The Dark Wob

Drum in disc handbrakes.
Fuck's sake.

After abandoning the BMW for over a fortnight due to a combination of being 100 odd miles away from it, then being a depressed piece of shit, 320touring off the beige came round yesterday. In a few minutes we had the offside rear disc off and found the handbrake shoes dangling limply, obviously catching on each rotation and causing the horrible noises.

It's pulled the pins out of the backing plate but it might be repairable with large washers as it hasn't made much of a mess.

I've ordered full kits for both sides, and it currently has no offside handbrake but is drivable again. I always park in gear anyway.

Should probably update this thread then.

Got the BMW's handbrake rebuilt on both sides a couple of weekends ago with a LOT of help from Lacquer Peel.
I then spent two evenings (one for each side) adjusting it. It's now fucking sorted, plus greasing up the slider pins on the rear calipers has improved the brake pedal feel too.

Booked in for MOT next Saturday (the 17th).


I turned my attention to the Civic earlier this week. The handbrake on it has been utter wank the whole time I've owned it.
However, I had a set of rear discs that came with the first attempt at a diesel spaceship Civic. Plus a left rear caliper. I didn't have pads, so I bought some.

I took the left rear wheel off the other day. The left rear caliper on the car looks like it's spent the entirety of the car's 12 year life somewhere in the North Sea, plus the handbrake mechanism in that caliper is seized solid. It seems to still work fine on the service brake mind.
Luckily I have that spare left rear caliper to hand. Even better, the brake lines are held onto these with rather chunky banjo bolts, so no fucking about!

The right rear was replaced by Split_Pin in his ownership of it, and it shows. It's in far better condition.

So, a rear brake rebuild on the Civic is now in order sometime in the near future. Its MOT is until mid-November though.




I've been thinking about the Civic's future too. I may move it on in Spring. It's currently got a set of Avon all-seasons with only a few hundred miles on them, so I'll use it over the winter first. It's a perfectly good car, but the seats are just a tiny bit too firm, and the suspension just a tiny bit too choppy. Nothing is wrong with it, but it doesn't actually interest me either. It's a car I happen to have use of, whereas the E36 323i is my car, if that makes sense.

However, the most I've ever spent on a car is £1550 (an MX-5 in 2012). I have some savings, and I'll be 35 in January. Maybe I should get something nice. Something big and squishy but with a diesel engine (or LPG) and an auto box.
Wonder what I could get for £3-4k...

Did you get the boot lock wiring sorted on the civic?
If you did what was it?

paulplom wrote: ↑Thu Sep 08, 2022 4:53 pm Did you get the boot lock wiring sorted on the civic?
If you did what was it?

Oh, yeah. Got that sorted months ago.

Ended up putting a box from a cheapy aftermarket remote locking kit inside the boot lid, powered off the 12v socket inside the boot.

I have an extra fob that just opens the boot. It runs 12v directly to the boot latch. It only works with the ignition on, as an extra security measure (too lazy to find a permanent live).

Is there a cigarette lighter socket in the boot? They're usually permanent live as I found to my cost by leaving a 12v cooler running in my v70 overnight while camping at Hexham racecourse.
Had to ring the rac and it cost me a packet for a bosch battery.

About 10 years ago. I had read that the volvo would isolate the feed when the battery got low so thought it would be okay.
Maybe the battery just collapsed.

paulplom wrote: ↑Thu Sep 08, 2022 5:27 pm Is there a cigarette lighter socket in the boot? They're usually permanent live as I found to my cost by leaving a 12v cooler running in my v70 overnight while camping at Hexham racecourse.
Had to ring the rac and it cost me a packet for a bosch battery.

Yep, and it's a switched live on the Civic. All of the lighter sockets are.

There's one in front of the gearstick and also one inside the arm rest. I have my dashcam and bluetooth receiver both running off the one in the arm rest. I just leave it plugged in and they power on with the ignition.

How can the left rear brakes on a 13 year old car be so fucking rusty?!

Ah yes, because Japanese.


I need to replace the left rear caliper, definitely. It's absolutely fucked, big time. I don't think it's even doing anything. The pads and disc aren't looking too happy either.

Honda quality* ask ghosty about reliable honda engines

SubPar wrote:Drum in disc handbrakes.
Fuck's sake.

After abandoning the BMW for over a fortnight due to a combination of being 100 odd miles away from it, then being a depressed piece of shit, 320touring off the beige came round yesterday. In a few minutes we had the offside rear disc off and found the handbrake shoes dangling limply, obviously catching on each rotation and causing the horrible noises.

It's pulled the pins out of the backing plate but it might be repairable with large washers as it hasn't made much of a mess.

I've ordered full kits for both sides, and it currently has no offside handbrake but is drivable again. I always park in gear anyway.

I usually beat the plate flat, weld up the hole, redrill it, then file in the slots.

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