Handbrake Adjusted By Myself

[Bosnjo]

Hi to all,

I've posted previously that handbrake on my 6 months old Avensis 1.8 VVTi is too high, it breaks only on 12th click, which is the limit of handbrake movement, and even do doesn't block the wheels fully. After few visits to dealer I gave up. They said if it was on the very beginning they would adjust it with no charge (warranty), but as the car is 6 months old it could only mean that something needs replacement because of excessive use (?!). I told them it was like that from the first day, but they said I should have come then and not now. At the end they said if all parts were OK they would adjust it with no charge.

OK, my final decision was not to bring the car in. I know my brake pads are OK (6000 km only). I even looked at them, they are very, very "fat". Didn't want to trust the dealer for "No Charge". Thay would say they changed brakepads and charge me.

I always knew that adjustment is simple. The only problem was that some cars have it right bellow the handbrake, some bellow the car in the middle and some by each rear wheel.

So, I did it by myself, as nobody menaged to answer the way to do it at my previous post.

Started the dirtiest way, by the wheels, it wasn't there. With hands well dirty got bellow the car, it wasn't there as well. Went to wash myself and started to remove plastic surroundings arround the handbrake. Well, it was there, one single screw as I expected. I've done adjustmenst very carefuly as nobody wants to have it breaking with the handbrake all the way down.

Toyota specification says it should brake between 6th and 9th click. Now it brakes at 6th click and brakes fully at 9th click, just the way it should be.

It took me some time to find out how to remove all plastics without scratching any, but now I have experience and IF ANYONE NEEDS STEP BY STEP EXPLANATION, LET ME KNOW I'll be hapy to give it, it's simple.

[Mkuk0]

Well done you for doing the dirty work. Yes please can you post on how to dismantle the centre console and get to handbrake adjustor?

Thanks in anticipation!

[Mick24]

Never done the Rear brakes on an Avensis but, normally on Toyota's with rear disks + pads - they have a set of handbrake shoes on the inside of the rear disk. These need to be adjusted through an inspection hole on the front of the disk by turning the "star wheel" adjusting rod.

Normal procedure is to back off the handbrake cable adjuster, adjust rear handbrake shoes to get the clearance correct and finally adjust the handbrake cable free-play.

Someone Correct me if i'm wrong

[Bosnjo]

Here is the way, and it's simple:

First you have to take surrounding plastic arround gearshift stick. It has no screws and there is no need to remove that chrome line. The way I took it off: I just grabbed the ledder on the bottom of the stick and pulled up. Don't do it the way to pop up whole surrounding at once. I grabbed the side closer to the handbreak first. When it's off, you don't need to remove it completely. The only thing you need is access to two screws that secure handbreak surrounding plastic. So, push the gearshift surrounding plastic to one side a bit, unscrew one screw bellow, then to the oher side to unscrew the other screw (they secure handbreak surrounding plastic at it's front end). When this gets done just leave it the way it is. Open your armrest compartment, but not just the top one, open it all to lift armrest + compartment bellow it. Now you'll see the hole that is used to lock lower compartment of armrest. Put two fingers in it to grab the side of the plastic surrounding handbreak. Pull up, it should go off easily. Dont use any tools, metal ones or not, you'll scratch something. Now, the back side of handbreak surrounding plastic is off. Then give it a little help to deattach it at the front side. Do it first on one front side and then the other one. Again, just with your fingers, I've menaged with no tools. When that is done, lift up the handbreak all the way to get the space to take the plastic off. You'll have to do it with lifting the gearshift stick plastic first. If you think it's easier, take off gearshift plastic totaly, simply unscrewing gearshift knob. I didn't need to. I pulled up the handbreak, lifted up carefuly gearshift plastic and there was enough space to take off handbreak plastic.

When you get done with plastics you'll see on the bottom of the handbreak, on the side, the cable comming in, making the curve arround one metal part and on the end of it, it has the screw with two nuts. One lower nut is the one to make adjustment and higher one just secure the lower nut. Here you'll need two keys the same size. Get the lower one with one key but don't rolll it, just secure it, and with other key get higher one. So, with lower nut staying still unscrew the higher one. Now, if you want you can take off the higher nut (I did it, it gave me more room to work), but if you don't, just unscrew it to far away.

Next step, lift up both back sides of the car but don't take the wheels off. Put the hendbreak all the way down and roll wheels on the back by hand, one by one to see and memorize how freely they are rolling. Remember, after adjustment, with handbreak all the way down, they have to roll the same way (it's the way they roll as nothing brakes them). On my car, on 2nd click of the handbreak they were still rolling freely. Now, start !Removed! in the nut we talked about. It's easier to do it with handbreak down. Give it few turns and go to see rolling of the wheels. What you need to get is the moment where you screwed the nut in and wheels started to break a little bit. That's the sign you reached over limit. When you get there, start unscrewing it quarter turn at the time and checking wheels rolling each time. You'll see the exact point where wheels get free. That's the point.

Just one more advice: Each time you turn the nut in, pull up and then back down the handbreak. That way cable gets in right position after !Removed! in the nut.

When done, just put everything back in and don't forget to secure the lower nut with higher one. It's crucial, the lower nut has to be secured not to turn by itself. Just be careful when tighting the higher nut not to turn lower one. That way your adjustment will stay the way you've done it.

At my car, differnce between old position of the nut and new one is almost 1cm.

Cheers

PS: I hope you understood everything. If you still have some doubts, let me know, I would be happy to help.

[Uncle Bob]

Never done the Rear brakes on an Avensis but, normally on Toyota's with rear disks + pads - they have a set of handbrake shoes on the inside of the rear disk. These need to be adjusted through an inspection hole on the front of the disk by turning the "star wheel" adjusting rod.

Normal procedure is to back off the handbrake cable adjuster, adjust rear handbrake shoes to get the clearance correct and finally adjust the handbrake cable free-play.

Someone Correct me if i'm wrong

                                                       

←

That is the best way to do it, that way you remove all the free play from the handbrake shoe adjuster, if its done by the cable only, the freeplay is still there :( .

[Mkuk0]

Ok I get that, any idea what 'correct clearance' is?.

Thanks Bosnjo for the write up incidently, will be looking at that as well!

[Mick24]

SLACKEN handbrake cable adjuster.

1) Remove the rear calipers and disks, check the condition of the hanbrake shoes and ensure the pivot points and adjusters are free.

2) Deglaze the shoe linings and contact face of the disk using emery cloth.

3) Refit the disks and temp. fit 2 wheel nuts to centralise the disk.

4) Using a flat bladed screwdriver through the inspection hole in the disk,turn the adjuster untill the handbrake shoes contact the disk and you cannot turn the disk by hand.

5) Back off the adjuster 5 - 7 clicks untill the disk turns freely.Refit rear calipers and wheels.

6) Adjust the handbrake cable freeplay.

7) Ensure the handbrake locks the rear wheels on about 6 -7 clicks and the wheels spin freely when handbrake is released.

Sounds long winded but is quite simple and the correct way to do it.

[rf76]

Hi to all,

I've posted previously that handbrake on my 6 months old Avensis 1.8 VVTi is too high, it breaks only on 12th click, which is the limit of handbrake movement, and even do doesn't block the wheels fully. After few visits to dealer I gave up. They said if it was on the very beginning they would adjust it with no charge (warranty), but as the car is 6 months old it could only mean that something needs replacement because of excessive use (?!). I told them it was like that from the first day, but they said I should have come then and not now. At the end they said if all parts were OK they would adjust it with no charge.

OK, my final decision was not to bring the car in. I know my brake pads are OK (6000 km only). I even looked at them, they are very, very "fat". Didn't want to trust the dealer for "No Charge". Thay would say they changed brakepads and charge me.

I always knew that adjustment is simple. The only problem was that some cars have it right bellow the handbrake, some bellow the car in the middle and some by each rear wheel.

So, I did it by myself, as nobody menaged to answer the way to do it at my previous post.

Started the dirtiest way, by the wheels, it wasn't there. With hands well dirty got bellow the car, it wasn't there as well. Went to wash myself and started to remove plastic surroundings arround the handbrake. Well, it was there, one single screw as I expected. I've done adjustmenst very carefuly as nobody wants to have it breaking with the handbrake all the way down.

Toyota specification says it should brake between 6th and 9th click. Now it brakes at 6th click and brakes fully at 9th click, just the way it should be.

If its got rear disc brakes, stomp on the brake pedal a few times whilst applying the handbrake on/off. if this doesnt work, remove the lower trim panel near the lever by removing the screw and lifting the panel up. You'll see a 10mm nut on a thread. Remove this and tighten the 10mm nut underneath it. Finally hold the nut with an open ended spanner and refit the top 10mm nut. This should give you a perfect handbrake.

It took me some time to find out how to remove all plastics without scratching any, but now I have experience and IF ANYONE NEEDS STEP BY STEP EXPLANATION, LET ME KNOW I'll be hapy to give it, it's simple.