my p brake has been loose and ineffective, so I adjusted the brake behind the rear seat ashtray by screing the platic adjuster up. The handle tightened up noticeably (half the height to full brake now), but it still seems to be ineffective.

today when I went to park on a slop (about 10-15 degrees) the car just slid backwards slowly with a groan from the rear wheels.

is there some other adjustment I'm missing or are my parking brake shoes shot? I replaced them about 1-2 years ago (need to look at the records), so I would think they'd be fine but...

any help is appreciated.

thanks,
rt

as i understand it, the parking brake is a drum brake mechanism, which would lead me to believe that they do wear out over time. perhaps yours have? i have the same problems. i yank very very very hard in order to get the parking brake to an acceptable level. i've even tried suddenly yanking the brake while going 20 MPH to see if the tires would lock up (in an empty lot of course) and they did not. i have to yank VERY VERY hard to get it to lock while doing 20. i'm inclined to believe that the cable tension is fine, but that the brake shoes are just worn. they seem to be relatively cheap, around $20-30 ordered online. don't know how easy it is to replace.
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Kenric Tam
1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
My Volvo 'Project'

You do not say what year your brick is. My '88 has a "long" and "short" cable. Check your cables.
My short cable broke, it is possible to buy a replacement for that cable alone.

Another thing to check is the pivot attached to the rear axle. If yours is broken I have a work-around that is inexpensive and sturdy.
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2 8s & 2 7s 600,000 miles total

I'll take a look tomorrow and post a follow-up. I don't have my car amps in my current location, so getting under there is a pain in the arse, but I'll check it out and update.

sorry about th alack of info, its usually the first thing I type. 1985 745t.

thanks for the post.

-rt

Are your brake cables working? Here in TX we don't worry about rust, but having lived in the North, rusting cables tend to be a problem.

Adjustments: believe there is a little cog wheel you can see through an inspection hole in the real combo rotor-drum. This cam be adjusted too.

dick

pretty sure they are working since I have heavy tension in the handle and when the car does slip down a hill with the break applied it does so very slowly and with a groan (indicating, it would seem, that the brake is at least partly activated).

Another possibility is that one side is not working, causing the car to overload on the good brake and roll slowly. However, I have lifted both rear tires and tried to move them with the p brake applied and been unable to do so, so I think its probably a question of tightening.

thanks for the post

-rt