Handbrake adjustment at rear wheels

[Ricky Bobby]

Perfect thank you Tiag! I will start with that (don't have a bentley handy), but I'll do it by feel.

Honestly anything is better than the 10-12 clicks of the lever to have the E-brake fully locked now.

[Doru]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

^Thanks Dorin! I may have to take the wheels off to do the job right.

Did you loosen the E-brake cables at the lever before adjusting the tightness at the wheels? You didn't mention that initially but I assume you did.

Hand brake lever on the "down" (driving) position.
Again, whenever I can, I try not to mess with the tightening of the cables. "Normally" they are even when the car hits the road the very 1st time. Onward, the braking shoes & inner disk "should" wear out even (different from pads activated by calipers). If one cable is tightened harder than the other one, that cable will be more in tension, which you don't want. It's a pain in the rear to change/thread those cables in. Adjusting the star can induce that, and then you have to re-adjust the cables. Best is, after you opened/spread the shoes, to count how many clicks until you can fit the disk. Should be same on both wheels, but keep tabs. Then count how many clicks (about 5-7) until the disk clears the shoes without rubbing, and keep tabs. if both stars are turned (clicked) with same amount, the cables should be equally in tension, and you don't have to mess with them.

[Ricky Bobby]

Gotcha. Understood and thanks for the tips, Tiag if you have the bentley procedure can you scan and post for me?

The BMW TIS sucks for lack of a better word.

[jdstrickland]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

^Getting ready to do this on my MT X5 this weekend, currently it takes about 11 clicks of my E-brake to hold my X in neutral, without rolling, WAY TOO MUCH.

So I just want to be sure I have the procedure correct since there are a few in this thread:

1) Have car in gear and E-brake down when performing adjustment
2) Lift E-brake boot and loosen the nuts on the cable for tightening after the shoes are adjusted
3) Jack up one side at a time (or do I have to have both raised) and remove wheel bolt, rotate wheel till you can access star adjuster with long screwdriver
4) Tighten up the star adjuster until the wheel is not moveable, then back off by feeling the clicks until the wheel freely moves
5) After both sides are done, then go back in the cabin, and tighten the cable nuts on the lever so they aren't too tight

Do I have the procedure correct?

You do not want the car in gear, you want it in N. You want the parking brake off. Loosen the cables if necessary.

Remove a wheel lug bolt and turn the tire to where the empty lug bolt hole is at either about 11:00 or 1:00, depending on which side of the car you are working on. The positions might be 10:00 and 2:00, but you get the idea.

Using a suitable tool, rotate the star wheel so that the brakes slightly rub when you turn the wheel. Repeat for the other side.

Go back inside the car and adjust the cables so that the handle pulls up and locks on the 4th or 5th click of the ratchet. Set the lock not and put the car back on the ground.

[TiAgX5]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

Gotcha. Understood and thanks for the tips, Tiag if you have the bentley procedure can you scan and post for me?

The BMW TIS sucks for lack of a better word.

No problem RB.

When are you planning to do this DIY?

[kvc]

Wow..... I had no problem adjusting my parking brake shoes at all. Must admit though, it was a little hard to see inside that small aperture for the adjusting cog, but once located (look for the spring -it's beside it and use a good source of light) it's easy. I don't want to confuse the issue further, but really - I would start by just adjusting the shoes (brake) and see if the cable needs adjusting afterwards. My cable did NOT require any adjustment once I had the shoes (parking brakes) adjusted properly. Handle now lifts about 3-4 clicks and holds vehicle firmly. Remember when adjusting the shoes to do it gradually and once there's a modest amount of resistance (you can slightly hear the shoes touching as you rotate the wheel/hub, then you've adjusted it enough. You can over-adjust to the point it's locked, then back off as some have suggested, but this really isn't necessary if you turn the adjusting cog one or two points at a time and spin the wheel each occasion. This is something I now do whenever the rear wheels come off and once you've done it once, you'll realise how easy it is.

[CharlieHustleX5]

Originally Posted by amacman

could someone call bently publishers and tell them that they have a ass wipe putting info in their manuals
either that or CharlieHustle can`t tell the time .

Although my response comes after almost 6 years, just wondering how you've concluded my inability to tell time?

Originally Posted by kaptain

Sorry to dig up an old thread. Its the one that I kept coming to for information, so I figured I would add my experience.

For me the left (driver) side adjuster was at 3 o'clock.

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by TiAgX5

No problem RB.

When are you planning to do this DIY?

I was planning on maybe doing it over the weekend, now that I think about it though I have to get some wheel chocks since I need the car in N and parking brake down when adjusting.

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by kvc

Wow..... I had no problem adjusting my parking brake shoes at all. Must admit though, it was a little hard to see inside that small aperture for the adjusting cog, but once located (look for the spring -it's beside it and use a good source of light) it's easy. I don't want to confuse the issue further, but really - I would start by just adjusting the shoes (brake) and see if the cable needs adjusting afterwards. My cable did NOT require any adjustment once I had the shoes (parking brakes) adjusted properly. Handle now lifts about 3-4 clicks and holds vehicle firmly. Remember when adjusting the shoes to do it gradually and once there's a modest amount of resistance (you can slightly hear the shoes touching as you rotate the wheel/hub, then you've adjusted it enough. You can over-adjust to the point it's locked, then back off as some have suggested, but this really isn't necessary if you turn the adjusting cog one or two points at a time and spin the wheel each occasion. This is something I now do whenever the rear wheels come off and once you've done it once, you'll realise how easy it is.

OK so basically tighten the shoes via the adjuster until there is a modest amount of resistance (i.e. just touching the wheel when spinning, but can still spin by hand), E-brake down, car in Neutral? If there is a bit of rubbing when the handle is down however would that be negative effect (i.e. rubbing the shoes when driving?)

[Riggodeaux]

Good thread and tips, guys. Mine isn't quite as loose as RB's, but I need to do the same, so TiAgX5, please pm me the .pdf of instructions, too, if you can.