Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 19:03:55 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Shazam <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: slack in e-brake cable?
In-Reply-To: <69064fa90802121510q635dee02ra5b080039a8c2e0d@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Ok...........
Did you notice the adjuster nut , 10 mm hex, on the rod just a few inches
forward of where the cables come together sort of ?
That might have something to do with adjustment of the cable slack eh ?
But first you need to make sure the are sliding and returning nicely. ( the
rear brake mechanism returns the cables some. )
Grab the cables and pull them forward and sideways............
They should slide out of the outer cables about 3/8 an inch,
And slide back in easily.
You often here the rear brake shoes squeak on the backing plates when you do
that.
If the cables don't slide out some easily and return, they are
stuck/rusted/jammed/worn.
To do it right you really need to start in the rear drums.
If that's all shot and worn out in there and you tighten up the parking
brake cable, there will be less slack and all that, but you might also just
be making up for something that is really actually more worn n the rear drum
brakes.
So remove the rear drums inspect the rear brakes...........for worn shoes,
and for leaky wheel cylinder primarily, or things out of place or
broken/missing/riding loose in the bottom of the drum area. ( yep, seen
that a time or two ) .
It's normal for one shoe to be more worn than the other.
Usually at the minimum, if shoes and cylinder are ok, I empty out the brake
dust, tweak up the self-adjuster a little, and change brake fluid to that
wheel, or both rears.
When all is ok or at least pretty right in the rear brakes, then you adjust
the parking brake cable by the 10mm hex hut until it's right. lube
everything that moves with an appropriate product.
Hope this helps you some.
Scott
www.turbovans.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Ryan Alfonso
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 3:11 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: slack in e-brake cable?
OK, allow me to rephrase this. It was late when I wrote the initial
description of the issue.
when the handbrake is off, the adjuster and the cables just dangle about an
inch and a half lower than they would be with the handbrake engaged -- all
loose and floppy like. There appears to be no return spring to take up the
slack in the cables. That seems weird to me. This as it should be? Does
your handbrake adjuster (at the junction of the left and right cables)
just flop around with the brake off?
Sorry to be a PITA, but it's brakes! that stuff makes me nervous, hehehe.
THat's why I don't do 'em! One mistake and yer dead! Waaah!
