Replacing the handbrake cable (parking brake) on a Lada Granta

Pull up the handbrake

But if you really know how to tighten the handbrake on a Lada Granta standard, this procedure will not take you much time and effort. The only thing that is required for its implementation is a jack or an inspection hole, because access to adjustable components and assemblies occurs from below and you will have to work under the car. To tighten (adjust) the handbrake you will need 3 tools:

• two open-end wrenches for 13, one of them is preferably a socket one;
• one key head for 8;
• a faithful assistant (although in desperate situations you can get by alone).

The process of directly adjusting the manual braking system of a Lada Granta car is carried out in nine main stages:

1. We lower the handbrake lever inside the car.
2. We climb under the car, unscrew the rubber cushions (brackets) from the resonator, and remove the muffler from its attachment to the body.
3. We remove the protective screen of the parking brake adjustment mechanism. To do this, use a socket wrench to unscrew the 4 nuts from the fastening bolts.
4. We remove the protective screen or move it to the side behind the muffler - in this case, the necessary space for work is also quite enough. In this case, the muffler can be pulled back with something, for example, by pushing a block of wood under it.
5. We take two 13mm wrenches - the first one is to slightly loosen the locknut, holding the adjusting nut. Then vice versa - hold it, and secondly turn (also loosening) the adjusting nut.
6. Actually, we adjust the hand brake as follows: tighten the handbrake cable, for which we tighten the adjusting nut (move the key clockwise).
7. Next, you should check the travel of the handbrake lever - this is why you need a partner, or you will have to do it yourself. The lock nut can be tightened when the handbrake stroke is 2-4 clicks (see above).
8. Then we test the operation of the parking brake mechanism as a whole. To do this, lift the rear wheels and check how freely they rotate when the handbrake is lowered and how completely they lock when fully raised (in this case they should not rotate at all!).
9. If the handbrake is working properly, tighten the locknut and replace the protective screen and muffler. The handbrake adjustment is complete!

As the mileage and life of the vehicle increases, the handbrake becomes less and less adjustable. It happens that even after adjustment, the manual braking system does not work properly and does not “hold” the car. This indicates that the wear on the brake pads is too high or the cable stretch is irreversible.

Self-adjusting hand brake

If you have prepared everything you need to make the adjustment, you can proceed. To begin, make it possible to work under the machine by placing it above the inspection hole. If there is none, use a jack to raise the rear of the car. Next, follow the instructions in which we will tell you how to tighten the handbrake on a Grant to get a result no worse than that of a service station master. So, the process of setting the optimal cable tension is as follows:

To tighten the handbrake cables, you must place the car above the inspection hole

1. First, climb inside the vehicle to set the parking brake lever to its full operating position - this will allow you to determine what the result of the adjustment should be. If the lever rises by less than two clicks, then measures should be taken to increase the length of the drive. Although most often it is necessary to shorten it, since due to wear of the pads and stretching of the cable, the number of clicks only increases over time. It is necessary to lengthen the drive only after installing new brake pads.
2. Fully lower the handbrake lever and move under the car to remove the cushions from the brackets of the additional muffler.
3. Next, using a socket wrench, unscrew the four nuts that hold the protective shield in place.
4. Now prepare a wooden block to place it between the muffler pipe and the bottom (you will have to pull it back for this) - this way you can remove the protective screen, which will free up space for work.
5. Use a 13mm wrench to loosen the locknut while holding the adjusting nut with a second wrench.
6. In order to tighten the handbrake drive, screw in the adjusting nut, and to lengthen it, on the contrary, this nut should be unscrewed. When tightening, it is necessary to check the travel of the handbrake lever.

This is how the Lada Granta's handbrake is adjusted, but the work does not end there. After all, it is necessary to check whether the result meets the current requirements. To do this, you need to lift the car using a lift or hang its rear wheels using a jack. Now, use your hand to turn each wheel and make sure that when the handbrake lever is lowered, the wheels rotate freely. If this is the case and the lever stroke is 2–4 turns, then you have adjusted the handbrake drive on the Lada Grant correctly.

The final stage of the adjustment work consists of installing all the removed parts in the reverse order, after which the parking brake system must be tested under road conditions. To do this, find a suitable section of road with a slope of 23% (or an overpass) and put the car on the handbrake. If the car does not move spontaneously, you can be proud of the result of your work.

And finally, I would like to note that the problem with a non-working hand brake is not always solved by simply tightening the drive. Over time, the cable loses its ability to perform its function due to critical stretching, wear or damage. After all, he has to work in aggressive conditions under the bottom of the vehicle. In such cases, the only solution is to replace the parking brake cable.

Adjusting the Grant's handbrake

Adjusting the parking brake of a VAZ 2190 is no more difficult than on a classic or “chisels”. Let's look at the step-by-step principle, starting with inventory.

Necessary tool for tightening the handbrake

What you will need for work:

• Inspection pit, overpass, lift;
• Keys: open-end and ratchet with long head 13;
• Socket wrench or ratchet with a 10mm head;
• Possibly WD-40.

It is better to do all the work with a partner, who will check how far the lever rises from the inside of the car. Otherwise, after each tightening of the cables, you will have to climb into the cabin yourself.

The lift will make it much easier to adjust the parking brake.

Parking brake adjustment principle

So, the car is on a pit/lift, the tool is in your hands - the handbrake is loose. What to do?

Step 1: find a resonator under the bottom. We remove its mount, located closer to the front of the car. Then, using a socket wrench or a ratchet with a 10mm socket, unscrew the 4 bolts securing the heat shield.

If the bolts are rusty, you can pour WD-40 on them and try to unscrew them. If the studs still don’t work and break, you need to be prepared to replace them. Otherwise, the screen cannot be put back.

This way we get the opportunity to move the screen forward without removing it. Underneath there is access to the parking brake adjustment mechanism.

Step 2: slide the screen forward to access cable adjustment.

Remove the cushion mount 1, unscrew the bolts 2. Move the screen 3.

Step 3: holding the adjusting nut (open-end wrench size 13), loosen the lock nut (head size 13).

Step 4: Rotate the adjusting nut clockwise to tighten the cables. Periodically check from the inside how the handbrake is holding.

We do not remove the locknut! Just weaken it.

As soon as the parking brake lever reaches 3-4 clicks, tighten the locknut.

1-lock nut. 2-adjusting nut. For convenience, you can loosen the locknut and rotate them both clockwise with a long head of 13.

Step 5: return the heat shield to its place, fix the fastening screws and the rubber suspension of the resonator.

Checking work:

• the rear axle is suspended, the parking brake is removed - the rear wheels rotate freely;
• the rear axle is suspended, the brake lever is raised (to maximum tension - 3-4 clicks) - the rear wheels do not rotate even with force.

Adjusting the handbrake cable on the LADA “Granta”

To carry out the work, access to the cable from the bottom is necessary, so the adjustment of the Grant handbrake cable after replacement is carried out while the muffler heat shield has not yet been put in place. Next you should do the following:

• lower the handbrake lever all the way;
• loosen the locknut on the adjusting device (if it is tightened);
• screw the adjusting nut onto the cable shank until the latter is tensioned;
• make sure that the free play of the lever in the cabin is from 2 to 4 clicks;
• if necessary, adjust the cable tension;
• tighten the locknut while holding the adjusting nut with a wrench;
• Install a muffler heat shield.

When the handbrake cable is adjusted, you can check the car while driving.

The handbrake drive on the Lada Granta is no different from that on other previous VAZ models. Accordingly, all work on replacing the handbrake cable is carried out in the same way.

In general, this cable is rarely replaced. This is usually due to it getting stuck in the braid and this leads to the fact that the rear pads do not fully release the brakes, begin to heat up and significantly slow down the free movement of the car.

1 – equalizer; 2- lever pull.

When carrying out work to replace the hand brake drive, you will need an assistant, since the lever rod is short and when installing the equalizer you will need to pull the cable very tightly. Also, a signal for replacement may be the fact that the nuts in the equalizer are tightened all the way, the pads are new, and the handbrake still has a huge stroke and does not provide a parking brake even on a slight slope.

Tools you will need: 10mm wrenches, 2 x 13mm wrenches; large flathead screwdriver.

Sequence of work

Install the bracket in the reverse order. At the same time, do not forget that the cables must be installed crosswise in the bracket. After installation, be sure to adjust the parking brake cable tension.

A necessary tool for tightening the handbrake.

1. Two keys for 13. It is advisable that one of them be a socket.
2. Head 8.
3. A partner, but you can do without him. The truth is it’s more difficult without him.

The principle of adjusting the handbrake

1. Fully lower the handbrake lever in the cabin.
2. Place the car on a pit or lift it on a lift. Some car owners manage to adjust the handbrake “from the curb” - but this is inconvenient and dangerous.
3. Find the resonator from the bottom of the car and remove it from the rubber brackets.
4. Using a ratchet, unscrew the 4 bolts securing the protection of the handbrake adjustment mechanism (protective screen).
5. Next, you can either remove the protective screen, but it seems to me that it is easier to move it forward behind the muffler, which will free up space that is enough for free work.
6. Loosen the first nut with a 13mm wrench.
7. By tightening the adjusting nut, tighten the handbrake cable that comes out of the passenger compartment.
8. Ask a partner to check the stroke of the lever handle, or check it yourself.
9. As soon as the handbrake moves 3-4 clicks, tighten the lock nut.
10. Before the final stage of work, it is necessary to check the functionality of the brake mechanism. To do this, hang the rear wheels and watch how they rotate with the hand brake off. They also check how the wheels grip when the handbrake is raised.
11. Next, return the protective screen to its place, screw it onto the seats and put rubber fasteners on the resonator.

Repair of parking brake Lada Granta

Some drivers, in an effort to wear out the parking brake cable less, try to use it less often.

This “saving” leads to a bad result: the cable, rarely moving in the shell, gradually loses mobility and ultimately jams and breaks.

Use the parking brake whenever necessary.

Replacing the parking brake pawl rod spring

If the parking brake lever does not lock into the selected position, first check the pawl spring. If the spring is OK, replace the lever.

Unscrew the button from the lever

Remove the pawl spring.

Replace the defective spring

Parking brake lever repair

We install the car on a lift or inspection ditch

From the bottom of the car, unscrew the four nuts 1 securing the body floor protection, remove the spring and flat washers.

General questions about the parking brake on Grant

Let's look at a few basic questions about VAZ 2190 brakes.

Operating principle of the Granta handbrake

When raising the handbrake lever in the passenger compartment:

• the drive brake cable is tensioned;
• through the equalizer he pulls the cables going to the rear brake pads;
• The pads are pressed against the brake drums through expansion bars, stopping the wheel from moving;
• When the tension is loosened (removed from the handbrake), the tension of the cables also weakens, and the wheels move freely.

Lever 1 pulls cables 3 through cable 2. Those, through levers 4 and strips 5, push the brake pads apart.

Why is it necessary to tighten the parking brake?

If the cable tension is loosened, there is a danger of the vehicle rolling away.

The Granta mechanical handbrake has a conventional device without self-adjustment. The same instructions apply to Lada Kalina, Priora.

This means that as the rear pads wear out, the original parking brake setting will lose effectiveness.

Design and location of the hand brake cable for the LADA Granta

The purpose of the LADA Granta handbrake cable is to transmit force from the lever in the cabin to the rear brake pads. It is enclosed in a multi-layer protective shell and has tips for attaching to the handbrake lever and the rear wheel brake drive. The adjusting nut on the cable allows you to adjust the length of the drive, and the return spring returns the system to its original state after lowering the drive lever. The handbrake cable is located under the bottom of the car and is partially covered by the muffler thermal shield.

Causes and signs of failure

The main reason why you have to change the handbrake cable of the LADA Granta is mechanical wear. The constant forces to which the cable is subjected eventually lead to its deformation (stretching) or rupture. The cause of cable breakage can also be wheel bolts of non-standard length, which catch and fray the steel threads of the cable. Signs that the parking brake cable needs to be replaced:

• the cable stretches or breaks, as a result the handbrake lever rises all the way without effort and “does not hold” the car;
• the cable jams in the braid, the pads do not release the brakes, the brake drum heats up when moving.

When a cable jams in the braid, you can try to lubricate it and, if the cause is not frayed threads, the problem may disappear. In all other cases, it is necessary to replace the Grant hand brake cable.

Checking the operation of the hand brake

There are two ways to find out if the parking brake system on the Lada Granta is in order. They work separately: if at least one type of test shows something wrong, the handbrake needs adjustment. So:

1. Stop the car on an uphill or downhill slope of about 23-25 ​​degrees, then put the handbrake in the raised position and turn off all gears. The car must stand still and not roll down. If this happens, the handbrake is working properly and you are in no danger. Otherwise, the handbrake on your car needs adjustment.
2. The travel of the hand braking system lever is checked. If the ratchet mechanism clicks 2-4 times before being completely moved to the parking position, there is no need to worry, the handbrake is working properly.

There are only two reasons why the handbrake on a Lada Granta may malfunction and fail:

• brake pad wear;
• stretching the cable.

This is not least due to the fact that the manual braking system on a budget liftback from the giant of the Russian automotive industry is designed quite simply and consists of only three components:

• the handbrake control lever itself, equipped with a rod and a pair of nuts - one lock nut and one adjusting nut;
• cable equalizer and spacers with a brake pad drive lever;
• the right and left cables of the pad drive mechanism on both rear wheels - on the right and left, respectively.

Parking brake device

Before replacing the handbrake cable or tightening it, you need to understand the design of the mechanism. It is designed quite simply and consists of the following main parts:

1. Lever with spring-loaded button and latch. Located in the cabin on the right hand of the driver.
2. A metal rod with a pin at the end and a rocker arm for installing the cable is located under the bottom of the car and attached to the lever. This is the “handbrake” tensioning device.
3. The ends of the cable (or two cables), installed on the rocker arm, are attached to the brake levers of the rear wheels - disc or drum.

The principle of operation of the handbrake on Grant

Why does it need to be tightened frequently?

This is the peculiarity of the mechanism, which is why you often have to tighten the handbrake. Plus low-quality spare parts from the beginning, and a design that has not changed since the time of Tsar Pea!

In foreign cars (not all of course), the rear brake mechanism (drum or disc) has self-tensioning springs, which are tightened depending on the wear of the pads.

How a properly configured handbrake should work

The handbrake movement in a Lada Granta car should be no more than 6 clicks from the moment it is raised. It is possible to increase the handbrake stroke to 8 clicks, but it is not recommended.

Ideally, of course, 3-4 clicks. With this setting of the handbrake, you will have a reserve of movement when the cable weakens and the wheels begin to grip later.

If you experience a situation where the handbrake is “pulled out” to its fullest extent, but the wheels do not grab, then the following reasons are possible:

1. rear brake pads are worn out;
2. the handbrake cable is broken or stretched/