Handbrake issues? Try this super simple fix!

Just wanted to quickly document a cool fix for handbrakes a fellow member tipped me off to!
I recently started a thread in the TDI-101 forum asking about an issue with my handbrake on my '01 Golf. The handbrakes were losing power but not due to the brake cable tightness.
Here is the thread:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=390254&highlight=rear+brake+question
Seatman suggested using these handy VW springs, used to release "sticky" handbrakes.
The part #'s for the springs are:
Left side 7H0615295A
Right side 7H0615296
So I ordered those springs ($5.10 each) from my nearest VW dealership in Ohio, and they had them for me the next day.
Installation of the springs took literally 10 seconds per side, once I figured out how they were supposed to be oriented.

RESULTS:
Wow.....amazing difference for such a simple fix. The lever on the rear passenger brake still doesn't return 100% to the top stop where it is supposed to be when the handbrakes are not activated, but it goes quite a bit further now with the help of these powerful little springs.
I have gained back a lot of power to my handbrakes. Was testing them out on some steep inclines yesterday and was able to hold in place with just the handbrake alone. Thanks for the suggestion, Seatman!
This may not be a permanent fix, as I suspect I will eventually have to address whatever is going wrong inside the rear brakes themselves, but it sure was a quick and effective fix for the time being!

Good timing, miketoth! My hand brake started dragging at the driver side earlier this week with an aweful burning smell after getting off the highway. I knew about these springs before but just could not find the link or parts # to them.

Thx!!

Those springs (which you've installed backwards, google images will show you the right way) help the e brakes release. They in no way would give the additional holding power you're referring to. There is one other trick to getting them to release better which involves prying off the rubber seal under the arm and cleaning.

They are installed correctly.

Half of the google images show them one way, half show them the other way. If I looked long enough, I'd probably find an image of someone who installed them on their muffler, too.

However, with VW's, part #'s ending in odd numbers are generally for the left side of the car and even numbered part #'s are for the right side. If you follow that rule, these springs can be installed only the way shown above. Funnily enough, on every website where they show them installed (vwvortex, clubgti, seatcupra) someone gets on the OP about installing them backwards, haha. I assume that even if I had mixed up the part #'s and installed them the other way, they'd function just the same.

In most cases, I would say that trailhead is correct, these would not give the brakes extra holding power, as they are intended to just release the e brakes if they are sticky....which is what most people are using them for. But in my original post, which I provided a link to above, I stated that this was not the case with mine. My brakes don't stick, well...they don't stick ON anways, and they aren't dragging.

I suspect that something is wrong with my brake piston....bad seal or something? Not sure until I tear into it. On mine, only on one side, that top arm where the ebrake cable connects does not return all the way to the top...whether the brake cables are attached or not. If I manually push that arm all the way up, which is hard to do by hand, feels like I'm pushing against a lot hydraulic pressure, the ebrakes are really powerful again, at least for a while. Almost like it's allowing the piston to get a full stroke now. These little springs seem to be helping me return that lever at least partially back to the top, although they aren't strong enough to get it ALL the way back up.

Regardless.....

WIHTOUT THE SPRINGS, I park at the top of my driveway, engage handbrake (which pulls up too easily and all the way up), get mail, car rolls away.

WITH THE SPRINGS, park at top of driveway, engage handbrake (which now has much more resistance and pulls up firmly only about 1/2 as far before gripping solidly), get mail, car is there when I return.

So, like I said, definitely not a permanent fix by any means, but it's working for now.

miketoth1979 said:

Just wanted to quickly document a cool fix for handbrakes a fellow member tipped me off to!
I recently started a thread in the TDI-101 forum asking about an issue with my handbrake on my '01 Golf. The handbrakes were losing power but not due to the brake cable tightness.
Here is the thread:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=390254&highlight=rear+brake+question
Seatman suggested using these handy VW springs, used to release "sticky" handbrakes.
The part #'s for the springs are:
Left side 7H0615295A
Right side 7H0615296
So I ordered those springs ($5.10 each) from my nearest VW dealership in Ohio, and they had them for me the next day.
Installation of the springs took literally 10 seconds per side, once I figured out how they were supposed to be oriented.

RESULTS:
Wow.....amazing difference for such a simple fix. The lever on the rear passenger brake still doesn't return 100% to the top stop where it is supposed to be when the handbrakes are not activated, but it goes quite a bit further now with the help of these powerful little springs.
I have gained back a lot of power to my handbrakes. Was testing them out on some steep inclines yesterday and was able to hold in place with just the handbrake alone. Thanks for the suggestion, Seatman!
This may not be a permanent fix, as I suspect I will eventually have to address whatever is going wrong inside the rear brakes themselves, but it sure was a quick and effective fix for the time being!

Click to expand...

Thank you for posting this! I just ordered two sets, one for my car and one for my wife's car.

It's probably one of those "cost-cutting" items which they did even though they make the spring and put the slots in the arms where they go.

miketoth1979 said:

The part #'s for the springs are:
Left side 7H0615295A
Right side 7H0615296

Click to expand...

Will these work on the Jetta?

According to ID Parts, these are only for the Golf.

Is that correct?

trailhead said:

Those springs (which you've installed backwards, google images will show you the right way) help the e brakes release. They in no way would give the additional holding power you're referring to. There is one other trick to getting them to release better which involves prying off the rubber seal under the arm and cleaning.

Click to expand...

Of course the springs help the handbrake, by helping pull the lever back the auto adjustment works like it should so the handbrake works better. Most of the power of the handbrake is at the start end of the travel so to speak.

As for wrong way round, six and half a dozen really

phaser said:

Will these work on the Jetta?

According to ID Parts, these are only for the Golf.

Is that correct?

Click to expand...

I don't think there is a difference between the rear brakes of the jetta and Golf. As far as I know, they are the same brake caliper.

miketoth1979 said:

Just wanted to quickly document a cool fix for handbrakes a fellow member tipped me off to!
I recently started a thread in the TDI-101 forum asking about an issue with my handbrake on my '01 Golf. The handbrakes were losing power but not due to the brake cable tightness.
Here is the thread:
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=390254&highlight=rear+brake+question
Seatman suggested using these handy VW springs, used to release "sticky" handbrakes.
The part #'s for the springs are:
Left side 7H0615295A
Right side 7H0615296
So I ordered those springs ($5.10 each) from my nearest VW dealership in Ohio, and they had them for me the next day.
Installation of the springs took literally 10 seconds per side, once I figured out how they were supposed to be oriented.

RESULTS:
Wow.....amazing difference for such a simple fix. The lever on the rear passenger brake still doesn't return 100% to the top stop where it is supposed to be when the handbrakes are not activated, but it goes quite a bit further now with the help of these powerful little springs.
I have gained back a lot of power to my handbrakes. Was testing them out on some steep inclines yesterday and was able to hold in place with just the handbrake alone. Thanks for the suggestion, Seatman!
This may not be a permanent fix, as I suspect I will eventually have to address whatever is going wrong inside the rear brakes themselves, but it sure was a quick and effective fix for the time being!

Click to expand...

Well,

I just looked under both our cars:

I already have them on my 2000 TDI!

They are NOT installed on my wife's 2004 Jetta Wagon At least not yet!

They come as standard on the 256mm vented brake set up not the regular 239mm brakes normally.

Seatman said:

They come as standard on the 256mm vented brake set up not the regular 239mm brakes normally.

Click to expand...

thanks! that explains it. I keep forgetting what I've done to my car. It's so hard to remember what was stock

tongsli said:

thanks! that explains it. I keep forgetting what I've done to my car. It's so hard to remember what was stock

Click to expand...

Ha ha yeh, I've seen a few of your threads, I think the body shell on mine is almost stock still lol.

phaser said:

Will these work on the Jetta?

Click to expand...

Yes, I have them on mine

Seatman said:

Of course the springs help the handbrake, by helping pull the lever back the auto adjustment works like it should so the handbrake works better. Most of the power of the handbrake is at the start end of the travel so to speak.

As for wrong way round, six and half a dozen really

Click to expand...

Agreed, I should have elaborated further.

Are these applicable to a 2009 JSW? anybody know?

Just installed these springs on the car today while refreshing the suspension. Less than $11 to save me from replacing a caliper.

Thx!

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

redbarron55 said:

Are these applicable to a 2009 JSW? anybody know?

Click to expand...

ECS has the 7H's mentioned here, and they're for Mk 4's.

They've got some 1K0615296/95 for Mk 5's and 6's:

286mm rear braking components have the following identifiers.

• 286x12 mm (11.25") rear rotor size.
• Thread in (flare style) rear brake line connections.

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/Brake_Arm_Spring/

I'm tempted to order them since they're only $5 each.

Awesome bits.
Installed, my e-brake now feels great, and it doesn't hang the little bit that it did before.

Thanks!

E brake springs and adjustment

Thank you Miketoth, used the numbers you had to order the springs which I have now installed as you show. I had no E brake on the right side and they were not returning on both sides, the springs did not help that as I found out that someone had tightened up the adjuster at the hand lever far too much and that would not let the wheel levers return which also meant that the adjusters in the brakes would not set up. My biggest problem ended up being trying to get to that adjuster, my Golf has a sliding cup holder on the back of the console that hid the screws that hold the console , after partly breaking the holder to get it off I found that you need to pry up the front (forward) end of the holder to pop it out of the retainer clips and then it lifts off so you can get to the screws and adjuster. I now have an E brake that works.

So I attempted this yesterday and didn't have much luck installing them like the OP's picture. I then decided to put the left spring on the passenger side and right on the drivers side and they fit nicely, but they were facing the other way. I'm going to head back out today, take them off and try to put them on a different way.

They do fit nicely like many of the pics on the internet the way I have them now, however since I know I installed them on the wrong sides according to the part #'s that tells me something isn't exactly correct.

Any advice for installing them like the picture the OP posted? E/brake on or off when installing?

E-brake off while installing

Alright, well it worked pretty well. Kept the e/brake off, got the spring positioned correctly and it went it fairly easily. Now at least the springs are on the correct side of the car according to the ECS part numbers!

I put these on both mine on my 02 since the passenger side didnt go all the way off unless you lightly pushed on the lever on the caliper.

Found that its a ***** to pull up on the parking brake lever, so I pulled the drives side off and it isnt bad now.