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Black Beauty
Senior Alfisti
Rnr-up helpful member 06, Pin 07’08
Joined: 25 June 2005
Location: Ireland
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| Posted: 29 June 2008 at 23:54 | IP Logged
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as you may be aware the hand brake on my car has always been 'soft' ... unable to drag the rear tyres on try taramc unles under foot pedal braking.... even on wet roads it was a struggle to get it to lock up tyres 
been under the car tonight looking at the rattle in the exhaust system, when that job was complete i decided to look at the handbrake system.
* i slackened the handbrake fully
* i removed the 2 cables completely from the car & lubed their inners with 'gun-barrel' oil
* i had noticed when slacking the cables that the hand brake itself was shifting from left to right on its front mounting bolt.
So after peeling back the rear heat shield just at the joint between 2 heat shields above the cat. Armed with a 13mm socket & shortish extension i turned, by hand, the front bolt 3 FULL TURNS before it 'firmed' up. Then another full turn with the rachet attached. the rear bolt was fully tight.
* i re-assembled the cables & tightened them to 5 clicks.
TESTDRIVE, after a mile of driving with only one brake application at a stop sign I pulled up the hand brake...... BOTH rear wheels locked up in a plume of smoke  ... i was only doing 30mph.
Maybe this thread might be useful to ohers, if so i can always take a few pictures & post them in a 'how to' kinda guide 
Edited by Black Beauty on 23 October 2008 at 21:05
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rgwm
Junior Alfisti
Joined: 18 March 2005
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| Posted: 30 June 2008 at 13:30 | IP Logged
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Hmmm - interesting...
I don't generally find that cars with rear discs have particularly convincing handbrakes...but maybe this shows it up to be just maintenance issues after all 
So you're off to do some autotests, now, Pat? 
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TazzyK
Senior Alfisti
R’up Best Car 06, Pin 07’08
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| Posted: 30 June 2008 at 13:31 | IP Logged
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Vauxhalls seems to have a real 'bite' with handbrakes
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Ronin
Junior Alfisti
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| Posted: 30 June 2008 at 14:33 | IP Logged
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TazzyK wrote:
| Vauxhalls seems to have a real 'bite' with handbrakes |
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Lol thats the first time I've heard it called real "bite"... It was a case of having to free the bloody back brakes off if they were left for more than two days.
I learned a valuable lesson with vauxhall's. If you are going away on active duty for any length of time. Use bricks, don't apply the handbrake and dont leave it in gear.
I was away in Iraq for 10 month and came back and the gearbox and rear calipers, handbrake assy had seized solid.
It took the combined effort of 3 REME mechanics to sort it all out.... It was to be expected but what upset me more was I asked a mate to take her out once a week.. He did... After the first week it had siezed!
Vauxhalls have always had an all or nothing brake system. which they never ever really sorted out.
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TazzyK
Senior Alfisti
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| Posted: 30 June 2008 at 15:20 | IP Logged
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Ronin wrote:
| Vauxhalls have always had an all or nothing brake system. which they never ever really sorted out. |
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Yep our first Cavalier felt like it had no brakes whatsoever. On the Vectra though (in terms of the handbrake anyway), if you pulled up the handbrake to, say 2 notches at even 5 mph you could really feel it catch 
Edited by TazzyK on 30 June 2008 at 15:20
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Alfa Romeo forum : Technical (156)
Topic: Wobbly handbrake
