Handbrake disconnection from rear caliper

[MowatGTI]

I am looking to remove my rear caliper for cleaning up and to unstick it.

I have it off, but the handbrake cable is still on, and i cannot see how to remove it.

I have slipped the inner cable off from the caliper, but the outer sheathing is still on.

Any ideas?

Cheers

[rubjonny]

it just pulls out of the metal bracket. they like to sieze in, plus the rubber gaitor can be a pain to feed thru the hole

[MowatGTI]

Right - i'm hoping someone can tell me what i'm missing here.

I've free'd up the inner cable.  got the outer sheathing free and taken the little clip off.

I've undone the cable at the handbrake lever, but still cannot get it out.

Any ideas?

[rubjonny]

do you mean it wont come out of the tube on the car? if so common issue, they can sieze in. try spinning the cable to free it from the metal guide tube. if that doesnt help a firm yank will see the cable come out still stuck into the tube, then its a case of freeing the tube from the cable then refitting it.  its not easy to get it back in on a mk3 unfortunatly, you have to remove the console around the handbrake lever and lift the carpet up at the back, so try your best to get the cable free of the tube without pulling the tube out

[MowatGTI]

I have the black outer sheathing free from the caliper (yeah - it was seized a bit)

I removed the two nuts from the end inside the car and thought the inner cable would pull right out from the caliper end but no.

There is another clear sheathing on the inner cable that its snagging on.  So, as i yank the cable, the clear sheathing just hits against the caliper and the cable stops coming out.  Is that what your saying can jam in?  I'll try squirting some WD-40 down it and see if it frees up.

It's such a joke.  The real piss take is that the Haynes manual says to "simply" remove the fecking cable!

Cheers

[rubjonny]

this is what the caliper should look like with the cable removed:


note the round hole at the top, this is where the cable likes to seize onto the caliper

[Khare]

Make sure you loosen up the handbrake cables at the back of the handbrake lever, I had to remove mine the other day and I just let the handbrake down loosened up the nuts that tighten them and they cam off very easily.