problem with my car hand brake

goldspanners

fletcher1985 wrote: »

i have just got in from work and my handbrake did 10 clicks that was to make the car stay still, but only on a slight slope it will hold the car it wont hold it at all on a hill

best put it off the road then.dont use it.

cyclonebri1

anewman wrote: »

It's better to check and adjust the rear shoes first before going for the handbrake cable adjuster. Most, if not all, shoe auto-adjusters on the back do not work properly. It's also an opportunity to check the condition of drums/shoes etc (and for Kwikfit to tell you loads needs replacing :rotfl: if you were unfortunate enough to go there.)

At last, dead likely to be failed auto shoe adjust on the brakes more so than cable stretch. However the cable is likely to need adjusting afterwards.

Cable stretch? well they do and they don't. They rot and as a result are weakened to the point where they thin or strands break, effectively making them longer.

No differerence in being in 1st or reverse? well again there is. All the drive train components are loaded when the car is being held on a slope with no handbrake, ie, the diff,gearbox, clutch and of course the engine, it's the engine compression that actually stops the car moving. The point is that if its in the wrong gear the engine is effectively being wound over backward and in this mode the cam belt is being loaded in reverse and there is a real danger of it wrongly tensioning itself and can lead to cam belt failure, and we all know what that means,

HTH,;)

jpvic

I seem to remember corsa recalls for handbrake problems.
Best check with a main agent for advice.
Sorry hav'nt got time to search right now.

fletcher1985

it holds the car fine on a slight slope its just on very steep hills i need the car for work, its my last night at work tonight and my brother is going to sort it on saturday, my friend has a peugeot 306 and hers did about 13 clicks but held the car on about 6,

the_big_fact_hunt

firstly dont use the car at all, if you are subjeted to an inspection by a police officer or VOSA officer you may be liable for prosecution for using a vehicle on a public highway with a defective braking system, secondly, dont touch your brakes unless you actually know what you are doing and understand how they work, i didnt spend hours in the classroom and workshops for the hell of it, there is a lot to know and understandaout what they do and how they work, after all, they are a safety device and if they dont work you DONT stop.
Just remember the compensation culture, you will be held liable for your actions

jeannieblue

Wouldn't need adjusting if cable didn't 'stretch.

And lets not patronise the OP - no names mentioned..... come on here to advise or not..

anewman

Brakes aren't all that difficult to work with and you have to start somewhere... See http://www.autoshop101.com/autoshop15.html#brakes and haynes manual for your car. If some clueless person in Kwikfit can do it, with a bit of time and care you can as well.

Only thing is all this takes time and effort, and for most people the easy way out of that for is to take it to a garage and let them do it

cyclonebri1

jeannieblue wrote: »

Wouldn't need adjusting if cable didn't 'stretch.

And lets not patronise the OP - no names mentioned..... come on here to advise or not..

Sorry, WRONG.

jeannieblue

Steady on anewman! You very nearly encouraged them to trust Kwikfit....

Still can't understand why putting in gear doesn't hold it. But I'm not that technically minded...

goldspanners

cyclonebri1 wrote: »

At last, dead likely to be failed auto shoe adjust on the brakes more so than cable stretch. However the cable is likely to need adjusting afterwards.

Cable stretch? well they do and they don't. They rot and as a result are weakened to the point where they thin or strands break, effectively making them longer.

No differerence in being in 1st or reverse? well again there is. All the drive train components are loaded when the car is being held on a slope with no handbrake, ie, the diff,gearbox, clutch and of course the engine, it's the engine compression that actually stops the car moving. The point is that if its in the wrong gear the engine is effectively being wound over backward and in this mode the cam belt is being loaded in reverse and there is a real danger of it wrongly tensioning itself and can lead to cam belt failure, and we all know what that means,

HTH,;)

right bri,your engine doesnt turn in the opposite direction when put in reverse on a slope,its the gearbox that goes in reverse,thats why its there,secondly it is the gearbox taking the majority of the load,have you ever tried to turn a worm gear to turn a crown gear? it cant happen,the crown needs to turn the worm gear.

cable stretch is a loosly used term,that means the overall length of the cables individual strands have tighten up together (stretched) making the overall length seem longer compared to a new cable.i have seen it it does happen even without strands breaking,the cable itself does stretch,if chain can stretch then so can cable.

not trying to pick holes,just giving my experienced opinion.