm having the same problem on my 34,000 mile 2008 2.0 sport. I overhauled one side of the hand brake a couple of weeks ago with new shoes and springs etc. no problem. I've just started to overhaul the remaining side and the hand brake cable has suddenly gone slack on both sides, normally there is spring tension on the Bowden cable and now there is none. The hand brake lever operates perfectly and both the cables move in conjunction however the Bowden cable is loose and does not engage in the forked levers so therefore does not actuate the shoes. I have removed the lever gaiter and cannot see anything amiss, all looks well. I can see a large spring under the lever with a clip on the end but again it moves with the lever. Could this be where the problem lies? Any assistance would be most welcome.

 

[sw4nny]

Thats where the problem was on mine,try searching how to, my friend found out how to move the spring thing sideways.
This put tension back on the cable.
Sorry I cannot give exactly what he did to the spring as I could not see inside while he was doing it,
You tube :wink:

 

[Nala]

Thanks for the info. I found that the tension on the spring is maintained by a clip on the end of the cable at the handbrake lever. This spring clip has a quick release function resulting in no movement of the handbrake cables once the clip has been released. The clip can be reinstated by pressure against it with a tool such as a long flat bladed screwdriver.

To all appearances once the retaining clip has been released, (I did it unknowingly by pulling the handbrake cable through the backplate during installation of the brake shoes), the handbrake becomes totally ineffective giving the impression of a snapped cable.

 

[ben g]

Finally got around to fixing this today. The cables had stretched so there wasn't any tension. Took us 6 hours to replace the cables (big job to remove and replace which involves removing a lot of stuff underside and the seats (to pull the carpet up). We also fitted new handbrake shoes, rear discs and pads whilst we had everything off.

I would not advise doing this job yourself if you aren't competent as it was bloody hard work :lol:

All works fine now though, so Thankyou for all the advice as it was very helpful in diagnosing the issue.