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Author: Subject: OT Vectra handbrake
batteredoldsupersport

posted on 9/3/12 at 04:31 PM Reply With Quote
OT Vectra handbrake

This should be an easy one. It's not though, mostly because I have to do it in the road and it started raining. Oh joy. In addition as soon as you turn your back on anything round here it gets nicked so "I'll get another spanner from the house" involves packing everything away.

I'm trying to adjust the handbrake on the Vectra, it looks the same as the old Cav setup in that there is a hole in the drum/disc arrangement and a star wheel to spin round. I couldn't get the caliper bolts off (need a bigger bar) to pull the drum and have a look inside, but is it like the Cav? If so is the adjuster accessed with the hole at the bottom of the drum or the top? From memory the Cav was "spin the drum till the hole's at the top, poke a screwdriver in and spin the star wheel to take the slack up". I think further efforts may have to wait until I can get the thing off the road.

While I'm on, I need new bushes on the rear ARB. Is this a toughie? It looks OK, again big bar required to undo the bolts which are in the state you'd expect after 9 years.

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bobthebuilder

posted on 9/3/12 at 06:12 PM Reply With Quote
hi chap, it is an auto adjuster with no manual adjusting sorry to say.
i had this with mine after i fitted new discs and pads.
what year is yours?
what problem do you have?

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jacko

posted on 9/3/12 at 06:20 PM Reply With Quote
If i remember right you put your foot on the brake pedal hard down and work the hand brake to adjust the brakes
Jacko

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bobthebuilder

posted on 9/3/12 at 06:54 PM Reply With Quote
yes sorry forgot to put how i did mine, yes hard down on brake pedal and pull handbrake up and down.
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batteredoldsupersport

posted on 9/3/12 at 07:18 PM Reply With Quote
Ah, thanks gents. If it is an auto adjust then it's a good thing I didn't spend too long taking it to bits. The problem is that it's right at he top of its travel, as if it just wants nipping up a bit. You know the routine, stop at the lights, lever up, foot off brake, rolls back 6 inches, bollocks, another click, done. Repeat every time you stop on a slope.

Mine is a 2002, it LOOKS identical to the rear brakes on the old Cav and they were bulletproof. A bit awkward to get right but once you did it was set for the next 50k miles, because the handbrake mech lived in a little mini drum that did only handbrake duties, so it never wore. Basically the discs wore out first, the little shoes in the mini drum arrangement only did any work at the annual MoT.

I wiull have another look in daylight, meanwhile thanks for the advice. If it is an auto adjust I hope it's better than that bastard of a thing I had to put up with on the 80s Fiesta I had. That used to work fine if you stripped, cleaned and coppergreased it all. In for the MoT, great, pass. Fast forward one year, next MoT, tester pulls the lever up to his chin, purses his lips, pulls it some more, looks at the gauge and shakes his head. "Sorry mate, can't pass that handbrake. It's only adjustment, we get them all the time."

Still, at least I got chance to have a look at the ARB bushes. Hello Partco, have you got...

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austin man

posted on 9/3/12 at 10:51 PM Reply With Quote
probably in need of new pads ? shoes or the auto adjuster could be seized





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adithorp

posted on 9/3/12 at 11:28 PM Reply With Quote
From the first post you've got rear disc brakes with internal drum hand brake? (not handbrake calipers)

In which case they're not auto adjusters. The star/daisey wheels need turning manually. Think from memory th'er at about 5 and 7 o'clock depending on which side. Just look in through the hole. Adjust up till they lock on and then let off 3 clicks.





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ashg

posted on 10/3/12 at 02:09 AM Reply With Quote
is it a vectra c or vectra b. there was a recall on the handbrake mechanism's for the vectra c if i remember correctly.





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batteredoldsupersport

posted on 10/3/12 at 01:16 PM Reply With Quote
Adithorp has it right, it's the mechanism he describes. The rear discs are top hat shaped and the top of the hat has a small brake drum. There are 2 mechanisms, one a hydraulic disc in the usual way, and these small drums for HB. In this it looks VERY similar to the setup used in the '92 Cav. I suspect the basics or maybe the whole thing came out of the GM parts bin 20 years ago, it may not have changed much if at all.

I don't know if it's a Vectra B or C, what are the differences? EDIT - just looked on the net, it's a B.

I think it's going to get looked at with the ARB bushes, in which case knowing the starwheel is at 5 and 7 o/c is useful, I was damned if I could find it in sunlight yesterday.

Thanks gents, these things get easier when you can talk to others who have been there.

[Edited on 10/3/12 by batteredoldsupersport]

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batteredoldsupersport

posted on 14/3/12 at 10:46 PM Reply With Quote
All resolved now, thanks gents for assistance. It's exactly as per the old Cav, for future reference. The adjuster is just behind 12 o'clock, it's a starwheel that sits against one of the brake springs. If you're like me you end up pulling the disc/drum off to have a look inside then you can see how it works. Twiddle it round with a screwdriver and it takes up the slack.

The rear ARB bushes are straightforward as well, usual big bar, scaff tube and 1/2" drive sockets required to get rusty suspension bolts undone and a bit of swearing to get the clamps back together, but no more than average.

Amazing, no more clonking suspension and the handbrake works. Almost like a proper car owned by a normal person and maintained by a mechanically competent human being would be.

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