Vectra C Parking brake imbalance

[petrolcan]

Nothing like a stupid mistake that you can admit to

[Dog_Book]

Nothing like a stupid mistake that you can admit to

Yup, Ive got a corker i did on the Mokka. Thankfully apart from my car group chats theres no section for balls ups here so ho hum

[petrolcan]

Yup, Ive got a corker i did on the Mokka. Thankfully apart from my car group chats theres no section for balls ups here so ho hum

I'm sure it could be arranged

[Castiel]

Nothing like a stupid mistake that you can admit to

Going to start each new post with "my mate and I ........... " so if anything goes wrong i can blame the fictitious mate.

[Castiel]

Back once again for the Renegade Master .........................................

Right now thats out of the way, a quick question.

My car failed the Mot on subframe rot which i'm currently sorting. However the braking imbalance reared it ugly head again. Now to recap i've replaced:

• Brakes
• Discs
• Handbrake cable
• Calipers (TWICE, the most recent 4 weeks ago)
• Brake fluid
• Bled properly and overcasutiously to make sure there was no air

The fail sheet listed the foot brake imbalance as 4% on the front and <1% on the rear so all good there. Handbrake (rear) imbalance at 94% (anythign over 50 is a fail). The N/S is working fine, not great, but fine) but the drivers is not working at all.

Took off the wheel and the cable has the lever pulled taut for the handbrake, even with the handbrake off. So it means the handbrake is constantly on, but not actually pulling the brake. When I removed the cable the lever went back into its rest position without a hitch, which it would not do with the cable connected.

I am scratching my head so went to my old handbrake cable for reference and something occured to me. One side if 2" longer than the other. This is for the passeneger/Nearside which runs a little longer than the O/S. I'm wondering if i put the new handbrake cable in the wrong way around with the longer bit on the O/S and the shorter length on the N/S and if so this would explain why I cannot get the cable onto both sides. IOW I took the cable off today with great effort and now cannot get it back on. IOW any slack or leeway is gone because the cable is pulled all the way to the N/S.

Could this be the case?

I said before my handbrake cable was never at fault (only realised this after I found fault with the calipers) so I have my odl one to go back on, but the new cable is still in perfect condition. I hesitated to check it due to having to drop the exhaust, remove heat shield, etc. but with the work I'm going to be doing on the subframe now is the perfect chance to test.

Could the handbrake cable, fitted the wrong way, cause excessive tension on one side while leaving the other to work fine?

My thinking now is reinstall the old cable, as I know it was never at fault and still good and rid myself of the new one, unless its obvious I mounted it wrong to begin with.

[JagRigger]

Weren't original GM ones different colours on the ends to help prevent incorrect assembly...... ?

[Dog_Book]

Weren't original GM ones different colours on the ends to help prevent incorrect assembly...... ?

Yup, can’t remember which though.

You might want to reset the cable adjuster so it lets the cable out more for installation.

[Dog_Book]

I knew i had them somewhere, black NS white OS

IMG_7909.jpgIMG_7914.jpg

[Castiel]

You might want to reset the cable adjuster so it lets the cable out more for installation.

How is that done? I thought they were auto adjust or is that the lever under the centre console and an adjuster resides under the car?

I knew i had them somewhere, black NS white OS

Went out and checked. I have the white/grey on the O/S and the black on the N/S so seems to be on correctly, but I don't have the packaging so not sure its OEM part, plus I bought from motor factors not the dealership so possibly not.

Going to take it out if I have to, but the O/S is longer than the N/S so, as the old one in my garage (that I took off) has the white 2" longer than the black meaning the O/S is 2" longer than the N/S?

[Castiel]

How is that done? I thought they were auto adjust or is that the lever under the centre console and an adjuster resides under the car?

Nevermind, found it on How2.