2003 v70 handbrake problem

[baggy p]

Hi

Car failed MOT on O/S/R handbrake not working at all. I took car home stripped down brakes and found handbrake cable seized so replaced it. Returned car for MOT and it failed again same thing no reading at all on O/S. I have checked everything i can think of and found nothing wrong so now looking for help.
The brake shoes and discs were replaced last year and seem fine.
New handbrake cable.
Nothing seized within the brake shoe department.
There is no adjustment at the shoe end of the car and have even adjusted the handbrake fully at the handbrake lever end and still does not lock up!
When handbrake pulled shoes move however it looks like they are too far away from the drum as disc slides on very easily.
Is there a way of adjusting the shoes apart from at the handbrake end?

Thanks in advance

[v_matt_v]

I have the same problem at the moment. In my case it's also OS side. When I took off the disc it turned out that the OS side was tighter than NS side so when I adjusted the handbrake the OS side shoes were rubbing the disc for couple of months until the internal diameter of the disc was polished so finely that there is almost no resistance when the shoes and the disc touch. Even if the handbrake is adjusted to maximum.
There are two solutions in your case and in my case:
1. Replace the discs because probably the drum is worn. The spacing is to big and the shoe doesn't touch the drum.
2. Modify the brake (I'll be doing it this weekend). Add adjustable screw instead of metal bracket which is on the opposite side to the expander and brake line. With this adjustable screw you'll expand the spacing between the shoes so when applying the brake the shoes will touch the drum.

In my case I'll also have to use wire brush and sanding paper to create rough surface on the drum area where the shoes are in contact with the drum.

The adjustable screw in handbrake mechanism is in most cars, except volvo which I think is a great mistake. When you don't have perfect symmetry between both sides (e.g. one brake line is 1mm longer or just more worn and is more expanded) then one side will brake harder than the other. That's what I think happened in my case. This will lead to MOT failure.

When I finish my modification I'll try to post some picture.

[Moondust70]

Before fitting adjusters you should check the position of the equaliser which is just behind the hand brake lever.

When correctly adjusted the equaliser will bias toward the 'on' brake until the 'slack' brake comes up tight. If the equaliser is seized or one brake is adjusted incorrectly so the equaliser is biased then the handbrake will only work on one wheel.

Its been a long time since I had mine apart, but I remember the position of the equaliser was critical to getting good braking force on each wheel.

[baggy p]

Thanks for replies, in regards to the position of the equalizer, I have checked the equalizer when I fitted the handbrake cable and it is not seized, however it does favor the N/S and when adjusting the handbrake from the handbrake lever you can see that it is not straight. My initial thoughts were that the handbrake cable was longer than the original one however it is exactly the same length!

My friend has a 2005 v70 and his has the adjustable screw which allows him to manually adjust the shoes from the drum/disc end then fine tune it from the handbrake end however my year seems not to have this adjustable screw!?!?

So my question is how do you adjust a pair of shoes that dont have any adjustment at the wheel?
I think the idea of adjustable screws must be the only way to resolve this issue.

[v_matt_v]

Originally Posted by Moondust70

Before fitting adjusters you should check the position of the equaliser which is just behind the hand brake lever.

When correctly adjusted the equaliser will bias toward the 'on' brake until the 'slack' brake comes up tight. If the equaliser is seized or one brake is adjusted incorrectly so the equaliser is biased then the handbrake will only work on one wheel.

Its been a long time since I had mine apart, but I remember the position of the equaliser was critical to getting good braking force on each wheel.

BY equaliser do you mean the component I highlighted below?


I want to replace the component below to the adjustable screw

[v_matt_v]

Originally Posted by baggy p

My friend has a 2005 v70 and his has the adjustable screw which allows him to manually adjust the shoes from the drum/disc end then fine tune it from the handbrake end however my year seems not to have this adjustable screw!?!?

Your friend must have modified the handbrake becasue there are no adjustable screws in s60/v70. Mine is 2005 model and it doesn't have it.

[baggy p]

Number 8 is what i am calling the equaliser and you are talking about changing 15 to 17 and 18 correct??

[Diesel Convert]

I had the same problem. Changed one handbrake cable and I couldn't adjust the system so both wheels locked at the same time when pulling the handbrake up. Turns out the cables had streched over the years so I had to replace the other cable.

[v_matt_v]

Originally Posted by baggy p

Number 8 is what i am calling the equaliser and you are talking about changing 15 to 17 and 18 correct??

Yes. Is this Vadis? I couldn't find such picture in VIDA. Do you have part numbers for the adjuster (17 and 18)?

[baggy p]

Yes it was Vadis 2004


FIG PART NO QTY DESCRIPTION

17 9157213 2 Claw
18 3546001 2 Adjusting device


If you could let me know how you get on i would be most grateful