Replacing the Handbrake Cable

stee.3series · 02-18-2021, 05:19 AM

Hi All,

Hoping to get some help with removing the Handbrake Cable and replacing it on my 2009 E90 Sedan.

The Handbrake Arm pulls up very high, about 8-9 clicks. I've adjusted the Wheel up and down in the Drum and the Shoes are about 4mm,
but I think it's beyond that. So I'm looking to the Cable, which slipped a month ago, liked it had pulled through something and now this is how it is.

Looked at a few Youtubes and got a few pointers:
Step 1a Handbrake - compress the Tensioner Spring until locks and provides Cable slack.
Step 1b Release the Cable Ends from two places in it's Bar Holder.
Step 2a Drum - adjusted the Wheel down and remove Drum.
Step 2b Release the Cable Ends from both Drum Mechanism, **unsure about this**
Step 3a Car - Remove Cable completely from car through the Body Tubing, probably work out.
Step 3b Reposition Cable through Body Tubing, probably work out.
Step 4 Drum - Reattached the Cable Ends from both Drum Mechanism, **unsure about this**
Step 5a Handbrake - Reattach the Cable Ends in two places in it's Handbrake Bar Holder.
Step 5b Release the Tensioner Spring to take up slack.
Step 6a Drum - reassemble.
Step 6b Readjust Wheel up to correct Handbrake operation.
Step 6c Add Wheel and test.

Hope to find Dos, Don'ts and Watch-out fors, Thanks for replies.
Regards Stee

jsunma · 02-18-2021, 06:41 AM

It looks like you might not yet have removed the rear rotors so that you can actually see how the mechanism back there goes together. I think that once you do, the two steps that you say you're confused about (2b and 4) will become clear. The cable is what's conventionally called a "bowden cable"...like the brake cable on a bicycle. It has little nubs at each end that fit into slots on the "expanding lock" at the rear and the handbrake lever mechanism inside the car. It's actually pretty clear once you look at it. Also, the Bentley manual devotes a shockingly large number of pages (6!!) to pictures and text explaining the whole thing.

I've never replaced the whole cable, but I have had the parking brake mechanism in the rear fully disassembled/removed as you need to do this to replace rear wheel bearings. ONE THING I would suggest is that you take some pictures of the mechanism back there BEFORE you take it apart. Maybe it's just how my brain works, but I swear that all of the illustrations in the Bentley manual (and some other sites I found...Pelican parts?) didn't help when I was later looking at the various bits and trying to figure out just how they all went back together. It took me 30 seconds to take it apart, but about an hour of fiddling with the pieces to get them back together in the proper orientation. A picture of your own car's stuff will help you remember how it goes back together.

Anyhow, my guess is that the hardest part will really be routing the new cable. The removal of the cable from the rear is not very hard (just potentially confusing).

Good luck!!

stee.3series · 02-21-2021, 02:51 PM

Thanks for your reply.

I haven't made a start yet and as you've said the Mechanical Assembly will become clearer as I start to disassemble it, but I'll definitely take pictures along the way. I've a Haines Manual which okay for some obvious stages, I'll have a look for a Bentley Manual.

Agreed, I think the feeding the new cable back will be the trickiest part, especially as I'll be doing it off a Jack and Stands.

Thanks for your advice, much appreciated, fortunately my E90 isn't used daily, so I can take of the road and take my time.

Stee

Captain Buumer · 04-24-2022, 08:29 AM

So i was replacing handbrake cables and this thread was somewhat useful but did not have all the info. Since it was quite popular from google i'll add some more info.

New cables
New drum shoes
New springs/plugs
The adjustment screw mechanism needed cleaning/greasing not really a part that needs replacement.
The cable holder also needed some cleaning/greasing also not worth to replace.
Used white ceramic grease.

Quote:

Step 1b Release the Cable Ends from two places in it's Bar Holder.

Need to remove center console (4 bolts holding it down). Then airbag module that is covering the attachments & the triangle that is so called "self adjusting".

Quote:

Step 2b Release the Cable Ends from both Drum Mechanism, **unsure about this**

From the behind the drum there is 6mm hex clamp holding the cable in. In my case the cable was really rusted in and i used flathead screwdriver and hammer to push it out.

Quote:

Step 3a Car - Remove Cable completely from car through the Body Tubing, probably work out.

Mine were really rusted into the body tubing. So i had to bend bottom aluminium shield and use some grips near the tubing exits to wiggle it loose.

Then i pulled really strong and it was finally out.

When putting new one in make sure the white bushings are inside the tube/drum mechanism.

I had constant handbrake problems, it was weak and only one wheel worked normal.
In the end one cable was significantly stretched and other cable had rust inside (cable did not move freely) the self adjustment triangle couldn't compensate this.

Now i do 5 clicks and can bolt wheel bolts on/off. MOT also confirmed and he said, best handbrake of the day. He didn't expect such strong stop as E90 generally have weak handbrake.

PhaseP · 04-24-2022, 10:14 AM

I replaced one of the cables after seeing it being rusted during brake replacement.
Some additions that may have from my experience:

- If you have manual stick shift car, to remove center console you have to first remove the stick shift nub, buy pulling it out with force. This is a dangerous operation, because you can knock your teeth out or break your nose by hitting your face with the nub you just removed. Even if you place your face away from it, once it is freed up, your elbows will naturally bend and your front arms will curve right on to your face, with sling shot force. Take precautions and protection over your face.

- The end of the cable that goes into the drum has an aluminum guide tip bushing that sits on the knuckle in a hole. If you are lucky to live in high corrosion winter salted road areas, this aluminum guide tip will have corrosion bonded together with the cast iron hole that it sits in. You are likely to fight with it to take it out. There is rubber at the end of it too. Hitting with a punch from outer side of it to get it out of its hole gets damped with this rubber padding making that ineffective. I ended tearing and taking out the rubber part from the hole with a pick piece by piece, then hit with a punch, lots of penetrating oil, and pulling and wiggling from behind eventually came out. Penetrating oil doesn't work that well against aluminum corrosion, but anything helps.

- Similar problem with the cable sheath's other end that goes to the tube under the car, it was stuck, just as previous post mentions. But in my case it was more extreme, thanks to more corrosion. There is also rubber bushing at that end where the sheathing goes into the tube. This had bonded with the tube. A lot of penetrating oil, and then a lot of tugging and forcefully pulling on the cable which causes the end of the cable where it has a cast metal nub hit it inside the tube, eventually came off. There was risk that the metal nub at the end of the cable inside the tube might have came off while pulling it and hitting like that, but I am glad it didn't happen.

As previous post mentioned after replacing the cable my handbrake for the first time for a lot of years was locking after 5 clicks or so. Reason for that was the end of the cable sheathing that goes to the drum previously was all torn off and not tightly holding the cable's shape there. The torn sheathing also caused the rusting.

16 year old car in New England winters. Can't complain much, it has been holding up very good actually.

PhaseP · 04-24-2022, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Buumer

So i had to bend bottom aluminium shield and use some grips near the tubing exits to wiggle it loose.

This sounds safer to get it out than pulling on the cable and making it hit to force it out as I had done.

tadaska · 04-24-2022, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Buumer

New springs/plugs

What are those?

Nick.B · 10-22-2023, 10:16 PM

Did this today and will add some comments in hope it might be helpful for future me's:

Cable connection to the body seemed stuck. Soacked it with acetone/ATF. Grabbed, twisted, pulled the cable housing which eventually separated from the aluminum ferrule stuck in the steel tube to the body.

More acetone/ATF.

Vise grips on the aluminum ferrule showed some movement. Continued twisting back and forth while tugging on the inner cable (removed from the brake assembly) eventually got the ferrule free. Less than 20 minutes in this case. I was fearing several hours.

EDIT: It's a Montreal car with 152kkm, and is rusty AF. Everything on this one is hard.

02-18-2021, 05:19 AM	#1
stee.3series New Member 2 Rep 5 Posts Drives: E90 320DN47a Join Date: Dec 2020 Location: Essex iTrader: (0)	Replacing the Handbrake Cable Hi All, Hoping to get some help with removing the Handbrake Cable and replacing it on my 2009 E90 Sedan. The Handbrake Arm pulls up very high, about 8-9 clicks. I've adjusted the Wheel up and down in the Drum and the Shoes are about 4mm, but I think it's beyond that. So I'm looking to the Cable, which slipped a month ago, liked it had pulled through something and now this is how it is. Looked at a few Youtubes and got a few pointers: Step 1a Handbrake - compress the Tensioner Spring until locks and provides Cable slack. Step 1b Release the Cable Ends from two places in it's Bar Holder. Step 2a Drum - adjusted the Wheel down and remove Drum. Step 2b Release the Cable Ends from both Drum Mechanism, unsure about this Step 3a Car - Remove Cable completely from car through the Body Tubing, probably work out. Step 3b Reposition Cable through Body Tubing, probably work out. Step 4 Drum - Reattached the Cable Ends from both Drum Mechanism, unsure about this Step 5a Handbrake - Reattach the Cable Ends in two places in it's Handbrake Bar Holder. Step 5b Release the Tensioner Spring to take up slack. Step 6a Drum - reassemble. Step 6b Readjust Wheel up to correct Handbrake operation. Step 6c Add Wheel and test. Hope to find Dos, Don'ts and Watch-out fors, Thanks for replies. Regards Stee
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02-18-2021, 06:41 AM	#2
jsunma Captain 654 Rep 815 Posts Drives: 2008 328iT 6MT RWD Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Massachusetts iTrader: (0)	It looks like you might not yet have removed the rear rotors so that you can actually see how the mechanism back there goes together. I think that once you do, the two steps that you say you're confused about (2b and 4) will become clear. The cable is what's conventionally called a "bowden cable"...like the brake cable on a bicycle. It has little nubs at each end that fit into slots on the "expanding lock" at the rear and the handbrake lever mechanism inside the car. It's actually pretty clear once you look at it. Also, the Bentley manual devotes a shockingly large number of pages (6!!) to pictures and text explaining the whole thing. I've never replaced the whole cable, but I have had the parking brake mechanism in the rear fully disassembled/removed as you need to do this to replace rear wheel bearings. ONE THING I would suggest is that you take some pictures of the mechanism back there BEFORE you take it apart. Maybe it's just how my brain works, but I swear that all of the illustrations in the Bentley manual (and some other sites I found...Pelican parts?) didn't help when I was later looking at the various bits and trying to figure out just how they all went back together. It took me 30 seconds to take it apart, but about an hour of fiddling with the pieces to get them back together in the proper orientation. A picture of your own car's stuff will help you remember how it goes back together. Anyhow, my guess is that the hardest part will really be routing the new cable. The removal of the cable from the rear is not very hard (just potentially confusing). Good luck!!
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02-21-2021, 02:51 PM	#3
stee.3series New Member 2 Rep 5 Posts Drives: E90 320DN47a Join Date: Dec 2020 Location: Essex iTrader: (0)	Replacing the Handbrake Cable Thanks for your reply. I haven't made a start yet and as you've said the Mechanical Assembly will become clearer as I start to disassemble it, but I'll definitely take pictures along the way. I've a Haines Manual which okay for some obvious stages, I'll have a look for a Bentley Manual. Agreed, I think the feeding the new cable back will be the trickiest part, especially as I'll be doing it off a Jack and Stands. Thanks for your advice, much appreciated, fortunately my E90 isn't used daily, so I can take of the road and take my time. Stee
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04-24-2022, 10:14 AM	#5
PhaseP Colonel 1009 Rep 2,109 Posts Drives: 325XI Join Date: May 2010 Location: Earth iTrader: (0)	I replaced one of the cables after seeing it being rusted during brake replacement. Some additions that may have from my experience: - If you have manual stick shift car, to remove center console you have to first remove the stick shift nub, buy pulling it out with force. This is a dangerous operation, because you can knock your teeth out or break your nose by hitting your face with the nub you just removed. Even if you place your face away from it, once it is freed up, your elbows will naturally bend and your front arms will curve right on to your face, with sling shot force. Take precautions and protection over your face. - The end of the cable that goes into the drum has an aluminum guide tip bushing that sits on the knuckle in a hole. If you are lucky to live in high corrosion winter salted road areas, this aluminum guide tip will have corrosion bonded together with the cast iron hole that it sits in. You are likely to fight with it to take it out. There is rubber at the end of it too. Hitting with a punch from outer side of it to get it out of its hole gets damped with this rubber padding making that ineffective. I ended tearing and taking out the rubber part from the hole with a pick piece by piece, then hit with a punch, lots of penetrating oil, and pulling and wiggling from behind eventually came out. Penetrating oil doesn't work that well against aluminum corrosion, but anything helps. - Similar problem with the cable sheath's other end that goes to the tube under the car, it was stuck, just as previous post mentions. But in my case it was more extreme, thanks to more corrosion. There is also rubber bushing at that end where the sheathing goes into the tube. This had bonded with the tube. A lot of penetrating oil, and then a lot of tugging and forcefully pulling on the cable which causes the end of the cable where it has a cast metal nub hit it inside the tube, eventually came off. There was risk that the metal nub at the end of the cable inside the tube might have came off while pulling it and hitting like that, but I am glad it didn't happen. As previous post mentioned after replacing the cable my handbrake for the first time for a lot of years was locking after 5 clicks or so. Reason for that was the end of the cable sheathing that goes to the drum previously was all torn off and not tightly holding the cable's shape there. The torn sheathing also caused the rusting. 16 year old car in New England winters. Can't complain much, it has been holding up very good actually.
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10-22-2023, 10:16 PM	#8
Nick.B Second Lieutenant 57 Rep 274 Posts Drives: 335i, 330i, 335xi, 6MT sport Join Date: May 2014 Location: Calgary, Canada iTrader: (3) Garage List 2011 335i [0.00] 2006 E90 330i [0.00]	Did this today and will add some comments in hope it might be helpful for future me's: Cable connection to the body seemed stuck. Soacked it with acetone/ATF. Grabbed, twisted, pulled the cable housing which eventually separated from the aluminum ferrule stuck in the steel tube to the body. More acetone/ATF. Vise grips on the aluminum ferrule showed some movement. Continued twisting back and forth while tugging on the inner cable (removed from the brake assembly) eventually got the ferrule free. Less than 20 minutes in this case. I was fearing several hours. EDIT: It's a Montreal car with 152kkm, and is rusty AF. Everything on this one is hard.
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