RE: [tech] Why not have a working Parking Brake? [long] was: Flatspotted a rear

[Randy Block <RandyB@E-Risk.com>]

Congrat's
You should now be able to do some real wicked e-brake slides, just try and
keep it under 90mph :-)

Sheeeeeesh, NOW I remember why I switched over to discs in the rear.
NO WHERE NEAR that difficult and still all the skin left on my knuckles. LOL
Even the e-brake cable's were a breeze.

But damn I can't do the e-brake slides in the rain no more :-(

Randy B
81 (Mars) Scirocco S - Techtonics Tuning 1847cc 8V - no more drums.
81 (Cosmos) Scirocco S - future Oettinger 16V project
87 Jetta GLI 16V - daily driver 

	-----Original Message-----
	From:	T Berk [SMTP:tberk@mindspring.com]
	Sent:	Wednesday, March 07, 2001 3:56 PM
	Cc:	scirocco-L@scirocco.org
	Subject:	[tech] Why not have a working Parking Brake? [long]
was: Flatspotted a  rear

	1st Duan wrote: 
	> 
	>     So I'm to understand that TBerk has a 'rocco with a WORKING 
	>     parking brake?  Sheya!  ;P 
	> 
	>     (NONE of my A1 VWs have working parking brakes) 

	Then Mike said:
	>
	> Mine works....same with all but one of my other cars (I hit a
hubcap on the 
	> freeway around Redding California and it broke the cable....still
haven't 
	> fixed it). 

	[Most folks aren't going to swap out drums for rear disks so, Here
ya go...]

	I recently redid the rear brakes and cables on my Roc (with Drums
currently).

	1. Two (2) rear brake cables.

	2. Two sets brake hardware; springs and stuff. 

	3. Two sets brake pads for stock drums. 

	4. DOT 4 brake fluid. Large bottle. 

	While I was there- 

	- Replacement (new) Rear Wheel Bearing set. (one side)

	- Red Line Synthetic Bearing Grease.

	Got the hardware from Potter-folk <http://www.parts4vws.com>, the
	Redline I picked up from Griffin Motorwerke in Berkeley on San Pablo
	Ave. (Nice guy). Fluid from ND or FLAPS, I forget.

	I cut the old lines when removing as one had snapped anyway, replace
	both sides as a set- they are both old and they stretch over time.

	I threaded the new lines in after a liberal application of the
bearing
	grease down the cable sheath and the conduits built into the car.

	In the car I found all kinds of crap and debris around the bottom of
the
	hand brake base so I took the front seats out and cleaned things up.
	Also this is a good time to visit the contact switch there with some
	contact cleaner, verifying its lubed up and tight.

	As far as the other end I used a rubber mallet to help 'ease' the
drums
	off. They have been there through thick & thin and want things to
stay
	put. Be firm. 

	I cleaned the drums with brake cleaner, after removing all the old
	hardware. Rusty and nasty, the self-adjusting type I have had lost
some
	of it's 'pep' over the years.

	Note: Early brake models had a more manual adjustment system that
needs
	tending to, those with early Mk1s take note and check your Bentleys.

	After getting down to the backing plate and spindle I repacked the
	bearings on one side and replaced the whole bearings set on the
other.
	Please be sure to remove ALL old bearing grease before repacking,
old
	and new (let alone two different formulas) don't go well together.

	In the hardware kit I received springs, a wedge, new metal 'bracket'
	thingie, and some fittings to keep it all together. I might have
swapped
	out the drums for new while I was there but they were serviceable.
New
	replacement drums are cheap though.

	Reassemble was funky as the springs, being new, put up a great fight
	before giving in. Expect to have the rear of the car in the air and
both
	drums off so you can mirror the intact one while reassembling the
other.
	Makes life easier.

	With the new cables in place somewhat, I connected one end to the
bottom
	of the lever in the drum assembly and threaded the other up into the
	car. (Remember the grease earlier? Slap on some more now).
	 
	The ends of the cable(s) were hard to keep set into the conduit ends
	until I kept tension on the cable themselves. It was also hard to
get
	the ends (once attached at the brake end) to reach far enough to
engage
	the balancing adjustment bar straddling the lever (in the the car). 

	I took a pair of pliers and puuuuuled like mad to 'seat' the cables
and
	their sheaths in the conduit (_now_ they started to take on an 'S'
curve
	under the car) and then I was able to thread the nuts on the ends.

	Once in place I was able to pull up on the brake lever a bit and
check
	every thing for placement before cranking on it. Be careful at 1st
to
	make sure every thing is seated right in the drum backing plates and
the
	under car conduits.

	Note also that they are new and will stretch over the next few days
so
	you can expect to re-adjust the tension in a week or so. I think I
	remember three or four clicks before engagement is standard.

	After it was all done I think replacing the brake pistons for new
ones
	is a great thing since you're there anyway and won't be back for
awhile.
	(Cheap, same as Rabbits use). Also be sure to avoid contaminating
the
	pads and drum inner surface with lube and grease during reassembley,
(hard).

	I didn't detail how I flushed new fluid in but you clear the caliper
	closest to the M/C last, do the ones furthest away 1st, in series.
You
	may not think you need to but any time you push the piston(s) back
in
	you most likely now have bubbles in the fluid. Besides new fluid is
a
	goodness.  

	Oh, and I remember now that ATE was the brand name for my goodies,
good
	stuff- don't cheap out with brake jobs. You can live without a motor
but...



	hth,
	TBerk

	This intended as a guide but can not replace common sense and safety
	precautions must be observed.  Detailed instructions can be found in
the
	Bentley at your elbow. Don't have one? Get one.

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