Handbrake Oddities

[derek vivian]

Yes holding the car on the footbrake does indeed work, but I do not like keeping my brake lights on for the driver behind to see! It annoys me that others do this and if I am stopped close behind it is a bit glary! I will arrange for the garage who did the work to advise etc. Thanks guys.

[J liddy]

Also holding foot on brakes can cause the brake bulb holder to melt the plastic fitting too I've had this happen on my 940 diesel automatic .there is a video to fix this problem on utube worth a look

[capt jack]

Well, it was indeed a delaminated shoe. I haven't used the car for over two weeks, but today being a Saturday and the Mrs gone shopping I thought I'd have another go.

In the end getting the discs off was breeze.

I found a video on YouTube that showed how by using a long M8 bolt through the holes on the calliper bracket, braced against the inner edge of the disc, with a retaining nut on the bolt, you just pop off the disc, with no hammering, no stress and no fuss. It took a matter of minutes.

And it worked both sides like a dream.

However, getting the shoe replaced, that was a different matter!

I'd bought a complete axle set of four shoes, but I've ended up only replacing the one that had delaminated. Although the new shoes were right for the car, and had the correct part number, it took a lot of fiddling and fettling to get the profile the same as the ones on the car.

Added to that, the little yoke at the end of the handbrake cables has a pin through its centre that retains the actuator lever. And at the critical moment that pin fell out. Then try as I might I could not get it to go back, so in the end I fashioned two loops out of some stiff stainless wire, and used these to hold the actuator to the yoke. It took hours, but it is secure.

I take the view that it's only the hand brake, and on an automatic car it barely gets used anyway. The inner faces of the brake drums were dull and pitted, and the remaining three shoes as meaty and secure as the day they went on. I'll probably revisit the whole thing on a better day, either if it fails again, or in time for the next MOT - in November 2022. At least now I know what to do, and how to get that chunky great retaining spring to pop into place - that was another hour lost until I worked out a method for doing it!

Clearly when this was all put together Volvo weren't anticipating anyone ever taking it apart again.

But for now it's possibly not perfect, but the hand brake is working and there is no delaminated brake lining floating around inside the brake drum.

Cheers

Jack

[Ian21401]

I would have persevered with that pin. There is a knack to refitting that spacer brace and the springs. It’s detailed in nother thread somewhere.

[capt jack]

Thanks Ian. Once I'd worked it out the retaining spring and the spacer bar were easy. That little pin was a stinker, and although I am happy that what I've done is secure, I think I will have another go at some point.

Jack

[capt jack]

And sorted. Phew!

I guess the moral of the story is that brake shoes that have been left little used for 25 years are always going to be a challenge. Old bolts, rust, and non-OEM parts are a tricky combination.

Shoes now replaced, handbrake working, job done, no bodges.

Thanks to all for the comments and advice.

Cheers

Jack

[Dippydog]

Good to hear you got it sorted.