Handbrake not working after rear caliper rebuild

[Montana]

BEFORE you adjust anything, you need to stamp on the brake pedal a few times to get the caliper pistons back into postion - this should do the trick.

If not you will adjust the handbrake incorrectly as it will engage with a few clicks (as its been adjusted) but the rear brakes will be pap.

Give it a try, it will sort the issue.

[ww1dm1]

Originally Posted by skyship007

Best to fit Recon rear calipers, as the service kits don't include the bushing and connector pin for the handbrake, just the seals.

The Germans like good brakes and garage or stealer is only allowed to rebuild front calipers. Even then there is a risk that corrosion will cause the far or near Eastern seals to fail early if the unit is not pressure tested.

Which bushing and connector pin are you talking about, specifically? I thought my kit included everything. Well, except the handbrake mechanism retaining ring, but it looked great anyways.

Originally Posted by gatos

Have you adjusted the handbrake cable properly? You can do that by adjusting the nut. You will need to remove the centre console to access it.

Have a look to see if the connecting plate thingy that holds both left and right handbrake cables is sitting 90 degrees to the adjuster rod. If yes, that means that force is applied equally to both cables.
if it is at an angle then that means that something is not right with either the calliper or that one of the cables is stretched.

On your post, you mentioned that the hook thingy hits the "limiter" stop at different times. That would be a strong indication that the cables are not adjusted, or that one of the cables is stretched (it will be the one for the calliper that hits the limiter later than the other)

I did not adjust the nut under the center console. As I understand it's for handbrake cable tension and force balancing between the two sides. This could be the reason why one side is engaged before the other, but in the end both of them get pulled all the way to the limiters and still fail to hold the car in place, which makes me think that the problem is with the calipers. Do you disagree?

Originally Posted by Montana

BEFORE you adjust anything, you need to stamp on the brake pedal a few times to get the caliper pistons back into postion - this should do the trick.

If not you will adjust the handbrake incorrectly as it will engage with a few clicks (as its been adjusted) but the rear brakes will be pap.

Give it a try, it will sort the issue.

I've been driving the car for a bit now, there has been quite a lot of stomping. The handbrake won't adjust automatically as I expected just by pressing the pedal a few times. I think it's the slack between the brake cylinder and handbrake mechanism screw, as suggested by bobthecabbageand and V40DSchariot, the handbrake just feels really weak.

[gatos]

Only reason I mentioned adjusting that nut, is because you mentioned that you have to pull the handbrake lever very high up.
With regards to the limiters, on the callipers, they actually rest when you release the handbrake. When you pull the handbrake up, they pull away from the stops.

I am not ruling out that something may be wrong with the calliper by the way

[ww1dm1]

Originally Posted by gatos

Only reason I mentioned adjusting that nut, is because you mentioned that you have to pull the handbrake lever very high up.
With regards to the limiters, on the callipers, they actually rest when you release the handbrake. When you pull the handbrake up, they pull away from the stops.

I am not ruling out that something may be wrong with the calliper by the way

There are stops on both sides of the actuator arm - at the rest position and one limiting the maximum possible angle. I am able to pull the lever until the actuator arms hit maximum possible angle on both sides (one first, then the other), which results in the handbrake lever being really high up.

As I understand this shouldn't be happening and I should feel resistance from the cylinder digging into the brake pads somewhere between those stops. But it never happens. I pull and eventually the maximum position limiters stop me from pulling that handbrake lever until it points at the rear seat passengers.

[bobthecabbage]

You need to go back to basics and follow the installation instructions in the pdf.

I believe it mentions winding the calliper out until you only have 1mm clearance (between piston and pad) when you have it fitted.

This will allow the mechanism to self adjust.

This method does work as I used a similar method when I installed an new calliper and my handbrake is fine and doesn't lose its adjustment.

With that in mind I believe I did slacken off the handbrake adjuster in order to remove the cable from the calliper. In which case I would have adjusted it back up till the levers on the callipers are just starting to lift off. Apparently 1mm or less clearance with the stops with the handbrake off is okay.

Thinking it through, if you have working brakes then your callipers are probably auto-adjusted up okay and what you need to do now is adjust the hand brake cable adjuster nut (under the centre console) until the levers are just coming off the stops with the handbrake off. You may want to back it off then to get your less than 1mm clearance or so that it just touches the stop.

I think you will find that sorts your problem.

If everything is correctly adjusted and travel is still a bit long then find a steep hill near you and brake firmly a few times whilst going down it (at a safe speed). I find this usually improves matters.

[ww1dm1]

Originally Posted by bobthecabbage

You need to go back to basics and follow the installation instructions in the pdf.

I believe it mentions winding the calliper out until you only have 1mm clearance (between piston and pad) when you have it fitted.

This will allow the mechanism to self adjust.

This method does work as I used a similar method when I installed an new calliper and my handbrake is fine and doesn't lose its adjustment.

With that in mind I believe I did slacken off the handbrake adjuster in order to remove the cable from the calliper. In which case I would have adjusted it back up till the levers on the callipers are just starting to lift off. Apparently 1mm or less clearance with the stops with the handbrake off is okay.

Thinking it through, if you have working brakes then your callipers are probably auto-adjusted up okay and what you need to do now is adjust the hand brake cable adjuster nut (under the centre console) until the levers are just coming off the stops with the handbrake off. You may want to back it off then to get your less than 1mm clearance or so that it just touches the stop.

I think you will find that sorts your problem.

If everything is correctly adjusted and travel is still a bit long then find a steep hill near you and brake firmly a few times whilst going down it (at a safe speed). I find this usually improves matters.

I'm currently quite convinced the culprit is the slack between the handbrake mechanism and brake cylinder. I originally screwed the cylinders all the way in and tried manually pulling the handles both ways to see if I didn't screw up reassembling, which apparently is a no no. To get the pads to the disc I just pumped the pedal. Tensioning the cable will probably just make the actuator arm hit it's limiter even sooner, there isn't much looseness in the cable already.

Didn't have the time to try this out yet, but I'll just try screwing the cylinders back in and manually wind them out until there is barely any room between the disc and pad and see how that works out.

[druid]

I am a little shocked by this thread as i understood that winding it out then pumping it back was IT - done, mines ATF at the mo but thats handbrake cables needed.

[bobthecabbage]

If memory serves there isn't really a limiter on the handbrake levers.

The cables must be set up so that the levers only just rest on their stops (or a hairs breadth just off them) with the handbrake off.

Easiest way to do this is to chock the wheels, let the handbrake off, free the centre console (no need to remove it entirely necessarily) and wind in the adjuster nut until the levers just come off their rests (you can look under the car with a torch) then back it off until they are just touching. You can take the wheels off if it makes it easier or even just jack up the rear end and put it on axle stands.

Removing the centre console is not hard, nor is adjusting the adjuster nut.

I think you just have to bite the bullet and do it as it is the only way to set up the handbrake properly and have it self adjust.

[bobthecabbage]

Originally Posted by druid

I am a little shocked by this thread as i understood that winding it out then pumping it back was IT - done, mines ATF at the mo but thats handbrake cables needed.

I'm not sure if part of the procedure is to do with making sure you get all the air out of a dry calliper. Don't think it matters so much with callipers already fitted and bled. You aren't supposed to pump the pedal to re-adjust the clearance except for the final seating of piston to pad. Not really sure why that is but I read that the mechanism isn't designed for it. You can get round it by just winding it back the right amount to fit the new pads. Or not, it seems to work either way.

[ww1dm1]

Originally Posted by bobthecabbage

If memory serves there isn't really a limiter on the handbrake levers.

The cables must be set up so that the levers only just rest on their stops (or a hairs breadth just off them) with the handbrake off.

Easiest way to do this is to chock the wheels, let the handbrake off, free the centre console (no need to remove it entirely necessarily) and wind in the adjuster nut until the levers just come off their rests (you can look under the car with a torch) then back it off until they are just touching. You can take the wheels off if it makes it easier or even just jack up the rear end and put it on axle stands.

Removing the centre console is not hard, nor is adjusting the adjuster nut.

I think you just have to bite the bullet and do it as it is the only way to set up the handbrake properly and have it self adjust.

There is a limiter for both the minimum position and the maximum. I attached a random picture off the internet (look at the angle depicted in bottom right). In that one the lever is sitting at the minimum position, touching one part of itself to the caliper body. If you turn it, it will eventually hit the caliper with the part where the spring is held - it reaches it's maximum position. As I mentioned, this probably shouldn't happen normally, but happens in my case if I pull the handbrake as far as I can.

The lever sits nicely near the minimum position stop when the handbrake is released, so I don't believe any tensioning is needed. Balancing - maybe, as the sides don't engage at the same time, but it should hold anyways as eventually both sides max out.

Originally Posted by druid

I am a little shocked by this thread as i understood that winding it out then pumping it back was IT - done, mines ATF at the mo but thats handbrake cables needed.

You had the same problem? I can only decipher ATF as automatic transmission fluid.