Date: Sat, 04 Feb 2006 18:27:32 +0000 From: Colin Stamp <col.dustbinnospamp.plus.com> Subject: XP Saab 9-3 handbrake problem.
Hi all, A while ago, I changed the rear discs on my 2001 9-3 (drum-in-disc handbrake). Not long after, I noticed that the handbrake on one side would sometimes grab momentarily a couple of times if I had to reverse at the start of a journey. Today, I finally got round to having a look at it. If I jack the wheel up and spin it with the handbrake off, it spins freely, but if I pull the handbrake on enough to make it rub a bit, then the wheel grinds round fine if I spin it slowly, but grabs if I try to spin it faster. The handle seems to start operating the brakes at about the right point in it's travel, but looking at the shoes, they seem to be some distance from their end-stops with the handbrake released, and there's still some tension in the cable. My favorite theory at the moment, is that the shoe adjusters are set too far in, and the cable adjuster has been shortened to compensate, leaving the shoes at a bit of an angle. I ran out of daylight whilst looking at it today, so I couldn't do the full adjustment, but I wound up the shoe adjuster a bit to try to ease the problem. I'm still waiting to see if it's made any difference... So, am I on anything like the right track here, and a full shoes-then-cable adjustment will sort it out, or do I need my head examining again? Cheers, Colin.