[PresseR]

So I finally got behind the rear discs doing some work and discovered that a previous owner had the emergency brake system removed. This was never disclosed when I bought the car over a year ago.

I do remember him saying he had a brake issue which stained the rear rim a rusty color, but he "had that fixed"

Is there a common problem with the emergency system on these 1998 awd Volvos??

So I found an '98 Xc70 in the yard and am planning to remove from it the parts I need and cannot find new. The cables are still there but mothing else. I can get the shoes, discs and basic hardware new.

Should i replace the cables also? I expect this to be a PITA with routing it through the floor.

What can I do to prevent the same problem from occuring?

Thanks,

Nathan. 98 Saffron V70r

 

[Avboden]

First off....how the heck did you not know the E-brake was gone when you pulled the handle to meet zero resistance?


Don't worry about it, I removed my entire E-brake system on my '98R a good..oh probably 8 years ago now and it's been just fine. Fun to scare passengers on the highway suddenly grabbing the ebrake handle(which no longer does anything)

To answer your question, the stock system likes to catch rocks if you happen to live on or near a gravel road. They grind, bad sound, damage stuff, just not good. After getting sick of it we stripped the entire system and never looked back.

 

[burnout8488]

If you want to do it, it's a bear getting everything adjusted, but nice in the end once it's all finally done. Bedding the new pads takes awhile and you need to keep removing the rear wheels after a drive to adjust the star-wheel so they are gapped correctly against the "drum."

Replace every part (except the adjusters, they can be cleaned up and reused), including cables, and you'll never have to do it again. I'd actually recommend the Scan-Tech e-brake cables, they worked well and fitment was identical to OEM. No quality issues whatsoever, a rarity with that brand. Saved a bunch over OEM too.

The cables aren't actually that bad, you can feel them sliding up under the carpet. After fiddling around, you'll get lucky and they'll poke out from under the carpet so you can grab them and hook them up to the e-brake lever. Not a quick job, but the second cable will go a lot faster than the first.

Or go with Avboden's advice and strip the system entirely, given that it's an automatic anyways.

 

[MattP]

I did this recently. It is not terrible but not fun either. The star nuts and the spreaders are the most important parts to find if they are not with the car. I went to the u-pull in South Philly and found them. The guys there just gave them to me for free (they didn't know that the star nuts are $25 a piece from the dealer). Running the cables is not that bad either. To make it easier, we pulled out the center console, back seat bottoms, and the carpet in the back. I also used that as an opportunity to clean the seats and remove the copious amounts of Cheerios and Goldfish that were deposited down there by the PO's kids.

Edit: Stripping the entire system would be bad. I believe it is required to pass inspection in PA (even in an auto).