Vauxhall Omega water loss, also handbrake adjustment

Don't know about the pipe offhand, but the handbrake will have adjuster holes on the outside of the drum part, you insert a screwdriver and lever a toothed wheel one way or the other, just like the old days, cable adjustment is probably at the handle (can't remember offhand, although I have done one)

mrcheerful

If it has wheel bolts like a BMW you use one of these holes and the adjuster is at 6 o'clock. A suitable screwdriver is used to turn a sort of vertical cog wheel.

The only thing I noticed, looking from the underneath of the car (back of the disk assembly) was some sort of cap that looked like a valve cap. So if I am reading you right, I have to remove the wheel to find this access. Thank you for your help, I at least know now what I am looking for.

Dave

Thanks Dave, that seems to be the way, I will take the wheels off and have a look.

Thanks for your time.

Dave

You don't actually need to remove the wheel - just one bolt.

Further to that, if it's anything like my mate's Cavalier and my Carlton, you take the rear wheels off and underneath where the wheel meets the disc there's a hole in the 'hub' part of the disc. From memory you line up the hole at the bottom (might be the top) till there's a little cog showing when you look in the hole. Turning the cog clockwise or anticlockwise (usually with a medium sized flat bladed screwdriver in my case) adjusts the shoes in and out against the drum.

Taking the disc off and having a look at the mechanism might help. Make sure the handbrake is off while you're doing all this as it won't work otherwise. (c;

HTH

Douglas

Not sure which year you have and if there were differences to the post

1999 ones but the handbrake cable adjuster is under the exhaust heatshields (about the center of the car) on my 1997 one.

People have already said about the shoe adjuster but there is a return spring on the inside of the hub and these are exposed to the elements and do corrode and snap. They connect to the the brake lever near where the cable does and the other end of the spring hooks into a hole on the stone shield(?).

Cheers Douglas, the general consensus is pointing that way, so when I get time tomorrow I will explore more. Apparently it is a common fault with Omega's needing constant adjustment.

Cheers

Dave

I have checked these and they are in good order, tomorrow I have time to sort it all out properly. Now I know what I am looking for, it should hopefully be a straight forward job.

Cheers Rodney and to everyone for there help.

Dave

Even in perfect condition, don't expect it to be a decent handbrake - if my BMW is anything to go by.

It never has been that much cop, in the past I paid a garage to adjust it and am now getting fed up forking out all the time, hence why I want to do it myself. It's an auto, so leaving it in *park* with the handbrake applied hasn't really given me any probs, just like to know the handbrake will hold lol.

On the whole though, I have been relatively lucky with the car, no problems of such, just normal wear and tear over the last 4 years. Now a water leak, which looks like it's going to go in to the garage for and wait for them to tell me it's the head gasket. I know it's not the head gasket as I can see where it's coming from, just can't access it.

Dave

On my 5-Series auto, if you apply it at say 10 mph while still in drive, it won't actually stop the car. It does hold - after a fashion - if you apply it with the car stopped.

I'd go through the whole setting up procedure. I assume it has two cables with adjustment for those at the handbrake lever? If so, slacken those off. On the BMW, they are accessible from inside the car.

I'd then take the discs off and make sure everything moves as it should. Think the adjusters and the fixed pivot both slide. Clean all dust, etc.

Then adjust the shoes so they just rub, then back off one click.

Now adjust the cables one at a time so the second click on the handbrake

*just* has some effect.

Pull the handbrake hard on to centralise things and check everything again.

Thanks again Dave, I will tackle it all tomorrow.

Dave