How do I adjust a handbrake? Astra Mk4

Mark_Dj

How do I adjust a handbrake on a 1.8 Astra Mk4 Sxi? It's 4 stud but has discs on the front and rear. I have just done the brakes front and back and her handbrake was a little high, so I adjusted it by the nut on the handbrake, and had it nice and tight at about 3 clicks. I have just parked on a bank and put the handbrake on and it rolled away :wtf: . What have I done wrong notsure.gif . I used to adjust Nissans by the same nut nexr to the handbrake dunno..

MikeS

u looked on epc m8 ?

Mark_Dj

Does that tell you? I don't think I have epc, opc I have

MikeS

usually on the hand brake cable linkage u will see the linkage split in to seperate cables and connected using brackets, inside those brackets is a nut, u usually turn the nut clockwise until tension is required and you have tried the handbrake a few times

MikeS

err the EPC is available to premium members m8 in the premium members section, it is online so u dont need to download it

Mark_Dj

I will take a look at mine now, cheers

Mark_Dj

Right just had a look under the car and from both rear wheels I followed the cables, they both vanish up behind the heatshield on the exhaust in the middle of the car, I can't see no nuts to adjust from under the car. I am sure the one I was messing about with earlier is the nut to be playing about with, to get the handbrake sorted. It's got me beat, as the handbrake is 3 clicks, nice and tight but it's not holding as it rolls away with the handbrake on.

MikeS

does the cable dissapear into the rear hubs ?

Mark_Dj

It's got rear discs, the cable is sitting on the calipers on the rear (Bosh set up)

I found this, do you think it will work, I did the same but never had the car jacked up. Infact I jacked a side up at a time and tried the handbrake on and it felt good notsure.gif

10mm socket or spanner..need to jack up back of car put hand brake on second notch,, and tighten adjuster nut till both wheels just start to feel the brake binding ,,then let of handbarke and check wheels turn freely.. then handbrake should apply after about 4/5 notches to lock wheels..

MikeS

sounds right

a matter of jackin car up and putting up handbrake and you physically checking to see if the wheels are locked by the brakes, it is quite time consuming as i changed the hand brake cable on my girlfriends corsa and it took me 6 hours working underneath and taking hubs off then adjusting cable and checking to see if the wheels are locking up

the time consuming part is making the right adjustment

Mark_Dj

Thats it I am off the Tyrespot top get them to do it lol

Mark_Dj

Well they could not do it either. I may have put the rear pads in wrong? I have not done many rear pads before. I was a little stuck on winding the rear piston things in at first.

MikeS

you might of put the pads in the wrong way

it is very simple, long cable then a spring with bracket, cable is pulled and pads push on to discs then spring releases it

like i said it is worth jacking up one side of the car and get some grips on the cable and pull it whilst someone tries to push the wheel, this is how i fitted the handbrake cable to know whether i got everything right before i moved on to connect the cable up the handbrake

another thing is jack up the car and then get someone to push down on the brake pedal and see if the rear brakes are working [obviously with the engine turned off]

i would check the cylinder and pistons for leaks as well

Daz

mark.,

When you changed the pads on the rear,u had to wind the pistons back in to get the pads to fit...when the new pads are fitted u need to press the footbrake a few times then u adjust the handbrake pistons back out by pulling the handbrake up and down repeatidly,until the lever feels good...

With the handbrake off get under the car and see if the levers on the calipers are returning back to the stops,if there not the handbrake wont adjust up ,so u will need to slacken the cable of by the lever until the lever hit the stops,the repeatdly pull the handbrake on and off,.
If you do need to adjust the cables up the,do it bit by bit until the lever on the calipers just start to move away from the stops,then wind it back off slightly till they go back...
The hanbrake may also feel a bit vague and not hold that well until the pads have beeded themselves into the old dics's

daz

Mark_Dj

Cheers for the info Daz 🙂. I never had any time to get it sorted so it went to Vauxhall today, £80 odd quid they charged for that. Turned out alot more than I thought

Mark_Dj

They have just said it needs a new steering rack at £862 as it's leaking!

MikeS

thought it is electric

Mark_Dj

Yes it should be, they just said the steering rack is leaking on the paper work I got with it today.

MikeS

find out where it is leaking i be interested to see this