Volvo 480 Club Europe

Howdy,

Since I got 198 a couple of months ago I've been concerned at how utterly crap the brakes are and after a near miss coming off the motorway I decided to sort them once and for all.

198 has a full main dealer service history and on checking it became aparant that the calipers discs and pads had been replaced just before christmas! No mention of the fluid being changed though! I changed the fluid in the front and went for a drive and they were just as crap.

Today I jacked the car up and removed the rear calipers, cleaned and overhauled them replaced the pads and bled the rear lines. Went for a drive and found them squeeking and still just as utterly crap as before.

I parked up and as I applied the handbrake my elbow almost shot through the roof! Normally one click on the handbrake is enough to secure the car on the steepest of hills but this time it came all the way back and the car started rolling!

Help, I haven't missed anything according to Haynes. Could it be something to do with the automatic adjuster on the calipers?

might be, but not definitely.....

under the car, the cable from the handbrake goes to a sort of 'bridge, which splits off into the two cables for each back wheel?

sometimes, this seems to 'tilt' one way or another.....if that happens, then then acble is unbalanced and puts no force on one side, cos the cables slack, nd no force on the other cos the acbles too long.....if you reseat this it can help....
rgrds
rob

Cheers pal,

Cables are where they should be, you have to actually set the "automatic" adjusters manualy! All sorted now, she's tighter than a nun's chuff!

I've looked through plenty of threads now and it would seem that the power braking system lacks the bite of a servo assisted one anyway. I guess if the brakes weren't so civilised there would be false-teeth spillage all over the show!

After all, it is a Volvo

ah...the little allen keys studs under the bigger allen key studs!
forgot about those!
yes, wind em in until tight, then back them off a turn or so.....should be atuo adjusting then lol
rgrds
rob

The brakes haven't been any worse than before I renovated them but last night when I was testing the top speed for Levin's thread I applied the brakes at 130mph and everything was fine. Got within 250m of roundabout and pressed a bit harder and when I hit 90mph it seemed that I lost the brakes altogether. I put all my strength in to burying the pedal but flew accross the roundabout at over 50!!

When I finally managed to stop using the gears and the handbrake there was a nausiating stink of burnt something (smelled like plastic actually) and the actual wheel was too hot to touch so god-knows how hot the calipers were!

As I said the calipers pads and discs were changed not 9months ago and I've recently bled the whole system through and changed the rear pads for a more expensive set but I've got the same problem as before. None of the pads are glazed and I used brand-new fluid recomended by Haynes.

198 is now confined to the garage until I get some answers.

What the fuck were Volvo thinking fitting these things to a 130mph+ car!!!!!?????!!!!!

I'm starting to lose faith guys, please please please help.

Ian