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Date:         Sat, 9 Jan 2010 20:12:01 -0800
Reply-To:     Luke Bakken <luke.bakken@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Luke Bakken <luke.bakken@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Follow up - parking brake questions. Was: Frozen emergency brake
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

On Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 12:57 PM, Luke Bakken <luke.bakken@gmail.com> wrote: > Hey everyone, > > We've had some interesting weather here in Spokane WA - warm and wet > the first part of the week then suddenly really cold beginning on > Tuesday night. I got in my van yesterday to drive it around and > discovered that the brakes weren't disengaging totally from using the > e-brake. Thankfully I just drove around the block and back home, but > the right-rear disc was definitely starting to get hot because I could > hear it cooling down. > > I'm assuming that the weird weather change must have frozen something > up but I'm wondering what the best way to diagnose this issue would > be. The van has been upgraded to rear disc brakes using a "big brake" > kit either from SmallCar or Van Cafe (the P.O. installed them). I'm > assuming I can tap around the e-brake springs on the calipers with a > hammer to see if I can loosen things up with the e-brake disengaged, > but other suggestions are very welcome.

Thanks to everyone who replied. I was directed to this thread on the Samba which shed some more light on the situation:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=390169

So, with nothing better to do than get under my van in freezing rain, I checked stuff out and found that basically the passenger side cable was seized in its cover. I removed the cable entirely and could not get it to budge. The brake caliper disengaged just fine. I removed the driver's side cable as well and found that I could move the cable in the cover, but not easily. I also think that due to the lengths of the cables, only the passenger side was ever engaging when using the parking brake.

First question: while I figure out the best way to fix this, would it be safe (and legal!) to drive and park the van without having a working parking brake?

Second question: this thread on the Samba (http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3943875) details an interesting solution to one of the problems with how the parking brake cables are routed. I wonder if that idea could be expanded to provide more of a straight shot from the main brake cable and hanger (is that what the connection point is called?) to the rear brakes. Ideally you could figure out a route that wouldn't involve any bends except the one around the rear trailing arm.

I'll probably end up following the SmallCar directions to use a 2wd brake cable on the passenger side and a stock syncro one on the driver's side.

Thanks again for any input, Luke


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