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Lotus Europa Forums => Garage => Topic started by: jjbunn on Wednesday,February 25, 2015, 06:14:36 PM

Title: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: jjbunn on Wednesday,February 25, 2015, 06:14:36 PM
I am puzzled how to re-attach the handbrake cable to the hub/radius arm - photo below illustrates what I mean:

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7379/15845087034_37ca0e5f59_z.jpg)

Somehow the cable has to go through the hole at the right of the photo, and there is a slot that looks like it should be wide enough to pass the cable through (when the boot is pulled back), but isn't.

What am I missing? I looked in the KB, and in the workshop manual, but there was nothing specific to this that I could find.

Many thanks!
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: rascott on Wednesday,February 25, 2015, 07:07:51 PM
this is what mine looks like with the cable removed, if that helps.
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: BDA on Wednesday,February 25, 2015, 07:21:33 PM
I don't remember in detail but basically you push the boot away (and it looks the retaining clip is still attached so take it off, too). Under the boot is a brass shieth end with a flange. As you surmise, the exposed cable should fit in the slot - if not, you need to open it up. The nose of the shieth end should fit in the hole up to the flange. The clip holds it to the radius arm. The boot is pushed back over the nose of the brass shieth end.

Does that make sense?
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: EuropaTC on Wednesday,February 25, 2015, 10:06:04 PM
This was how mine looked a while back during an attempt to improve the handbrake prior to rear disc conversion.  The rubber boot is missing from the handbrake cable but otherwise you can see how it slips together.

Brian
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: jjbunn on Thursday,February 26, 2015, 05:16:38 PM
OK - thanks for the helpful descriptions and photos. It looks like I had the right idea, and just need to open up the slot for the cable to pass through.
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: jjbunn on Saturday,February 28, 2015, 05:13:07 PM
Well, that was successful - I opened up the slot and it slid right in (said the bishop to the actress).

I've now replaced both rear brake lines, both sets of pads, and both brake cylinders. There is one remaining problem: the handbrake cable on the RHS appears to be frozen in its sleeve, in the fully applied position. So, this means the brake lever is pulling the shoe out, preventing the drum from being replaced (not to mention any adjustment).

(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8577/16677088525_2765aece72_z.jpg)

It seems to me that if I soak the cable with liberal dousings of WD40, it might free up. Other suggestions are most welcome!
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: jbcollier on Saturday,February 28, 2015, 05:20:37 PM
Yes, get a new cable!
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: EuropaTC on Saturday,February 28, 2015, 10:48:21 PM
^^^  what he said.....

If the inner cable has some corrosion then yep, you'll free it off with penetrating fluid and if you pull it off the car to give it a proper soaking you might even get it sliding again.

But it's never going to work properly in the long term.  My experience has been that I can get old cables moving freely and yep, they will apply the brake. But there's a yard or more of outer casing on either side of these rear cables and when you have some dirt, rust, etc, inside, that's a lot of friction for a couple of return springs to overcome.  So I've found they never release smoothly after a few days and gradually seize up again over time.

If it's truly stuck and the cable is showing signs of corrosion, flaking plastic covering, etc, then I'd use the Mk 1 angle grinder to remove and get a new one ordered up. Life will be so much easier....   ;)

Brian
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: jjbunn on Saturday,February 28, 2015, 11:04:31 PM
Ugh, I was hoping to avoid that. I've read all over that the handbrake cable system is "impossible" to work on. I'm going to try the WD40 treatment, hoping for the best, whilst fearing the worst  :-\
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: 4129R on Sunday,March 01, 2015, 02:28:08 AM
 The cable could be seized at the end where it attaches to the drum brake, or at its centre (center), where it disappears into the Y of the chassis. See attached photo.

If it is at the middle, you might as well put in a new cable. Take about a week off work to to this.
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: jbcollier on Sunday,March 01, 2015, 05:46:56 AM
I don't quite understand why everyone is saying replacing the handbrake cable is so difficult.  It's not that bad really.  Just fit the new cable to the "horseshoe" in the chassis first.  It's all pretty straight forward, really.  I suppose if you have hands like meat cleavers and fingers like sausages, it would be difficult.  If so just get someone with dainty hands to do the work inside the chassis.
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: 4129R on Sunday,March 01, 2015, 08:44:33 AM
How did you get the C clips off the cables in the tunnel, and even more difficult, get them on the new cable?

How did you get the spring from the U clamp to the chassis undone, and get it back on again?
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: rascott on Sunday,March 01, 2015, 09:00:00 AM
The cable could be seized at the end where it attaches to the drum brake, or at its centre (center), where it disappears into the Y of the chassis. See attached photo.

If it is at the middle, you might as well put in a new cable. Take about a week off work to to this.
this picture is worth many words.
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: 4129R on Sunday,March 01, 2015, 09:08:55 AM
It took me a while to clean off the oil and general crap that gets in there. I used paraffin.

If I knew those cable outers were held in place to the chassis by C clips on the other side in the black hole, that would have saved a lot of time and skin.
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: jbcollier on Sunday,March 01, 2015, 02:23:19 PM
Large flat screwdriver to open the c clips.  Make sure the c clips are a snug slip-on fit to the new cables while the cable is on the bench.  Slip the c clips on and squeeze the ends of the c clip together.

Now a little secret, you don't need the c-clips at all.  Once the cables are adjusted, they are held in place and the clips are superfluous.
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: jjbunn on Monday,March 16, 2015, 10:17:40 AM
I have been basting my cable in ATF/Acetone for a while, and still it is stuck.

On further investigation, I saw this (looking down inside the tunnel):

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7594/16641549059_07372f0fd0_b.jpg)

It looks to me like this will have to come out after all. The cable has come out of its crimp on the horseshoe on the LHS.

How does one detach the spring from the end of that threaded rod?!

Julian
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: EuropaTC on Monday,March 16, 2015, 10:36:39 AM
It will just slide out of you twist it round, if the rear cable is removed from the rear shoe arms there should be enough slack to allow quite a deflection.

There is the same arrangement with a hole in the chassis plate that the cables go through, depending how thin/flexible your arms are you might find that end easier to undo as on my car the hook/coil at the end of the spring is larger at that end.

If you can't move the rear cables the other way is to try to remove the tension by releasing the front cable through the access hole in the front plenum chamber.

Brian
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: 4129R on Monday,March 16, 2015, 11:19:53 AM
Get a warm antiseptic hand wash ready as the bugs down there are bound to have conflict with the inevitable "gravel rash".

I detached the spring from under the engine using needle nosed pliers.

You could try detaching the offending cable from the drum lever to get about 1" of slack, and threading the cable back into the U and then using a cable tie to stop it happening again. 
Title: Re: Handbrake cable attachment at rear wheel
Post by: rascott on Tuesday,March 17, 2015, 10:14:53 AM
i was able to remove the spring at the compensator(swing-tree, horseshoe) after disconnecting from the cables at the drum.
you may be fortunate the cable is already out of it's crimp, because uncrimping in the tunnel is painful.
perhaps the cable slot has that hole in it?
i ended up removing everything, and hung the rear cables, started running wd40 down the cables and was able to eventually free it up nicely. i have heard this may be just a temporary fix and note that any binding may overwhelm the springs on the brake shoes, but intend to see how long it will work(they really move "slick"- like new). reinstall was much easier after developing the disassemby techniques, so i won't mind doing that part again when i have too.
i used this wd40 treatment for the heater control cable and the clutch cable also.