Handbrake cable to caliper fitting??

[fenderbender]

Just spent a couple of hours wrestling with the handbrake cable in a vain attempt to take the rear calipers off. I can slacken off the adjuster but there seems not enough slack to unhook the cable end from the caliper lever.

However my main question is how is the cable outer sleeve held at the caliper end? The Sierra workshop manual blathers merrily on about a circlip on the offside caliper but there is no circlip on my calipers, neither offside nor nearside.

At this rate I shall get cross and cut the cable in order to get it off the car. It must be quicker to scrap the old one and replace with a new one!

[carsy]

The outer cable just fits into a small hole, recess at the bottom of the caliper. It should just pull out. No circlips.

[Barkychoc]

Just undo the 2 caliper mounting bolts and tilt it to slip the cable off the hook I think, I know it wasn't too difficult.

[peaktorque]

I had loads of grief with my handbrake, prior to MOT time last year.

My handbrake retaining bolt had sheared off on the chassis, the cable had seized within the sheath in the 'on' position on the N/S and the O/S calliper wasn't performing.

So I ripped out the old cable, got a new one from the local motor factors for £18, sorted the other issues, result;- working handbrake

Anyway, the adjuster on the O/S should be loosened to allow enough slack to pull off the cable from the callipers (but if like mine then the cable can split and jam within the sheath)

Edited by peaktorque on Friday 15th April 22:31

[fenderbender]

Barkychoc said:

Just undo the 2 caliper mounting bolts and tilt it to slip the cable off the hook I think, I know it wasn't too difficult.

Ah, Barky old chap - if only - "just" indeed! I grew up building Airfix models and when the instructions read "simply locate and cement" you knew you were in for an hour of grief. For a start everything on my Chim's rear end seems either corroded together or over-torqued. I had to take the n/s hub and carrier off just to undo the caliper bracket retaining bolts so I could get the disc off. And this is a car Ziebarted from new!!

I have slackened the handbrake cable by a good 6-8 inches on the adjuster but still not enough play in the cable to unhook from the caliper. I suspect a dodgy cable to be honest, and a new cable looks like a good investment given that I value my spare time at least @ £100 per hour.

Of course this means taking the exhaust and probably rear a-r bar off, which is a lot of extra work just on account of a rear caliper!

[haircutmike]

I remember struggling with mine.

The secret is to slacken off the cable as much as possible otherwise it is impossible!

[fenderbender]

Done it, but I still think the cable is past its best and may as well change it out while I am in the mood.

As you all anticipated, the cable has what is technically known as an "interference fit" into the caliper, ie the nylon carriers are jammed in, and therefore need to be coaxed out with a lead hammer and a softish drift.

[peaktorque]

fenderbender said:

Of course this means taking the exhaust and probably rear a-r bar off, which is a lot of extra work just on account of a rear caliper!

You don't need to remove the exhaust to renew the cable, just use the original cable as a 'draw wire'. It's easy peasy to change really.