Is this possible (handbrake/winter issue) ?

Facemasker · 9 Dec 2022 at 06:49

I've never had a problem like this before and can't decide if the freezing weather is the cause or if an enemy/vandal has tampered with my vehicle last night.
It's a van with big wheel arches so it wouldn't be hard for someone to slide their head and an arm behind the rear wheels and mess with the handbrake cables/caliper.

I went shopping last night and handbrake was fine. Heard the usual 5-6 clicks that's normal when you pull up a handbrake lever and park. Drove home and handbrake still fine. Parked up again and heard the usual 5-6 clicks. This morning though, there's loads of play in the handbrake lever and only 1 "click" sound right at the top position. The handbrake lever is literally flapping around with no tension at all.

?????

Facemasker · 9 Dec 2022 at 07:55

Phemo said:
Could just be that the cable has snapped. While not exactly a frequent thing it does happen. How old is the van?

Purchased new in Jan 2018.

Facemasker · 9 Dec 2022 at 08:09

kaiowas said:
Is the hand brake actually releasing when you let it off? If the rubber boot at the end of the cable is in poor condition moisture can get into the cable, which in this weather will freeze and can cause the cable to stick.

I'll have to check that later. I don't know if the rear parking brakes are stuck on now or if they're not even engaging. I always leave vehicles in 1st gear when I park so it didn't even cross my mind to check if the van will roll in neutral. Good advice that pal. Kudos for the heads up

If the rear parking brakes are stuck on or the cables seized with ice/moisture do you think soaking the rear assembly with WD40 would help or do I need to get booked into a garage for a proper repair job ?

Facemasker · 9 Dec 2022 at 08:18

andy_mk3 said:
Yeah a cable has likely snapped. I doubt very much that it’s been messed with.

Seems strange that it happened overnight and not when I parked and pulled the lever the last time :confused:

Facemasker · 9 Dec 2022 at 08:39

andy_mk3 said:
This it why it’s a good idea to park up in gear and turn the wheel in toward the curb if on a hill too.

That's very true but novice drivers also need to remember that you only turn the wheels towards the kerb if you're parked on a hill and facing forward down the hill. If you're parked on a hill facing forward up the hill you need to turn the wheels away from the kerb.

Never leave a vehicle in neutral. Always engage 1st gear.

Facemasker · 9 Dec 2022 at 09:51

Terminal_Boy said:
Not really as things often work fine right up until the time they fail.

Does Google reveal whether this failure is common on your make and model of van?

I haven't googled but I've had 4 of these vans between now and 2011 and know the model quite well. They're good workhorses that generally don't have any mechanical issues until about 100k-150k when clutches start slipping (even assuming you treated the clutch gently pre 100k and mostly did motorway miles).

Facemasker · 9 Dec 2022 at 11:44

I'm going to externally fully spray the rear brake assembly tomorrow with WD40 (obvs not the discs/calipers though!) and then do a few laps around my local area with plenty of parking attempts. I've only used this van lately for daily trips to the supermarket and it's only a 5 minute journey on a flat road with 2 sets of traffic lights so I haven't gone above 20-30mph to notice any lag in the power/acceleration.

I'll put it on a steep slope tomorrow in neutral and see what happens.

Facemasker · 10 Dec 2022 at 08:03

Heavy snow has thrown a spanner in the works this morning so I can't go out for a drive to try and diagnose the handbrake problem :mad:

Thanks for the advice though guys. You've given me stuff to think about and some ideas to try before spending money on repairs that I can't afford at the moment.