Adjusting Handbrake Cables

[Skepa122]

Hi everyone,
Am working on a 1988 Carrera and am refreshing the suspension.

Prior to taking the car apart I took some pictures of the handbrake cables that go through the slot in the trailing arm and secured through the two spreaders with the castlenut/pin.

The cable can be seen in this picture:


Prior to taking off everything, the passanger side had 17 threads showing before the double nut, the driver side had 15 threads showing before the double nut.

Now that I am starting to button everything up, I noticed that the passanger cable seems longer and has much more slack than the driver's side.

On the driver's side I backed off the two nuts as much as possible just to get the cable through the 2 spreads and the castlenut and pin was barely placed on.

Are the two sides supposed to be balanced? So that when you button everything up equal amounts of thread are showing past the two tightening nuts?

I understand that there may be an adjustment inside the car, but I was not sure where to find it exactly and how to adjust it there apart from making sure that it is "level"

Lastly, how tight should the spacer of the handbrake cable be against the back spreader? Should you tighten the two nuts so that it is snug and the spreaders are just barely pushing against the shoes?

Thanks in advance

[proporsche]

Hi i suppose you have it all assembled by now...
1.loosen the 17mm nuts on both cables so the wheel spins free
2.adjust the inner drums adjustments until the wheel is tight then 3 click in reverse untill the wheel is free or you can only feel or hear very little resistance of the drum rubbing on the brake shoes.
3.adjust the 17 mm nut until you feel slight resistance from the drum rubbing on the shoes.
4.check you hand brake arm it should be only 3-5 click when is up.
5.make sure you do not have it too tight..that could burn your shoes...the distance (17mm nut wrench size))on each cable does not matter if you are worry about that.

Ivan


i hope this helps oh ya make sure you lubricate the threads on the cables.There is no interior adjustment.

[Artfrombama]

Worked for me

[dan88911]

This is also covered in the Bentley Manual

[Skepa122]

Thanks everyone. I saw the article on adjustments but didn't understand the tension of the cable and the two nuts. How tight it's own, long, spacer is to be against the back of the inside spreader.

[seafeye]

Think of the brake cables like bicycle brake cables.
If you make the outer sleeve shorter it releases tension on the inner cable.
And making the outer sleeve longer makes the inner cable tighter.
All you are doing with the two nuts are making the sleeve longer or shorter.

Basically making if the outer sleeve longer will make your brake shoes contact the rotor sooner.