VW and handbrakes...
- Thread starter 2.2TDI
- Start date
Mike in Anchorage
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2009
- Location
- Anchorage, AK
- TDI
- 2016 Touareg Lux, 2015 Golf Sportwagen SE, new 4 Sept 2017;2009 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen (Ruby) sold to VW on 22 SEP 2017
Hmmm. The decision is probably due to cost. Possibly due to DOT regs.
+1 regulation.
why can't everything have (modern) air brakes? if there's a leak, you cant move until it's fixed....
vs....
"oh, yeah, need to top off my reservoir, that stupid rear brake line seeps a bit..."
weeks goes by dumping brake fluid on the road
panic stop, nearly squishing carpet with brake pedal, blows out the line
"****, well, i guess i'll just take it slow now until i get under there to fix it....i have 1 or 2 good pumps before i need to add fluid"
/me sighs
air brakes on non commercial....only a dream
why can't everything have (modern) air brakes? if there's a leak, you cant move until it's fixed....
vs....
"oh, yeah, need to top off my reservoir, that stupid rear brake line seeps a bit..."
weeks goes by dumping brake fluid on the road
panic stop, nearly squishing carpet with brake pedal, blows out the line
"****, well, i guess i'll just take it slow now until i get under there to fix it....i have 1 or 2 good pumps before i need to add fluid"
/me sighs
air brakes on non commercial....only a dream
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oilhammer
Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
You may find the EPB is going to be worse in the long term than the good old fashioned cables. Although I do understand your frustration, as it seems there are two types of Volkswagens, ones that have parking brake cable problems, and ones that will have parking brake cable problems.
Good news is, in most cases, you can keep the stuff lubed and make it last longer and when cables are needed they are usually not that bad of a job to do, even if the newer cars are usually a bit more labor intensive than the older ones.
I've had to replace a few EPB calipers, and of course the switch issues (B6 Passats and CCs were awful for this), and the price of those parts is quite sobering.
Good news is, in most cases, you can keep the stuff lubed and make it last longer and when cables are needed they are usually not that bad of a job to do, even if the newer cars are usually a bit more labor intensive than the older ones.
I've had to replace a few EPB calipers, and of course the switch issues (B6 Passats and CCs were awful for this), and the price of those parts is quite sobering.
oilhammer
Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
I am not aware of any vehicle that uses a hydraulic parking brake. I have never even heard of such a thing.
All the EPBs I know of are the same, an electric motor in the rear caliper. They do not have anything to do with the hydraulics. They just take the place of the cable and work the piston inside directly with a little screw.
Big trucks with air brakes just release the air pressure, which applies ALL the brakes, so they do in essence use the service brakes as a parking brake, but they work differently than hydraulics. They are always ON, and the air pressure forces them OFF.
All the EPBs I know of are the same, an electric motor in the rear caliper. They do not have anything to do with the hydraulics. They just take the place of the cable and work the piston inside directly with a little screw.
Big trucks with air brakes just release the air pressure, which applies ALL the brakes, so they do in essence use the service brakes as a parking brake, but they work differently than hydraulics. They are always ON, and the air pressure forces them OFF.
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I understand how air brakes work. If anything the super way older air brakes were terrible as they still didn't stop without air pressure.
But the end of OP first post the word Hydraulic was used regarding European.
Just curious.
My point being anything steer or brake related there must be a mechanical connection from the driver.
Exception is air brakes because of the fail safe design. If there's a fail, it's essentially locked from movement and safe.
Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk
But the end of OP first post the word Hydraulic was used regarding European.
Just curious.
My point being anything steer or brake related there must be a mechanical connection from the driver.
Exception is air brakes because of the fail safe design. If there's a fail, it's essentially locked from movement and safe.
Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk
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Grigg3
Veteran Member
Some medium duty trucks have used hydraulic release spring set parking brakes, either on the back of the transmission or at the rear wheels. They use power steering pressure or a separate belt driven or electric hydraulic pump to release the brake.
Somewhat like modern truck air brakes which are spring set and air release, these parking brake chambers use hydraulic (power steering) fluid to release a spring
For more info search GM J71 and J72 Auto park and Ford Lucas Girling parking brake.
Hydraulic/brake fluid under pressure to set a brake is not a legal "parking brake". MICO Brake Locks for example
oilhammer
Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Yeah I have seen some of those on the output shaft of the transmission, wasn't sure how they worked. We thankfully do not work on anything that big here. I think we did have an Isuzu NRR in here once that had something like that.
mopower
Veteran Member
Whats a good lube for the parking brake cables?
Living in the rust belt i've never had a car that didn't have cable problems and see the electric parking brakes as a godsend.
Ol'Rattler
Top Post Dawg
As an aside, large aircraft that have hydraulic brakes (most) have a parking brake that is set by turning on hydraulics, applying the normal brakes and setting the parking brake lever which locks the brake petals in the applied position.
Works great until you turn off hydraulics and over time the pressure will bleed off and if the aircraft isn't chocked, it could roll away if it is one any kind of incline. Hydraulic parking brakes = bad idea.
Works great until you turn off hydraulics and over time the pressure will bleed off and if the aircraft isn't chocked, it could roll away if it is one any kind of incline. Hydraulic parking brakes = bad idea.
turbobrick240
Top Post Dawg
- Joined
- Nov 18, 2014
- Location
- maine
- TDI
- 2011 vw golf tdi(gone to greener pastures), 2001 ford f250 powerstroke
Yeah, I like having the redundancy of a manual cable emergency brake. I've actually used them in situations where hydraulic pressure was lost.