Hand brake on a 2007 Merc sprinter 515 CDI

[The Grand Wanderer]

Hi,
Am hoping the collective may be able to help with this one.
As stated I have a Frankia on a 2007 Merc Sprinter 515 CDI 5 tonne chassis with a twin wheel back axle. Last week I pulled the hand brake on a bit hard and felt and heard a bit of a twang. Upon investigation I found that the nearside rear handbrake cable had slipped off the activating lever on the rear of the back plate on the axle. I have replaced it and everything seems ok. My question is how do you adjust the rear hand brake shoes so that the activating lever does not have so much travel? There is a 8mm stud which looks as if it might act as an adjuster at the top of the back plate. I just want to know how to set it.
Many thanks in advance,
Wanderer

 

[maingate]

Hi Mike,

I am assuming that it is not an AlKo chassis but it may be a similar set up to mine.

In a word, they are a bugger to set up and you will find this out at MOT time.

What I had to do (when it failed) was to take it to a company in Gateshead that I use for my servicing and repairs. They have the rollers to test the efficiency and set the handbrake up. It then failed again but the lads who set it up went along and adjusted it at the MOT station and I got a pass without a complete retest.

When I got it home, I checked the wheels and one was a bit warm. As I was setting off on a trip the next day, I backed off the main adjuster a tad.

So my advice is, leave it to the professionals to set up.

 

[Deleted member 3270]

Hi Grand wanderer
If i were you i would have the wheels of and investigate further ! take of the brake calipers and brake discs then you will see the hand brake shoes and adjuster at the top.
( its very rare that the lever will go back that far to allow the cable to come off ) unless the friction material as come off the shoes , but at least you will see where thie adjuster is and how to adjust through a hole in the front of the brake disc.
Hope this helps a little
Keith

 

[The Grand Wanderer]

Hi Grand wanderer
If i were you i would have the wheels of and investigate further ! take of the brake calipers and brake discs then you will see the hand brake shoes and adjuster at the top.
( its very rare that the lever will go back that far to allow the cable to come off ) unless the friction material as come off the shoes , but at least you will see where thie adjuster is and how to adjust through a hole in the front of the brake disc.
Hope this helps a little
Keith

Further to your advice, I did just as you said and found that the actuating lever on the back plate had siezed and caused the shoes to stay in contact with the drum causing it over heat and crack. So one set of handbrake shoes, a pair of drums/discs and a set of pads later I am back in running order. Total cost of spares £265.00. Moral of this story is that regular attention to the proper servicing and removal of the drums once a year, would have saved the a shed load of money. This is obviously a weakness in the Mercedes Sprinter 515 CDI design. I have only owned this van for 10 months and will pay close attention to them in future.
Wanderer