Technical X250 handbrake woes

[Torq]

I hate this X250 my previous 240 was twice the van it is and more!

Anyway. My handbrake works fine when facing uphill but on the same slope going down hill it will not hold. Rear discs and shoes are new and adjusted as per factory manual, front cable has been replaced. Anyone any ideas?

 

[Crossingkeeper]

Not experienced this fault but thinking laterally.....When van is facing uphill the centre of gravity will move to the rear and the van will sit further down on the rear axle; conversely when facing downhill the van will rise off the back axle.

Obviously this movement will be quite slight, a couple of inches or so, but maybe something is snagging the cable or pivots?

Alternatively, as the shoes & top hat are both new there may be a 'taper effect' in that rotation in one direction will tend to pull the shoes 'on' more tightly and in the other direction throw them 'off'.

 

[Torq]

I have a feeling that part no5 is missing on both sides of my back brakes as I don't remember seeing them!!

 

[oigle]

Not experienced this fault but thinking laterally.....When van is facing uphill the centre of gravity will move to the rear and the van will sit further down on the rear axle; conversely when facing downhill the van will rise off the back axle.

Obviously this movement will be quite slight, a couple of inches or so, but maybe something is snagging the cable or pivots?

Alternatively, as the shoes & top hat are both new there may be a 'taper effect' in that rotation in one direction will tend to pull the shoes 'on' more tightly and in the other direction throw them 'off'.

Agree re last paragraph.

Ian.

 

[rolandbrindley]

Not unusual with drum brakes, that they work better backwards than forwards. The fulcrum points opposite the wheel cylinder must be quite free, try a little brake lube at the shoe ends.

 

[Crossingkeeper]

Not unusual with drum brakes, that they work better backwards than forwards. The fulcrum points opposite the wheel cylinder must be quite free, try a little brake lube at the shoe ends.

The OP has a X250 with discs at the rear so there won't be a wheel cylinder but a cam arrangement for the cable to pull on. Your remarks are still relevant as the shoes inside the 'top hat' are effectively drum brakes.

 

[maingate]

This type of problem also can apply to cars with disc brakes all round, there was a 'runaway' one on the slope beside my house a while back. The brakes cool off and lose grip on the disc. My Tag axle van with an AlKo chassis barely gets through the annual MOT each year on handbrake efficiency. I get round this by removing everything from the rear garage to lighten the van (especially the rear end). That has led me to think that you might be a tad overweight, have you had the van on a weighbridge recently?

My advice would be to double check the adjustment by jacking up the back end and trying the handbrake one notch at a time and checking if the rear wheels are free. If one 'bites' before the other, adjust as necessary. If it is an AlKo type, the adjustment may need to be made away from the hub (ie, further back on one of the cables) ..... they can be a b*gger to set up.

 

[Torq]

I'm going to pull the whole bloody lot apart during the week and check it all out. I'll also be fitting new rear handbrake cables to compliment the front one I've just fitted. So everything will either be new, lubricated or adjusted correctly.

Worst comes to the worst I'll just sell it on and pick up an x244 and pray that it's better.

 

[Crossingkeeper]

I'm going to pull the whole bloody lot apart during the week and check it all out. I'll also be fitting new rear handbrake cables to compliment the front one I've just fitted. So everything will either be new, lubricated or adjusted correctly.

Worst comes to the worst I'll just sell it on and pick up an x244 and pray that it's better.

The handbrake on my 2009 X250 which I've now had owned for 5 years is and always has been excellent (I've never had to replace or adjust anything) which suggests that the design is ok; so hopefully you'll find the issue with yours....OTOH the brakes on my X230 which had rear drums required a bit of forward planning on the road especially when the MH was fully loaded

 

[Torq]

Pulled the passenger side apart today, nothing missing or seized. Put it all back together with a new cable and a bit of copper grease in the right places. Set the adjustment 5 clicks out from binding. Tomorrow weather permitting I'll do the drivers side then adjust the whole lot.
T