Handbrake adjustment
- Thread starter Live500
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Handbrake adjustment
If by 'poor' you mean it does not hold on hills, adjusting the free play in the cables will not change that. They probably don't need it anyway.
The rear brake shoes are self-adjusting, and if the cables are too tight, they then do not have enough movement to self-adjust, so will make matters worse. The real problem is that the whole thing is a poor design and is 'adequate' when in top condition. However, you can develop a technique to ensure it stays where it is put, without getting your hands dirty.
Stop normally. Once stopped, do not apply the handbrake, and do not release the footbrake. Once the car is stationary, then push the footbrake quite hard. This pushes the rear brake shoes hard against the drums. (When stopping they deliberately do less work to prevent rear wheel lockup)
Now with the footbrake pushed hard, lift the handbrake to hold the shoes there. Then release the footbrake.
This technique uses the footbrake to set the shoes, requiring the handbrake mechanism to just hold it there. Practice it a bit, it will become second nature at every stop, even hill starts.
This works with any car with rear drum brakes, and has worked for me for many years. Small Fiats have always had poor rear brakes, as did the Corsa C. Have parked many such vehicles on steep hills, never lost one.
The rear brake shoes are self-adjusting, and if the cables are too tight, they then do not have enough movement to self-adjust, so will make matters worse. The real problem is that the whole thing is a poor design and is 'adequate' when in top condition. However, you can develop a technique to ensure it stays where it is put, without getting your hands dirty.
Stop normally. Once stopped, do not apply the handbrake, and do not release the footbrake. Once the car is stationary, then push the footbrake quite hard. This pushes the rear brake shoes hard against the drums. (When stopping they deliberately do less work to prevent rear wheel lockup)
Now with the footbrake pushed hard, lift the handbrake to hold the shoes there. Then release the footbrake.
This technique uses the footbrake to set the shoes, requiring the handbrake mechanism to just hold it there. Practice it a bit, it will become second nature at every stop, even hill starts.
This works with any car with rear drum brakes, and has worked for me for many years. Small Fiats have always had poor rear brakes, as did the Corsa C. Have parked many such vehicles on steep hills, never lost one.
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