Handbrake slip

A

Any1else

Member
Had the handbrake adjusted about 6 months ago but recently it has resorted to its previous near useless state. One day last week it came up nearly to 45 degrees but when I put it back down it bit again and hasn't done it since. Might be a stoopid question - but is that bad? The cable seems tight enough so I don't think anything has snapped. It doesn't seem to be sitting on the ratchet though. If I click it up to say 5 clicks, it will drop back down to around the two click mark and not hold the car. I leave it in gear anyway so no biggy but I would like it to work the way it should. Would this purely be adjustment or would the ratchet have started to wear?

Read a post on here about changing the ratchet and if that was necessary I would get one off ebay and take it to an independant but if it was just adjustment I could maybe have a go.
 
The handbrake on these is poor at best but there are two parts to the adjustment process, firstly the cable has to be released from inside the cabin (easier said than done) then, the shoes are adjusted by rotating adjuster wheels accessed through a hole in the drum, which can be done with wheels on via one wheel bolt being removed but is tricky. This thread has links explaining http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=95550&hilit

Mine was poor for ages even after being adjusted by dealers during service and was only really cured when I stripped, cleaned and replaced the shoes and adjusters recently. Not expensive or difficult but fiddly.
 
Cheers Ewazix - I had seen the tightening procedure and it seems a bit of a faff. It is odd - sometimes the handbrake wont grip, seems to slip a couple of notches and needs constant reapplying and other times it holds the car on the first try.

To be honest I was more worried about the handbrake going near vertical. Thought I might have snapped a cable or something.

If it is nothing really to worry about I will have a look at tightening it but it wa done (and cleaned as you describe) about 6 months ago. Should it deteriorate that quickly?
 
Jack it up,get the wheels off and fine tune the adjuster wheels inside the drum,painstaking but worth it, once its right it will stay right for ages (the rear drum shoes do not wear down as there is no actual friction on them its just a holding brake for parking)
 
goon said:
Jack it up,get the wheels off and fine tune the adjuster wheels inside the drum,painstaking but worth it, once its right it will stay right for ages (the rear drum shoes do not wear down as there is no actual friction on them its just a holding brake for parking)
Click to expand...

Think a few teeth are missing from the ratchet so regardless of the adjustment it won't hold. Will see about replacing it I think.
 
Any1else said:
goon said:
Jack it up,get the wheels off and fine tune the adjuster wheels inside the drum,painstaking but worth it, once its right it will stay right for ages (the rear drum shoes do not wear down as there is no actual friction on them its just a holding brake for parking)
Click to expand...

Think a few teeth are missing from the ratchet so regardless of the adjustment it won't hold. Will see about replacing it I think.
Click to expand...

From what you are saying about the disengaged ratchet yes they can wear/break, and depending on wear and how you pull they can go 100% slack. In which case you may need to replace the ratchet mechanism.
It's apparently a real PITA job where the exhaust and prop have to be dropped, but I'm sure someone will chip in shortly if there is another method :thumbsup:

Previous discussion http://www.z4-forum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=93188
 
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