Handbrake doesn't work

czechone · 04-05-2007, 12:33 PM

It hasn't worked for quite some time now and driving an Auto i can personally live without it but Rego is coming up and the mechanic let me off with it last year but i dont think he'll be so kind again.

Wondering what sort of things i need to check with my "not functioning at all" handbrake to get it working ? Basically i can pull the handle up all the way and it doesn't stop the car moving at all. I've tried to adjust the cable from the handle end which didn't make any diff.

Guess im gonna have to check some things at the rear end/brake area of the car - is there some adjuster there for the cable as well ? Am i gonna have the take the rotor and caliper off to look at things (taking off the rotor worries me as the head of screw holding it in is pretty worn) ? I actually drove with it partially on for a few metres and since then it didnt work - would it most likely be that something has broken or is it just a matter of re-adjusting ?

It's an AU3 XR8 with IRS (if that makes any diff).

Any tips most appreciated.

Casper · 04-05-2007, 12:57 PM

Welcome to the wonderful world of AU IRS. This is exceptionally common (read EVERY SINGLE IRS AU) and needs to be adjusted at the rear hubs. There is a rubber grommit that can be removed from the rear hub and an adjuster thingy in there that you need to turn to get the hanbrake shoes to within a bee's shlong of the drum. Just make sure you set the handbrake adjuster screw back to how it was before you do it so you can make fine adjustments of it in the end.'

Oh, and get used to doing it, you will be doing it every few months.

czechone · 04-05-2007, 01:43 PM

Thanks for the info.

Lack of knowlege here but - can i get to this adjuster bit with the caliper/rotor still on ? Do i have to do the same thing on both rear wheels - or does the handbrake adjust from one side only ?

bodes-sh · 04-05-2007, 05:28 PM

you can get to it with the rotor on, and yes it is on both wheels, if it's as badly adjusted as what you say, you will probably be there forever trying to adjust it far enough with the disc on, but if you can't/would rather not take it off then you haven't got any choice.... btw, it's not just au's or irs for that matter, early ba's have the same problem

czechone · 04-05-2007, 06:49 PM

Ok thanks ... i'll give it a go on the weekend ...

One last thing ... the fact that it seemed to stop working because i drove with the handbrake on (just for a few seconds) - does that still point to it just needing to be readjusted ? It's not likely that i busted something in the mechanism of it all ?

GK · 04-05-2007, 07:11 PM

These may be of assistance.

Rear Rotor and Pads Change
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showpos...5&postcount=54

Filing the handbrake shoes
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showpos...2&postcount=68

De-rusting and painting rotors
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showpos...2&postcount=68

All the best with it.

GK

AU dude · 04-05-2007, 08:34 PM

i had my adjusted by my mechanic when he was doing a rego check, he told me the falcons have a tendence to unadjusted themselfs at the hub. it took him about 15 mins and he charged me $17 in labour for it.

czechone · 05-05-2007, 05:43 PM

Thanks for the advice everyone (everything you guys were saying made a lot more sense when i had the parts there in front of me) ... had a look at it today and after some major adjusting it's a lot better now, well, working at least.

Had to take the rotors and calipers off after all which wasn't too difficult (as there's no way i could turn the adjuster by finger power through the hole in the rotor where the rubber bit sits).

Had to really turn that adjuster screw multiple upon multiple rotations before the handbrake would work though. Still have to pull the handbrake lever up reasonably far before it engages but at least it WORKS.

Probably because the handbrake shoes seem pretty worn - especially on one side of the car. Any idea how much for a new set ?

FGII-XR6 · 05-05-2007, 06:11 PM

you can get a bit of fine adjustment at the handbrake lever there is a nut to shorten the cable

czechone · 05-05-2007, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by au3xr6

you can get a bit of fine adjustment at the handbrake lever there is a nut to shorten the cable

Yeah i had a bit of a go at that before i considered changing anything at the rear end of the handbrake system. I think the nut is at it's max tightness already (but i'll give it another go). Plus it's REALLY hard to get to and get leverage on it between the drivers seat and handle without taking out the drivers seat - which i'm probably going to have to do to give it a good shot at further tightening - im pretty skeptical about one of those handbrake shoes though - the lining is almost gone at the bottom of it.

Umineko · 05-05-2007, 09:27 PM

I priced a set of hand brake shoes a couple of weeks ago was quoted $28 from Better Brakes

RG · 05-05-2007, 09:54 PM

Since there is a thread here I though I may as well ask, what do I do about a handbrake that doesn't hold but won't entirely let go either?

bodes-sh · 06-05-2007, 09:14 AM

tighten it up a bit more....?

RG · 06-05-2007, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodes-sh

tighten it up a bit more....?

Wouldn't tightening it up make it not want to let go even more.

bodes-sh · 06-05-2007, 10:27 AM

sorry, i think i misread that before....it may need to be pulled apart and checked, as in GK's writeup of rounding off the brake shoes, maybe give that a go?

RG · 06-05-2007, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GK

These may be of assistance.

Rear Rotor and Pads Change
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showpos...5&postcount=54

Filing the handbrake shoes
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showpos...2&postcount=68

De-rusting and painting rotors
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showpos...2&postcount=68

All the best with it.

GK

Filing the brake shoe link and De-rusting link are the same.

bodes-sh · 06-05-2007, 11:09 AM

ok....2snd image down in either of those links is the filing of the brake shoes, i guess he did it all at the same time

RG · 06-05-2007, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodes-sh

ok....2snd image down in either of those links is the filing of the brake shoes, i guess he did it all at the same time

Ah I see it now, well that gives me a job for tomorrow. Now all I need is a file and some axle stands.

GK · 06-05-2007, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedXR347

Ah I see it now, well that gives me a job for tomorrow. Now all I need is a file and some axle stands.

Sorry for the misleading link there. I did one job in the process of doing the other! LOL!

GK

JC · 06-05-2007, 10:48 PM

Interesting thing I found when doing the EL handbrake the other weekend - the handbrake shoes on the AUs are held in by one clip at the front centre of the shoe (say 3 o'clock position), whereas the EL one is held on by 2 clips at the 1 o'clock and 5 o'clock positions. These make adjustment more difficult on the EL than the AU, because the 2 clips actually hold the shoe in better than one does, but the trade-off there is no shhhh, shhhh, shhh sound after a few weeks. I think ford/pbr/whoever devised the handbrake dropped a 5 cent part, and have annoyed owners ever since. I was think of buying an extra clip for the wagon, and fitting it in the 1 o'clock position (using a Tek screw, of cousre) - I reckon it would work to keep the shoe in position and get rid of that annoying shhh, shhh noise.

Just thought I'd share.

OzJavelin · 07-05-2007, 12:03 PM

My AU has had a problem with the handbrake for weeks. Months ago the rear rotors were replaced and all was happy. A couple of weeks ago the RHR brake kept squealing whenever I'd make LH turns. This was "fixed" stating that the park-brake shoe was cocked and rubbing against the rotor drum; they also adjusted the park brake. Then the park brake kept squealing just about constantly at low speed. I tried just letting off the handbrake cable in the cabin, but no affect. On Sat I put it up on a hoist and took the rotors off and backed the park shoes right off (but the park brake still works). Now it's STILL squealing when you backup!! It's booked in tomorrow at a specialist brake place. All very annoying ...

RG · 07-05-2007, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JC

Interesting thing I found when doing the EL handbrake the other weekend - the handbrake shoes on the AUs are held in by one clip at the front centre of the shoe (say 3 o'clock position), whereas the EL one is held on by 2 clips at the 1 o'clock and 5 o'clock positions. These make adjustment more difficult on the EL than the AU, because the 2 clips actually hold the shoe in better than one does, but the trade-off there is no shhhh, shhhh, shhh sound after a few weeks. I think ford/pbr/whoever devised the handbrake dropped a 5 cent part, and have annoyed owners ever since. I was think of buying an extra clip for the wagon, and fitting it in the 1 o'clock position (using a Tek screw, of cousre) - I reckon it would work to keep the shoe in position and get rid of that annoying shhh, shhh noise.

Just thought I'd share.

The EF setup is better again as that is where the design started. Ford have just kept on playing with things to try to get costs down and it has ended up making the AU handbrake a shocker.

Hords · 07-05-2007, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GK

Sorry for the misleading link there. I did one job in the process of doing the other! LOL!

GK

Hi George,

Is your park brake still "squeal" free since filing the shoe leading edges?

GK · 07-05-2007, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hords

Hi George,

Is your park brake still "squeal" free since filing the shoe leading edges?

I would absolutely love to be able to say "yes" but alas the answer is no!

I think that I may have not centred the pads properly when refitting. Once the sound returned however, it's not as bad as before I filed them.

I'd like JC to do his mod as suggested above though and add some pics for us all to have a go.

Surely he's up for it! LOL!

GK

flathead 276 · 11-05-2007, 12:19 AM

Sorry to thread mine, I adjusted the original handbrake linings a little while ago. Every thing was fine for a few days,then it would not hold, maybe I stuffed up with the measurement. Obtained new linings, treated them to GK's mod, went a bit tighter in the measurement 189.8mm if memory serves. Vernier calipers a big help here. A tight feel is what you are looking for, to adjust it this way you must remove the discs. I was replacing them anyway. A thank you to GK for the info about the linings, no squeals yet, hope this helps