Stretched parking brake cables
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,266
Likes: 0
From: Allen, TX, USA
Stretched parking brake cables
Has anyone measured which cable stretches more, the front or the back ?
I'm trying to get my brakes working and I figure that the rear cable is
stretched too far to get a good pull. But what about the front ?
Should I just get both ? Or has anyone checked on this ?
Thanks.
I'm trying to get my brakes working and I figure that the rear cable is
stretched too far to get a good pull. But what about the front ?
Should I just get both ? Or has anyone checked on this ?
Thanks.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,192
Likes: 27
From: Boca Raton Florida
Isn't that a stainless cable? I can't imagine it stretching more than a 1/4 inch over the lifetime. The back one does get all the crap in it and make it jam, I bet the plasic rollers waering adds more length to the cable than any cable stretch
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 3,758
Likes: 3
From: Surrey
Are you sure it's the cable? My '81 has been off of the road for most of the summer due to a simple problem in that the handbrake isn't working well enough to pass the MoT test (it's impossible to work on where it's currently stored, but all that changes in the next week 
). The cable on mine is adjusted right up to the point where it's run out of adjustment, so I'm fairly sure that it's the adjustment on the shoes themself that needs looking at (I hope..... I'll be really pi$$ed off if it is the cable adjustment!). AFAIK, I've got to slacken off the cable, jack up both rear wheels, disconnect the halfshafts (so the wheels turn easily) & then adjust the shoes so that they just start to bite & then back it off a little bit (details are in the manual), put it all back together & adjust the handbrake cable. It sounds easy in the book, I'm sure it won't be 
). The cable on mine is adjusted right up to the point where it's run out of adjustment, so I'm fairly sure that it's the adjustment on the shoes themself that needs looking at (I hope..... I'll be really pi$$ed off if it is the cable adjustment!). AFAIK, I've got to slacken off the cable, jack up both rear wheels, disconnect the halfshafts (so the wheels turn easily) & then adjust the shoes so that they just start to bite & then back it off a little bit (details are in the manual), put it all back together & adjust the handbrake cable. It sounds easy in the book, I'm sure it won't be
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,266
Likes: 0
From: Allen, TX, USA
Hey UK;
That's basically what I did last night... Raised the rear end, tightened the shoes, backed them off a few turns and checked the cable again. I didn't disconnect the half-shafts, but I think that is really what I should do.
I still get a bunch of travel on the handle even though I'm at the end of the front cable adjustment. So I'm trying to see where this all this slack cable is going. I just can't see cable stretching a bunch. Hence the numbers approach.
THanks.
That's basically what I did last night... Raised the rear end, tightened the shoes, backed them off a few turns and checked the cable again. I didn't disconnect the half-shafts, but I think that is really what I should do.
I still get a bunch of travel on the handle even though I'm at the end of the front cable adjustment. So I'm trying to see where this all this slack cable is going. I just can't see cable stretching a bunch. Hence the numbers approach.
THanks.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 8,339
Likes: 24
From: I can walk to MA
Are they working at all ?
I recall a recent post that claimed all kinds of noise and no ebrake.
When the rotor was removed, all the pieces inside the drum came falling out.
Not saying yours is like this, but maybe one of the internal parts has stopped doing it's job.
I recall a recent post that claimed all kinds of noise and no ebrake.
When the rotor was removed, all the pieces inside the drum came falling out.
Not saying yours is like this, but maybe one of the internal parts has stopped doing it's job.
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Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 3,758
Likes: 3
From: Surrey
Adam,
did adjusting the shoes make any difference to the amount of slack in the cable? It's a pretty beefy cable so I can't see it stretching much either
Is either of them new? If so there could be the possibility that one is slightly too long (I've had that problem before with different cables).
did adjusting the shoes make any difference to the amount of slack in the cable? It's a pretty beefy cable so I can't see it stretching much either
Is either of them new? If so there could be the possibility that one is slightly too long (I've had that problem before with different cables).
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,266
Likes: 0
From: Allen, TX, USA
Well I found the problem - the parking brake star wheel was on backwards on one
wheel. Thus it was not tight at all.
Now they are nice and tight. pull the handle a bit and they grab the wheels.
Hopefully this is enough to pass inspection.
Thanks
wheel. Thus it was not tight at all.
Now they are nice and tight. pull the handle a bit and they grab the wheels.
Hopefully this is enough to pass inspection.
Thanks