Handbrake woes

[dhobbs]

Just replaced the handbrake shoes and I cannot get them adjusted to hold the car on my sloping drive.

I even went to the effort of buying the correct tool to release the cable tension, but still not perfect.

I thought I'd just tighten up the shoes through the wheel bolt holes but that seems to be worse almost as if the self adjustment is taking away any changes I make. It's doing my head in :headbang:

Anyone know how the self adjustment works?

 

[z4newbie2021]

don't the adjusters turn in different directions on each side to expand the shoes sorry if i am teaching you to suck eggs

 

[dhobbs]

don't the adjusters turn in different directions on each side to expand the shoes sorry if i am teaching you to suck eggs

Yeah they do, I adjusted them so they just bite with the handbrake off, then at 3 clicks the wheel doesn't move.

Just after moving the car it seems to change everything.

Don't worry about sucking eggs, I'd rather be told the obvious and potentially learn something. Too old to have any pride (just stubbornness).

 

[Andres]

Hi, did you lock the service spring inside the cabin, under the handbrake?
Not sure if that makes a difference, I tried once, but couldn't press it deep enough to lock.

 

[BumpyZ4]

Try breaking in the new shoes. Drive at 40 mph and slowly engage the hand brake until you start to slow down. Do this 3-4 times and then release the hand brake and let them cool off. Then check to see if they hold.

 

[dhobbs]

Hi, did you lock the service spring inside the cabin, under the handbrake?
Not sure if that makes a difference, I tried once, but couldn't press it deep enough to lock.

Yes, even bought the tool to do it. Couldn't press it in far enough until I had dismantled the shoes (stupid design :thumbsdown but could engage it then.

 

[dhobbs]

Try breaking in the new shoes. Drive at 40 mph and slowly engage the hand brake until you start to slow down. Do this 3-4 times and then release the hand brake and let them cool off. Then check to see if they hold.

Thanks will give that a go

 

[colb]

Take the rear disc/drums off and use rough emery cloth to roughen up the internal drum surface and the brake shoe friction material. Put it back together and with the service spring behind the handbrake lever depressed and latched in service position use the adjuster star wheels to bring the shoes up to the inside of the drum so the wheel locks. I think TIS says back them off 7 clicks, once thats done release the service spring back at the handbrake lever to put the tension on the cables again and see how many clicks the lever operates at. Should be around three clicks to lock the wheels to hold the car. If all of this still fails to get a good operation, check out the cables themselves, might be damaged along their length and be binding, if that is the case then new cables would be required.

 

[dhobbs]

I did use the pelican parts guide to set it all up but wasn't perfect so was just tweaking it. That's where it started going wrong. Fed up with them at the moment.
Another thought is the spring expander is not working correctly, they looked OK when I assembled them all.

 

[Ewazix]

The change in adjustment may be down to the shoes only centring properly after a good application. I had trouble doing mine until I tried Bumpys method of applying the brake a few times on the move, then re-adjusting after the shoes have centred properly. It's also worth chamfering off the the front/rear and sides just a little with emery paper.

It's a PITA to keep going back in so I had replaced the adjusters and springs with a kit that was about £30 online as they were grotty.

 

[dhobbs]

Thanks for the suggestions guys , will try bumpys suggestion first. Then it will be strip down and potentially replace the expanders. Failing that put a brick in front of the wheel.

 

[1000rr]

They are crap at the best of times...

I always leave I in gear...just in case.

 

[dhobbs]

I always leave I in gear...just in case.

Me too, always have done.
Especially funny when you share a works hire car and your colleague starts the car whilst still in gear. They learn quickly

 

[Mr Tidy]

Mine works reasonably well but if I leave it on and don't use the car for a few days it jams on and only lets go when I pull away.

Luckily it's level where I park it but I still leave it in gear anyway!

 

[dhobbs]

Mine works reasonably well but if I leave it on and don't use the car for a few days it jams on and only lets go when I pull away.

That's the original problem I had, but only when I washed the wheels. The shoe backing rusts and binds to the dust cover/backing plate. I cleaned it all up and gave the contact points a thin smear of copper grease.
The handbrake before I messed around was never perfect anyway and needed setting up evenly, seemed like one wheel would engage more than the other one.