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Date:         Sun, 23 Aug 2015 19:07:40 -1000
Reply-To:     "SDF ( aka ;jim lahey' - Scott )" <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         "SDF ( aka ;jim lahey' - Scott )" <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Organization: Cosmic Reminders
Subject:      Re: Emergency break adjustment
Comments: To: Eric Caron <ecaron1@COMCAST.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <FDFDA80C-790E-42BB-9B52-9BED983B5434@comcast.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed

The very first thing to do in a case like this is while under there, grab each brake cable and pull on it .. towards the front of the van. Each cable must pull out of it's outer cable/housing some ..1/2 inch ..or a bit more, then return when you let go of it.

Ideally this is done with rear wheels off the ground ...so you can spin the tire with your foot to see if the brake shoes are actually doing something.

If you don't check free movement of the cables, they can be seized , stuck or binding .. and it may ''feel' like your parking brake is working from the driver's seat .. when actually all that is happening is the front main cable is tensioning the rear two cables but they are not actually moving the rear brake shoes to the drum.

In my world ..in all rear drum brake VW's .. for the last oh ........near 50 years.. the right way to adjust the parking brake is ..

first , inspect in the rear drums to see what you actually have there. Repair as necessary. then ..making sure the parking brake cable is slacked off enough .. adjust the adjusters in the drum .. then lastly , adjust the parking brake cable.

lube all parts that move .. such as ...in drum brakes..where the shoes slide on those contact points on the backing plate ( ever hear it squeak there from being metal-to-metal when the shoes move ? ) ....I lube those little spots with anti-seize compound...sparingly.

and pretty much everything else that moves. In brakes..sparingly.

Scott On 8/22/2015 3:25 PM, Eric Caron wrote: > Hi folks, > > While under my van today I noticed my emergency break cable was loose and floppy. when I looked at it more carefully one side could be easily removed from the bracket. In fact it wasn’t seated correctly and that is how I noticed. I turned the nut in the center of the bracket so that the cable didn’t flop around any longer but not so much that it moved the two rear cables forward. Inside my van my emergency brake went from a max of four clicks up to three. > As I can’t read the Bentley does it sound like I have this cable in a reasonable position now? the adjustment nut is currently just about centered on the threaded end of the rod coming from the front of the van. > > Eric Caron > 85 GL auto Westfalia > > > >


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