Handbrake nightmare

[adam03031980]

Hi all i am wondering if anyone has any ideas how to sort this god foresaken handbrake firstly why is it i can get the rear drivers side disc off but never the passenger side without force even though the adjusters are wound down, and secondly i have adjusted the cables inside at the handbrake also at the rear and also the adjusters in the disc but after a while the handbrake is rubbish again.

[DiscoPol]

after a while the handbrake is rubbish again.

good luck mate, but its a 406 and they are infamous for their appalling handbrakes

it seems to be a constant battle to even get the handbrake up to what other people would consider poor at the very least.

hopefully somebody will be along soon with some practical advice of a positive nature(maybe) but for me, when i had mine i just accepted that it was crap and left it in gear when i parked, the only time i tried to adjust things i snapped the cable and it stayed that way until i scrapped the thing.

[teamster1975]

Hi all i am wondering if anyone has any ideas how to sort this god foresaken handbrake firstly why is it i can get the rear drivers side disc off but never the passenger side without force even though the adjusters are wound down, and secondly i have adjusted the cables inside at the handbrake also at the rear and also the adjusters in the disc but after a while the handbrake is rubbish again.

1. The shoe may be sticking to the inside of the disc; try giving it a belt with a soft mallet to free it up for starters.
2. Ignore Haynes when adjusting the shoes. Do the adjusters up so you cannot spin the wheel and then back it off 3 or 4 clicks; then adjust the cables.

[adam03031980]

Hi i have literally beaten the living daylights out of the passenger side disc and its is alsmost as if the fittings make it too big for the inner of the disc it will come off eventually however the drivers side is a doddle just slides straight off im wondering if the little lever where the cable connects is too big i dont know how it could be but thats all i can think as it doesnt seem to be seized.

[willcrebbin]

I have a 406 HDI with starship mileage on it and they are the original hand brake shoes on it. Firstly what I did when replacing the discs is to adjust the handbrake up, through the rear disc on the little ratchet, as much as you can and then knock 7 bails out of the bell of the disc with a copper rawhide hammer, this will centralise the rear shoes in the disc, thats the important bit Then adjust it up again, and slap it again until you can't adjust it up anymore. Then slacken it off through the disc, that should do it.

[mjb]

I had a right job trying to get the rear discs off my coupe. The problem is that the shoes had made a lip on the inside of the discs, which the shoes were catching on. Willcrebbin's suggestion may well be worth a try. I resorted to losing my temper and hitting everything I could with a hammer and screwdriver...

[FarmerPug]

has anyone got a viable solution to the crapness of the handbrake, which seems to be a popular topic, along with the com2000 breaking

[steve_earwig]

Only by over-adjusting them so there's not a mm of play anywhere. I did think of looking into it but a) Jasper said handbrake-through-calipers can be just as crap and b) I have no access to breaker's yards here to do any investigating. Or at least, not any breaker's yards with cars that didn't see communism.

[FarmerPug]

the 406 handrake does well in the snow

[ianjoh]

Make sure that the cable is really slack on the rear cable adjuster before adjusting the ratchet on each shoe.
If the discs are difficult to remove because of lip on the inner drum then its time for new discs, its not worth the ball ache for next time they have to come off.