Replacing handbrake cables?

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Replacing handbrake cables?

Mark King

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Apr 6, 2013
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Going to have go at replacing handbrake cables to my fiat panda any tips or advice off anyone.
 
Assuming you can safely jack and support the car and have experience of working on drum brakes it is a fairly easy job on the Panda. If you haven't done brake drums before you might want to get someone to help you / check it over afterwards. From memory it goes something like this:

1. Inside the cabin remove the centre console (2 M10 nuts in the cupholders, 1 M10 nut just in front of the handbrake lever under a plastic cover, 1 M10 nut at the rear of the console under a plastic cover)

2. Slacken off the single adjuster nut (11mm spanner) enough to slip out the cable ends from the mechanism.

3. Release the plastic cable feed-through grommets by squeezing their lugs and popping them through the chassis holes.

4. Remove rear wheels and wheel locating studs (12mm spanner if I remember correctly)

5. Remove brake drum(s) - if they are stuck screw in two M10 bolts into the tapped holes in the drum that you took the wheel locating studs out of - these M10 bolts will gently push the drum off. Take lots of photos of the spring positions etc.

6. Remove brake shoes (it is sensible to keep the wheel cylinder pistons in place using a cable tie or strong rubber band as soon as the shoes are out of the way)

7. Unhook end of cable from brake shoe expander mechanism (you need the shoe removed completely and the expander opened out and twisted sideways, then you have to use your third hand to compress the spring around the end of the cable before you can release the lug from the expander. Release backplate feed-through grommet (similar to the ones at the handbrake lever end).

8. Unclip and remove the cable(s)

9. Fit new cable(s), re-assemble everything, press brake pedal firmly a few times to centralise the shoes then adjust the handbrake adjuster nut.

Of course you will want to clean and high melting point-grease the relevant bits as you re-assemble.

How come you need to change the cables by the way? Are they stretched too much or damaged in some way?
 
Near side cable snapped so thought it was best to replace both had car jacked and disassembled from leaver through to drum was able to disconnect cable from behind shoes without taking them off. Put new ones on from drum back to leaver making sure everything was secured underneath and all greased up were needed.
 
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