Handbrake problems

[buxvan]

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Just fitted my handbrake lever & operating rod. New cable, New shoes bled brakes & they work but can't adjust the handbrake. It works as soon as you start pulling the lever & way before the first "click" . & that's with the rod adjusters as loose as poss (about 2 threads in) are there different handbrake cables ?

[DougT]

Motomobil list 2 lengths of handbrake cable 2.7m for short wheelbase and 3.0m for long wheelbase.

They also have different part numbers for 3 different Mk1 and Mk2 year categories so actually list 6 cables although there are still only 2 lengths.

You seem to be only 50mm out not 300mm so it would seem to be something else that is taking too much cable. I am sure that you have done this but it might be worth double checking that the outer is fully seated at both ends on each side and not caught up somehow ??

Doug

[buxvan]

Thanks Doug. It took me ages to fit the rear shoes & I've just took off one of the drums & everything looks fine. 100% all the cable ends are fitted correctly.
The new cable I fitted was given to me with a load of other parts but I have another one in my lockup which I bought myself. Will try that for size hopefully tomorrow.
Funny, as I had a mk2 cortina in the 80's & had to tie a knot in the handbrake cables to remove the slack !!

[dumper]

Is the handbrake lever and rod the same dimensions as what came off or the two half’s of the cable on the right way round as one is shorter then the other I know I got it wrong once got one side fitted up and noticed it was wrong but not sure if I got both sides built up before I released

[buxvan]

Well, handbrake now sorted.
The spare cable i had was for a lwb but fitted fine.
Don't know why my first new cable didn't fit as it said mk2 transit on the bag & outer was the right length but had too little inner cable.

[DougT]

Great that you got it sorted.

Actually for reference, there seem to be many part numbers for the rod, but I cannot tell if this means they are different lengths although this is a possibility.

Obviously you were replacing a cable that worked in the past so there had to be a solution with that rod which you have, so why change it ? But now you know that the LWB cable works, it could possibly be that the rod was replaced at some stage in the past with an incorrect shorter version or damaged and cut short. It would not be unknown for the factory to have used what was available at the time to get the van out the door even if it was the wrong part....

Doug