My wife has a Corsa -C. The handbrake requires adjusting. Unfortunately you need a special tool to remove the hubs (thanks Vauxhall). I think I read somewhere you can make adjustment through a hole in the hub without removing it though. Does anybody have any info on this?
The special tool is called a socket and bar. Unless you're on about the dust cap that can be removed with a screwdriver.
You can adjust the brakes through a wheel bolt hole, but it's best if you take the drum of to figure out what you're doing first. And to get the adjustment right, adjust the cable to elimnate play in it, and the handbrake shoe levers are back against there stop with the handbrake off. Then put the handbrake on three clicks, and adjust both rear brakes up through a bolt hole on each side until the wheels lock up. That should give you the recommend adjustment of 5-7 clicks. If you have any less than 5, the handbrake won't hold the car very well.
..or, make sure there's slack in the cable, adjust the shoes as per the manual then adjust the cable as appropriate. In the end I'm sure it'll end up more or less the same though. I fine tune by jacking the rear of the car and making sure both sides are even when the handbrake is applied.
If you slacken the cable off, you have no way of knowing if the shoes are adjusted correctly. Corsa-Cs are very sensitive about the rear brakes being over adjusted.
I see it the other way around. If you don't, how do you know that the shoes are adjusted correctly? I guess you do it your way and I'll do it mine :-)
Thanks for the reponse. Do you know what size socket is requires for the hub nut? I'm hoping to pick one up today to do the the job tomorrow, but the wife is out with the car all day at work so I can't whip a wheel a off to have a look.
Buy a socket set. ...and good luck.
If you excuse me saying so that sounds a MM way of doing it. The usual way with any handbrake is to first make sure the cables are allowing the mechanism to come completely to rest on the back stops before adjusting the shoes themselves - if need be disconnect it. Then adjust the shoes so they just start grabbing, and back off by the appropriate amount.
Only then adjust the handbrake cable.
It all depends on the brake set-up. You've got to remember that these are fitted with a self-adjuster, so if you over adjust them, you'll then have to take the drum back off to de-adjust them. Unless you know exactly what you need to move to get the adjuster wound back off, and can do it through a single bolt hole.
Handbrake cable should always be adjusted so the relevant levers are fully back against their stops with the handbrake off. If you need to adjust it otherwise, then somethings not right. Unless it's certain select motors that have no adjustment other than the cable (I know some volvos were like that)
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