Handbrake cable

[HBG]

Hi folks.

I've been adjusting my handbrake and am still not happy with it. It seems not to release on one wheel when the lever is down. A tap on the drum and it releases. Seems to me that the cable may be binding.

Is it possible to replace the handbrake cable without dismantling the drums/ special tools/ much aggravation?

Also, a bit unorthodox, what damage would I cause if I flush the handbrake drums out with brake cleaner through then small holes the squirt in some lubricant? My experience has been that WD40/ GT85 has little effect on brake linings.

Thanks!

Also must mention how happy I am with the weekends' fettling. I removed the gear stick and fitted some new coupling parts to stop the stick rotating. Also sanded and varnished the knob. Replaced the rubber boot over the gearstick mechanism which had split. In doing so I cleaned much muck and grit off the ball and spring the lubed it. Also greased the two nipples on the linkage and now have a lovely slick gear change!

Also (!) cut some automotive carpet to the exact shape for over mats. Last job being to hand sew the heel pad removed from the old nasty mats.

Feeling pleased! Got to get out in it now!

[Simon B]

Unfortunately I suspect you are in for some aggravation….the drums need to come off to    replace the cable. You could perhaps try slackening off the handbrake cable and moving the inner cable relative to the outer to see how easily or not it moves.

If that doesn’t work I would want to know whats going on inside the drums. You could try the brake cleaner but that’s about it. How well does the handbrake hold on a steep hill? I found the brake shoes and mechanism were in a sorry state when I looked at our car soon after we bought it. No lining material at all on one side! Attached a few photos to give you an idea of what you might find!

[HBG]

Thanks Simon, that's incredibly useful. I can see how the cable is attached to the lever though I wonder if the cable could unhook by itself. One thing I notice is that when I put the handbrake down the cable under the car goes slack - doesn't retract. Should it? Also, do you have some spring return in the handbrake pulling it down, I don't? It could be the cable binding or any of the internal parts that should move, not moving.

To get the drums off, what did you need to do? I can see rusty springs and 2/3 mm of friction material on the side I've been adjusting.

Many thanks.

[Simon B]

Five clicks on the handbrake equates to 20mm/side of cable travel on our car. The cable is slack with handbrake off and has retracted the 20mm/side. There are the springs pulling the shoes together and the lighter springs on the actuating arms which must work together to retract the cable. There is no spring in the handbrake lever.

To get the drum/discs off you will need slacken off the handbrake shoes, remove the calipers and unscrew the hub nut, having first eased out where the nut has been locked into grooves in the axle in two places. You can then pull the hub off….hopefully! You would need to hire a hub nut tool from the club or buy/hire from Omicron. I’ve probably forgotten something but that’s the gist of it. I’ve had the hubs off twice in the last year or so, once when we first got the car to do work on the handbrake and then a year later to replace discs and hub bearings!

[HBG]

Thanks again Simon.

I'll check for the cable retraction. I suspect its either the cable, which I'll check or a generally rusted interior preventing the springs from retracting the shoes/ cable. I notice the shoes are held by the standard cap on a spring widget. I wonder if these can be seen on the back plate? Might try and wiggle them. If the lever attached to the shoe has frozen then its definitely a strip down.

The car holds fine on a hill as the other side works OK.

[Simon B]

Sounds like a winter job to strip down and investigate, assuming you can manage with a less than perfect handbrake and the offending wheel isn’t getting hot once on the move! Don’t think you will have much luck with the “spring widget” as you put it. On the Fulvia these are bent L strips which probably don’t move much where they fit in the backplate anyway. Good luck

[HBG]

Ah yes, I can see the spring widget bent clip in your photo. Opening it up may well be required.

Thanks for your help