A couple of questions on the operation of the parking brake

I'd been having some problems with my parking brake holding on my '04 Golf and today I crawled underneath to assess the situation.

All of the cables were intact, not broken or otherwise damaged. The calipers and everything underneath is relatively pristine -- no rust or corosion. Clean metal. The lever on which the parking brake cable pulls was very stiff on the passenger side and wasn't retracting.

I disconnected the cable and took a mallet and tapped it back and forth until it freed-up. Then I put it all together again, adjusted the cable and everything now works fine again.

My questions:

What's going on inside the brake caliper that is making the lever, that the cable pulls on, stiff?

I found reference to springs that can help retract this lever:

https://www.idparts.com/caliper-spring-for-rear-axle-left-a4-p-3491.html

Are these springs supposed to be on there stock or are they an aftermarket solution to the problem I was having? I have no springs on either side.

Anyone have a similar experience and can share what they did about it? Anyone know where these springs go and how they are installed?

BTW, I do flush my brake system every 2-3 years and have since the beginning.

Thanks up front!

Eric

I have the exact same problem but hadn't done anything to fix it yet other than adjust the cables. I was thinking I'd have to replace the rear right caliper. I like the idea of your temporary fix - sounds like it might be a good way to approach it until then.

From my reading it's generally caused by rust inside the caliper itself.

I am getting ready to replace my calipers and acquire a rebuild kit for my existing ones.

I did what you did about 18 months ago, problems returned.

Those springs you linked to are installed by removing the bolt from the parking brake lever on the caliper and the direction it faces should be obvious once you do it.

It's meant to push the little lever back to the resting position.

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You can also work some silicone spray into the shaft area. I would not use any sort of oil, but silicone might help keep it free.

What's unclear is whether the actual hangup is coming from corrosion in the shaft area right near where the lever is, or if it's internal.

My Mazda had a recall on this same sort of issue -- they fitted a boot over the interface area to keep moisture out. I don't know if that really will do much, and my caliper wasn't binding at that point, but when they did the inspection they said they detected corrosion and so the caliper was replaced on one side and boots fitted on both...... (this doesn't appear to be something unique to VWs, in other words.)

Thanks for the replies, guys. Yeah, my vehicle is kept really clean and is essentially rust-free everywhere including the brake assemble. If there's corrosion, it has to be inside and related to the hydrophilic nature of brake fluid.



Eddie, do you mean that you take off the bolt, put on the spring, and then put the bolt back on? Can you elaborate?


Thanks!

Yes, you understand completely, remove the lever and put the spring on.
It has to wrap around the lever and be loaded to push it back.

Water in the brake fluid rusts the inside of the calipers.

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Genesis said:

What's unclear is whether the actual hangup is coming from corrosion in the shaft area right near where the lever is, or if it's internal.

(this doesn't appear to be something unique to VWs, in other words.)

Click to expand...

The disk parking brakes seem to be more prone to this.

Water can find it's way in through the lever and mix with the fluid causing the shaft, and the inside of the calipers to corrode.

That's why we are obviously of the issue until we get a parking brake sticking.

I will flush the fluid, at least in the rear, everytime I change pads from now on.

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Picked up the springs from IDParts. I'll report back when I get them on.



So far, everything's working excellently since hammering the parking brake lever free...

eddieleephd said:

Yes, you understand completely, remove the lever and put the spring on.
It has to wrap around the lever and be loaded to push it back.

Water in the brake fluid rusts the inside of the calipers.

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Click to expand...

Nothing is removed in order to install the springs, they are just slotted into existing holes in the lever and carrier plate.

The OP might find this post helpful, has a good picture of an installed spring and instructions for removing the lever and seal to clean out corrosion hidden behind it:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=4996318&postcount=1

Simon

The cables eventually must be replaced.

But depending on where you live it may be a looooong time.

I finally replaced them on my '03 -- they were not yet preventing full release, but were getting sketchy in that they were making it harder to apply the parking brake fully. Sticking was going to be happening soon.

15 years and ~30 minutes to replace them (and they're not all that expensive either) doesn't sound so bad to me.

P2B said:

Nothing is removed in order to install the springs, they are just slotted into existing holes in the lever and carrier plate.

The OP might find this post helpful, has a good picture of an installed spring and instructions for removing the lever and seal to clean out corrosion hidden behind it:

http://forums.tdiclub.com/showpost.php?p=4996318&postcount=1

Simon

Click to expand...

Thanks a bunch for this! Yes! The OP finds it helpful!

Genesis said:

But depending on where you live it may be a looooong time.

I finally replaced them on my '03 -- they were not yet preventing full release, but were getting sketchy in that they were making it harder to apply the parking brake fully. Sticking was going to be happening soon.

15 years and ~30 minutes to replace them (and they're not all that expensive either) doesn't sound so bad to me.

Click to expand...

Yeah, here in Western Washington, the underside stays pretty pristine...even after 14 years! Cables working excellently.