Handbrake woes

[stuart bowes]

well i think i've 'fixed' it..

the new cables havent arrived yet but when they do they'll just go on the shelf and I'll most likely just give them to the garage to do when it's in for the MOT next month.. assuming the current situation doesnt change

I wish I could describe exactly what I did but I'm not really sure in all honesty. I took out the centre console to look at that end, everything looked ok. I loosened off that end fully, with the intention of dismantling all at the hub end and starting again (I had the day off work, what better way to while away the time..)

then, i thought hang on, what I'll do now is adjust the adjusters again until it just starts rubbing, then back off half a notch, until that was smooth. (what i did before!). then I slowly took out the slack again, pulling the handbrake up every few turns of the nut to take up slack. nothing was fitted differently, but this time it seemed to sit right and i knew it had worked because with the handbrake on i can do my nuts up with the wheel up in the air. in D or R it holds the car. 6 clicks.

**Shrug**

all I can do is keep an eye on it and see. I took it for a spin and the clunk did not happen. on the last turn into the drive I have a very slight quiet clunk but it might have been something in the boot. fingers crossed that was just happening because something (?) was slack. clearly something was amiss because it wouldnt lock up. and now it does

tbc

off to pick kids up from school in a bit and there's endless speedbumps round there so I'm sure that'll be a decent test

[BlueRubber]

Originally Posted by stuart bowes

6 clicks.

Glad to hear you sorted it.
FYI I think the manual says to set it on 3 clicks.

[RMWxc90]

Volvo's XC90 instructions, " Breaking in the new parking brake pads (sic)after replacement. Note! Activate the parking brake firmly for 10 minutes. Break in the parking brake by depressing the parking brake pedal to the third notch. Then drive at 20 km/h for 40 seconds or 250 meters."
Spent 2 days following these instructions and completely failed to get Pagid brake shoes to hold on steep decline, changed for genuine Volvo shoes and after 2nd "drive" held on the steepest decline I could find. MOT station were then amazed at the handbrake readings then obtained. Europarts refunded cost of Pagid shoe.

[stuart bowes]

^^ 100% bearing this in mind for the future, was it you or someone else said in a previous post get genuine shoes.. I'm still thinking of ordering them, they're only 40 quid. Again will probably just give them plus cable to the garage

More than anything else if I take those damn discs and calipers off again I think I will actually go doolalley

6 clicks seems ok to me, the woman in the a1auto video said 6 as well. Ideally maybe I'd want less but also I don't want to risk having drag on the wheels. It ain't broke, so..

[BlueRubber]

Originally Posted by RMWxc90

Volvo's XC90 instructions, " Breaking in the new parking brake pads (sic)after replacement. Note! Activate the parking brake firmly for 10 minutes. Break in the parking brake by depressing the parking brake pedal to the third notch. Then drive at 20 km/h for 40 seconds or 250 meters."
Spent 2 days following these instructions and completely failed to get Pagid brake shoes to hold on steep decline, changed for genuine Volvo shoes and after 2nd "drive" held on the steepest decline I could find. MOT station were then amazed at the handbrake readings then obtained. Europarts refunded cost of Pagid shoe.

The instructions for the V70 are slightly different. SOmething along the lines of drive at 30kph and apply the handbrake.

[BlueRubber]

Originally Posted by stuart bowes

^^ 100% bearing this in mind for the future, was it you or someone else said in a previous post get genuine shoes.. I'm still thinking of ordering them, they're only 40 quid.

I replaced my ones with ATE ( who I think make the Volvo ones ) and they worked perfectly, also had no issues fitting them.
Other than the stupid springs which I bought a tool for in the end.

[stuart bowes]

Yes can we all just take a moment to reflect on how much we hate those springs.


Grrrrr_$%&:$_&&

Ok done

[BlueRubber]

Originally Posted by stuart bowes

Yes can we all just take a moment to reflect on how much we hate those springs.

I hate those spring too.
But tbh once I got the tool it made it much, much easier:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-Bra...AAAOSw2KVfz5df
"Volvo Brake Shoe Spring Installer Removal Retaining Unlocking Tool 999 7225"

[stuart bowes]

99% sure now the brake clunking has stopped

there is still a knock up the front, located by means of grabbing the roof rails and rocking the car (handy, those rails).. still working on the front suspension anyway, bushes, balljoints and eventually shocks / springs / topmounts, so i'll worry about the noise if it's still there after ive done all that

roll bar bushes look ok far as I can tell and no amount of crowbar waggling has made them move

[cheshired5]

Originally Posted by stuart bowes

was it you or someone else said in a previous post get genuine shoes

I've mentioned genuine or ATE many times on here as in the research for doing mine, I'd read far too many crap handbrake threads to risk using anything else.

My logic was that it worked out of the factory so it can't be that difficult to return it to as new operation.
I fitted a £20 set of shoes and new cables 5 years ago and they've never given a moments trouble.
No adjusters needed and the handbrake holds the car on one click on mild inclines and 3 clicks holds it on any slope.
A 5 minute adjustment of the single nut under the handbrake gaiter restores it every couple of years.
I also do the low speed drive with the handbrake lightly applied maybe a couple of times a year to freshen up the friction surface.