Replace Hardbrake Cable

[sal_park]

I had to change one of my rear handbrake cables at the weekend after snapping it by pulling the handbrake on too hard. Took some pictures in case it helps anyone else who has to do this too.

 

Tools needed:

 

Axle stand

hammer

mole grips

swan neck pliers

spanners

pliers

socket set

torque wrench (for the wheel bolts)

time taken:

 

about 1-1/2 hours

 

procedure

 

1) Find out which handbrake cable has snapped. There are 3 (1 front & 2 rear). If you park it 1/2 on/off a curb you should be able to look under and see.

 

2) Jack up the car and take the wheel off. You can see where the front and rear cables join here. Spray the adjuster nut (just ahead of the spring) with WD40.

 

3) Starting from where the handbrake cable connects to the caliper, there are 3 clips to remove. The first is on the caliper itself. This was quite tight and need a quick twist with the swan necks to get it loose:

 

 

4) Now pry out the two metal clips on the suspension arm. Note that there is some rubber bushing either side of the 1st clip.

 

 

5) Now remove the cable from the last clip. Again it was rusted in place and need to be twisted a bit to get it free:

 

 

6) You can now remove the old cable and thread the new cable through in it's place. At this point I discovered that the new cable was a bit shorted (10mm), had a smaller nipple at the caliper end and would not fit in the last clip. With a bit of adjustment from a spanner it fitted in ok (btw, the new cable end was .2 mm bigger)

 

 

7) At this point you need to adjust the nut on the front cable to slacken it off to let you put the new cable on. Once the cable was on I tightened the adjusted back up so that I could only get 4-5 clicks on the handbrake.

 

 

8) Now the remaining 3 clips need to be put back. The two on the suspension arm need to be bent back in place with a hammer (careful you don't break the brake pipe!) and the final one was just pushed on.

 

 

9) Wheel on (125 lb/ft) and job done.

Edited May 3, 2011 by sal_park

[seatkid]

Always grateful for DIY how to guides. This one is great as it has comprehesive and great pictures.

 

Thankyou sal_park!!!

 

MODS....Could this be added to Tech FAQ?

Edited May 3, 2011 by seatkid

[gregers]

great pics sal park.im sure they will benefit many people.

 

 

MODS....Could this be added to Tech FAQ?

 

i would if i could seat kid,but as its locked and only admin or nikpv have acess to it,

so im a bit stuck on what i can do.hopefully glen will sort it,nik hasnt been on since 7 march.

[xavier]

For anyone having problems with corrosion at the caliper end (no 3 pic 2), I used a bit of heat on mine combined with using a 10mm socket and short extension as a drift to knock it back through. A also had corrosion at the last clip, couldn't use heat (too near the tank!) but got it out with a few well placed taps with a bolster chisel. Last problem was a corroded adjuser bolt, I got a little slack on it but not enough to get the cable hooked on. I tried slowly working the bolt loose but couldn't get enough slack. Manually operating the handbrake hinge and wedging it down gave me the remaining slack I needed.

[Mic74]

The whole job is possible without removing the road wheels. Sharp hit with a hammer at an angle breaks the rusted handbrake cables at the front end and maybe a round file to get the new ones in if needed. Fitting at front first and feeding cables into clips. Use a 13mm spanner and operate the handbrake like the previous post said will give enough clearance to get the caliper end on.

[anmar75]

Hello

I am looking for the upper handle cable as mine snapped off

[insanitybeard]

Do you mean number 2 on this parts diagram? (I'm assuming it's a Mk2 you've got?) If it's not this but the cable that goes into the handbrake lever, it's the whole lever I'm afraid.

[anmar75]

I think mine is mkiii its a ghia 2008 it has the funny handle

[gregers]

yes yours is a mk3