Handbrake problems

[panderoo]

So I have a problem with my handbrake, one side works the other doesn't.

Got under the car removed both wheels and under trays

I then did the well documented process: slacked cable / wind in piston /wind out piston 180 degrees / re-assemble / pump brakes / adjust cables.

still nothing on the passenger side.

Now, both cables move freely and you can operate both levers by hand which both return to the stops....

BUT one side cable (Non working side) has about 20mm cable travel and the other around 60mm. this is also replicated on the balance bar by it leaning quite a lot to one side cable..

Anyone think i could have a wrong cable fitted to the nearside of the car ?

or should i be looking elsewhere to solve the problem ?

I don't want to go buying new calipers and cables if I'm missing something else with it...

[going4the1]

I assume that the caliper on the faulty size can float freely (laterally - in-board to outboard) on the pivot pin. If this is partially seized there will be no braking effect.

Your process -'wind out piston 180 degrees.' should really read:-

'Wind out so that one of the recesses on the piston will accept the pin on the inner brake pad when the caliper is swung back into place'

[panderoo]

Yes, its fully floating....

And I ground off the pin as not to cause problems as advised in another post i found by paul at woodsport so shouldn't be that causing a problem i don't think.

[toxo]

I wonder if one of your cables has stretched and as they are not even anymore the balance isn't working.

[panderoo]

not sure, it looks to me like its totally the wrong cable with it having very little possible cable travel...

My theory is that the caliper is all working its just that the lever cant be pulled far enough to make it function and apply the brake

Does anyone know the actual difference between one of the early 16v type caliper cable and the later 22v cable ?

[going4the1]

The cables have different coloured tags on the out sheathing for each side. Can't recall which is which but they different. Are yours the same? I've never know these cables to stretch even a couple of mm.

You should be able to see the pistons move in and out when operating the caliper levers by hand. Is this visible?

When setting them up the levers will move about half their range of travel from fully 'off'. (this is when the handbrake level is off as well).

The lever only moves the final portion of its full range as the handbrake is applied.

[bobhatton]

Yes, its fully floating....

And I ground off the pin as not to cause problems as advised in another post i found by paul at woodsport so shouldn't be that causing a problem i don't think.

I am sure the pin is there to stop the piston turning so the auto adjust will work. With the pin missing the piston can turn and then you will not get any adjustment

[panderoo]

I'm not disputing what you're saying, but it didn't work with the pin in place so I don't think that's the cause of my issue, but noted for future when I replace the pads.

[raptor95GTS]

what revision is your car, I have a rev3 and had shorter handbrake cables on and the handbrake oddly enough didn't work too well! The shorter (too short) were coloured Yellow and Red at the end and luckily Peter at Sbits had the correct lengthed ones about and swapped them over for me