Having replaced rear offside caliper and caliper carrier bracket my Astra failed MoT again and it seems the handbrake cable rear section will need replaced.I dont have ramps and according to Haynes Manual changing secondary cable on Astra H means you have to remove the front section of exhaust pipe to get behind the exhaust heat-shield.Am thinking I will have to get this done by a mechanic.Has anyone had this job done recently because I would like some idea of what the garage bill is likely to be?TiA Duncan2
Duncan2
The back cable is surprisingly big and inexpensive. Install is easy and fast IMHO. The rear balls that connect to the calipers are easy to insert. If they don't go in easily, there is a trick to get them in easily (which I don't recall lol).
Nonetheless, the cable should not require force to install. I think there was a left and a right side. Take some pictures before you remove the old one.
We just needed to remove a few of the rear exhaust rubber hangers to slightly drop the rear of the exhaust a bit, maybe 5-10cm. Not too much because you don't want to break the flex joing-welds-rust.
Make sure to have something strong to rest the unsupported exhaust as it is heavy.
If the rubber hangars are on rusty metal bits, they can be a pain to remove. There are special hand tools to help remove those. We used some rubber lubricant and a lot of pressure.
I think you need a (very) deep 10mm socket to turn the adjustment bolt inside the cabin (under the handbrake lever). Double check the size and make sure you are turning the correct bolt!
Finally, why did the old cable fail? Some forum members thought the rear black rubber bellows did not work, so water migrated from the back and trickled down the cable. We put some zip ties on the 2 rear rubber bellows to help prevent that.
Nonetheless, the cable should not require force to install. I think there was a left and a right side. Take some pictures before you remove the old one.
We just needed to remove a few of the rear exhaust rubber hangers to slightly drop the rear of the exhaust a bit, maybe 5-10cm. Not too much because you don't want to break the flex joing-welds-rust.
Make sure to have something strong to rest the unsupported exhaust as it is heavy.
If the rubber hangars are on rusty metal bits, they can be a pain to remove. There are special hand tools to help remove those. We used some rubber lubricant and a lot of pressure.
I think you need a (very) deep 10mm socket to turn the adjustment bolt inside the cabin (under the handbrake lever). Double check the size and make sure you are turning the correct bolt!
Finally, why did the old cable fail? Some forum members thought the rear black rubber bellows did not work, so water migrated from the back and trickled down the cable. We put some zip ties on the 2 rear rubber bellows to help prevent that.
Oh we had the right side handbrake cable binding from time to time, and the binding seemed most on very cold days for the first few minutes of driving.
When we checked the pads, we saw that the only the right rear brake pads were significantly worn and needed replacement; the caliper and pins were in excellent shape so the pad wear was from the handbrake cable not releasing properly.
Our replacement handbrake cable was sold as a set left & right. As Ant21 notes, definitely replace both sides of the cables. And check the rear brakes for wear-damage.
I forgot that I finally called a buddy to help remove the stubborn exhaust hangars. I don't think we needed too many inches of exhaust drop to fit the cables as we just used basic jack stands to hold up the car and rested the muffler on a pretty tall pail. That said, if you dropped the back of the exhaust 4 inches, you might get 2 inches or less of clearance under the handbrake where things get attached. I don't think we needed too much room, just flexible hands and some patience.
We found the exhaust easy to rehang but if the metal is heavily rusted, I can imagine the rubber bits won't want to engage so easily.
Below are some bookmarks. the first (saturnfans) one is a DIY tutorial that is a fun read with photos:
www.saturnfans.com
www.astraownersnetwork.co.uk
When we checked the pads, we saw that the only the right rear brake pads were significantly worn and needed replacement; the caliper and pins were in excellent shape so the pad wear was from the handbrake cable not releasing properly.
Our replacement handbrake cable was sold as a set left & right. As Ant21 notes, definitely replace both sides of the cables. And check the rear brakes for wear-damage.
I forgot that I finally called a buddy to help remove the stubborn exhaust hangars. I don't think we needed too many inches of exhaust drop to fit the cables as we just used basic jack stands to hold up the car and rested the muffler on a pretty tall pail. That said, if you dropped the back of the exhaust 4 inches, you might get 2 inches or less of clearance under the handbrake where things get attached. I don't think we needed too much room, just flexible hands and some patience.
We found the exhaust easy to rehang but if the metal is heavily rusted, I can imagine the rubber bits won't want to engage so easily.
Below are some bookmarks. the first (saturnfans) one is a DIY tutorial that is a fun read with photos:
How To - Parking Brake Cable Replacement - SaturnFans.com Forums
How To - Parking Brake Cable Replacement Astra Tech
www.saturnfans.com
Handbrake not releasing
Hi, I’ve noticed since the weather has been cold, when I release my handbrake it’s not actually releasing and the brake is stuck on until I start driving which it then releases shortly after, I believe it is only the passenger side that is doing it and it only does it when it’s freezing outside...
www.astraownersnetwork.co.uk
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