Please help - ZX handbrake adjustment

[Keith J]

1995 ZX elation 1.9d estate.

I have had the car up on axle stands and adjusted the handbrake more the once as the Haynes manual says. All is fine (after much faffing) and get it to within 5 to 7 clicks. But when I put the car back down on the ground the adjustment all goes and it is on full pull up of the handbrake lever before locking.

This has happened more than once. Trouble is, if I adjust it up on the ground the back wheels will bind as they were just binding on one click of the handbrake as per manual.

Drum brakes rear. No fluid leaks. New cables, new shoes, adjusters all there and seem to be working. Anyone else ever encontered this as I am at the putting a hammer through the windows and taking it to the scrapyard stage of proceedings, and I have an MOT retest later today.

Basically as soon as I let it off the jack and put weight on the wheels the adjustment goes.

ANY advice very welcome.

[Keith J]

Think I have done it now. Had to adjust it on the ground, till it locked on 5 - 7 clicks, then jack it up and check the wheels didn't bind. Wierd symptom, I have never heard of before.

[Keith J]

Nope, gone for a drive and the adjustment has changed again. Where it locked on 7 clicks, it's now 9. I am hacked off with Citroens tbh, never had such grief as I have with my Xantia and this ZX. Back to Ford for me I think.

[citronut]

you never adjust a hand brake by adjusting the cables, all this dose is reduces the travel on the hand brake lever and dose not put any more efort on to the shoes,

the shoes are ment to be self adjustting but as 99% of self adjusters dont work in normal use,

so you need to remove the drums and manualy adjust them up,

firstly check for a lip at the outter edge of the working surface of the drum, and if theres is grind/machine it away, as this will reduce the amount that you can adjust the shoes out to,

as you have adjusted the cables up several times i would back them right off before you start

regards malcolm