SOLVED? Handbrake Cable Lengths - utterly confused!

Alan_uk

Alan_uk

A2OC Donor
Just received my AutoDoc delivery and realised I got mislead by a part title and ended up with 1 handbrake cable and not the pair:
  • STARK SKCPB-1050135 Hand brake cable for AUDI A2 (8Z0) Rear, Left, Right, 1075/814mm, Drum Brake
I've just measured it and its 1100mm including the nipples; 1075 without.

I have a 2004 TDi 75 which according to my understanding has the larger 42L fuel tank and therefore one longer handbrake cable whereas before they were of equal length (presumable 814mm).

So I went to check the part numbers again and they seem to be 8Z0609721G and 8Z0609722G. However, neither the LLP or 7ZAP show the lengths and AT has both in stock but again does not state the length.

Now Steve @Birchall kindly donated his old axle to me that he has said is from 2003 and the cables were still attached (but are not fit enough to be reused*). I've just measured them and they are almost the same size yet clearly marked with different part numbers:

8Z0609721G 1084 total including nipples
8Z0609722G 1100 total including nipples

So why is 8Z0609721G not 814 (presuming that is the shorter one)?

In short I need to confirm A) I do need different lengths B) the missing part number I need to get

I hope someone knowledgeable can help please.

PS I don't think it is practical to try to measure the cables currently on my A2 when in-situ and when they are off for the axle swap I don't want to wait a week to get them (or longer if hard to get).
PS I think a lot of part sellers also mix up the part numbers/lengths or simply give both lengths for 1 part.

* interesting on Steve's old cables the inner still cables look OK but its the rubber bungs where they enter the back plate - they are split/perished.
 
Alan_uk said:
Just received my AutoDoc delivery and realised I got mislead by a part title and ended up with 1 handbrake cable and not the pair:
  • STARK SKCPB-1050135 Hand brake cable for AUDI A2 (8Z0) Rear, Left, Right, 1075/814mm, Drum Brake
I've just measured it and its 1100mm including the nipples; 1075 without.

I have a 2004 TDi 75 which according to my understanding has the larger 42L fuel tank and therefore one longer handbrake cable whereas before they were of equal length (presumable 814mm).

So I went to check the part numbers again and they seem to be 8Z0609721G and 8Z0609722G. However, neither the LLP or 7ZAP show the lengths and AT has both in stock but again does not state the length.

Now Steve @Birchall kindly donated his old axle to me that he has said is from 2003 and the cables were still attached (but are not fit enough to be reused*). I've just measured them and they are almost the same size yet clearly marked with different part numbers:

8Z0609721G 1084 total including nipples
8Z0609722G 1100 total including nipples

So why is 8Z0609721G not 814 (presuming that is the shorter one)?

In short I need to confirm A) I do need different lengths B) the missing part number I need to get

I hope someone knowledgeable can help please.

PS I don't think it is practical to try to measure the cables currently on my A2 when in-situ and when they are off for the axle swap I don't want to wait a week to get them (or longer if hard to get).
PS I think a lot of part sellers also mix up the part numbers/lengths or simply give both lengths for 1 part.

* interesting on Steve's old cables the inner still cables look OK but its the rubber bungs where they enter the back plate - they are split/perished.
Click to expand...
I have these below, from Autodoc. They're destined for Jelly, my 2003 Tdi with larger tank. Hope they fit ok!
f720a459c5a58d9919f7a0466c662b53.jpg


Sent from my SM-N960F using Tapatalk
 
Many thanks for posting. 1056mm looks more promising. I will accurately measure the cable again in the morning and check the Audi part number again as the number on the short cable was rather faded.

EDIT: Wont measure Steve's old ones. More important to measure my existing ones. Need to get the car on ramps so will check mine in-situ if that is possible. A bit of string might be easier than a tape measure, and then measure the string.

I had a thought: could Steve's @Birchall old A2 be 2002 with a smaller fuel tank and equal length cables? If so, that could explain why the axle bush housings were just 68mm rather than 72mm.
 
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Hi Alan ... mine also has the 42 litre petrol tank ... according to Audi Dealership on cars manufactured before July 2002 the handbrake cables are the same length and after that the nearside one is about 18 mm longer ... unable to find the longer length I took a chance and replaced mine with a pair of two equal length Pagid 108 44 1428 from ECP and works perfectly set up like this and ... as a foot note ... turned out mine had been replaced with the wrong ones previously at a dealership (different lengths and the opposite way round!) but still worked!
 
Tomscar said:
Hi Alan ... mine also has the 42 litre petrol tank ... according to Audi Dealership on cars manufactured before July 2002 the handbrake cables are the same length and after that the nearside one is about 18 mm longer ... unable to find the longer length I took a chance and replaced mine with a pair of two equal length Pagid 108 44 1428 from ECP and works perfectly set up like this and ... as a foot note ... turned out mine had been replaced with the wrong ones previously at a dealership (different lengths and the opposite way round!) but still worked!
Click to expand...
That's interesting Tom. The 18mm seems so little. But so many parts websites show the lengths as 1075/814mm for the A2. That's 216mm which is a heck of lot, yet 18mm seems so little. You think Audi would have shaped the 42L tank to accommodate equal lengths rather than sourcing a new part.

I'll measure my new one again but not to sure if the length should include the nipples or not. The 2 nipples must be 18mm together.

It's just occurred to me that another way of spotting the different cables is the wide rib section is (I recall) in different place. However, one is then dependent on a parts website photographing the actual cable rather than a generic.
 
Hi Alan, the Pagid one from ECP is listed as for the right-hand side and is 1075mm long ... it also comes with a new linkage for the central cable ... I took a chance using the same on both sides and the bits on the outer cables all lined up where expected on the left hand side ...
 
Just re read your first post Alan, the old ones I replaced were genuine Audi part numbers with two different lengths but differed only by around 18mm from right to left ... didn't make any difference at all that they were installed on the wrong sides ... so if you're struggling to find the shorter length my experience is using two at 1075mm works.
 
Tomscar said:
Just re read your first post Alan, the old ones I replaced were genuine Audi part numbers with two different lengths but differed only by around 18mm from right to left ... didn't make any difference at all that they were installed on the wrong sides ... so if you're struggling to find the shorter length my experience is using two at 1075mm works.
Click to expand...
Tom, my worry there is that the force on the drums may be uneven and all the hand brake braking is on one drum.

Today I compared my new cable with the 2 from Steve B's old axle.

Old & New Handbrake Cables.jpg

Old & New Handbrake Cables - front ends annodated lr.jpg


My new Stark one is 18mm longer on the inner cable that Steve's longest but almost the same on the outer sheath. And the difference between the two old ones is about 22mm. The Stark one has a longer ribbed section that can be positioned along the sheath which helps.

All in all and taking into account @Tomscar experience looks like I need to find one that is 1075-c20 = c1055mm. 1055mm matches the ATE 1056mm shorter one that @Jellybean has bought. Interestingly (or confusingly) ATE says the shorter one is the left side whereas Tom says the nearside (left on UK cars) is longer.

Ebay has a Stallex one ST-CAB1571 at at 1056mm / 1057mm (mentions both!) for the left side at £29.

Just hope this doesn't turn into the same pa-lava as the track rod ends.

PS A lot of the longer ones on ebay (> 1100mm) are stated to be for the 90bhp model.
 
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Alan_uk said:
Tom, my worry there is that the force on the drums may be uneven and all the hand brake braking is on one drum.

Today I compared my new cable with the 2 from Steve B's old axle.

View attachment 113647
View attachment 113646

My new Stark one is 18mm longer on the inner cable that Steve's longest but almost the same on the outer sheath. And the difference between the two old ones is about 22mm. The Stark one has a longer ribbed section that can be positioned along the sheath which helps.

All in all and taking into account @Tomscar experience looks like I need to find one that is 1075-c20 = c1055mm. Just hope this doesn't turn into the same pa-lava as the track rod ends.
Click to expand...
Hi Alan, I only have experience with the Pagid ones I fitted but can confirm that they exerted a fairly even pull shown by the readout on the last MOT ... I think I posted the readout somewhere but can't put my finger on it at the minute 🤔
 
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Olerype said:
You can adjust the wires individually at the handbrake end?
Click to expand...
I don't think so. The handbrake cables do not go to the handbrake direct but connect to a Y cable ("Guide Tube") with only a single cable to the handbrake.

Photo here


It was reported about a year ago that there were no supply of the Guide Tube part in the UK. So a group buy was organised with Audi Tradition in Germany vis @Rickmeister and over 70 purchased!

Handbrake Cable Group Orders

Evening all, Here are all the group order relevant posts from Steve handbrake cable thread. This has been provided to maintain the flow of the original thread whilst we all add our interest here for Rick @Rickmeister to selflessly supply us with what we desire. I'll build the lists later on...
www.a2oc.net www.a2oc.net
 
I think I have now obtained the correct handbrake cables.

Old & New Handbrake Cables Annotated.jpg


In the above photo:
  • A: the old handbrake cable from the donated axle - long - 1075mm
  • B: the old handbrake cable from the donated axle - short - 1056mm
  • C: new Stark handbrake cable - long
  • D: new Apec handbrake cable - short
  • E: new Firstline handbrake cable - long
I was pleased with the construction of the Stark one but then realised that the crimp in the outer sleeve (just to the left right of the middle C in the photo below) was in the wrong place. So I looked for alternatives that were not too cheap.

Old & New Handbrake Cables crimps annotated.jpg


The Apec one has the crimp in the right place and comes with a connector (right hand end in above top photo) to connect to the cable from the handbrake.

I could not find a long Apec one so I went for a Firstline. This also has a connector though I not so happy with the thick rubber sleeve. The other handbrake cables have a hard rubber ribbed sleeve whereas the Firstline has a smooth softer rubber sleeve.

Old & New Handbrake Cables connector end.jpg


They all vary by a few mm from the official lengths. I need to confirm which side the short & long go on. I think left is the short one.

As they say, proof is in the eating, or fitting for these.
 
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Hi Alan can you report back which cable actually fitted correctly to your tdi75 drum braked car with the larger fuel tank please? Would be useful to clarify once and for all the best option for lengths and some part numbers brands that worked?
 
CrispyEdd said:
Hi Alan can you report back which cable actually fitted correctly to your tdi75 drum braked car with the larger fuel tank please? Would be useful to clarify once and for all the best option for lengths and some part numbers brands that worked?
Click to expand...
Hi Ed. As I reported in my main thread https://www.a2oc.net/community/inde...le-restoration-–-my-journey.52640/post-546852 Ithe project been delayed through illness and getting the brake pipes sorted. I've now decided to recommence in the spring.

I have 2 cables of different lengths (18mm difference). I think the longer one goes on the RHS around the bigger fuel tank. This is what I bought - note: before using double check I got the RHS & LHS correct:

Handbrake cable nearside / left Length: 1057mm​
​
8Z0609721G​
Apec​
CAB1571​
£21.31​
Handbrake cable offside / right Length: 1075mm​
​
8Z0609722G​
First Line​
434220RMP​
£15.30​
 
Brilliant thanks Alan, sorry I forgot about the main thread. Hope you can get cracking and finish when weather warms up!! The rear axle of yours will be a piece of art!!
 
Alan_uk said:
That's interesting Tom. The 18mm seems so little. But so many parts websites show the lengths as 1075/814mm for the A2. That's 216mm which is a heck of lot, yet 18mm seems so little. You think Audi would have shaped the 42L tank to accommodate equal lengths rather than sourcing a new part.

I'll measure my new one again but not to sure if the length should include the nipples or not. The 2 nipples must be 18mm together.

It's just occurred to me that another way of spotting the different cables is the wide rib section is (I recall) in different place. However, one is then dependent on a parts website photographing the actual cable rather than a generic.
Click to expand...

The ~800 mm lengths you sometimes see on websites refers to the partial length that is different between the two cables, just to clear up any confusion.
These pictures are from ATE. They have just come in yesterday so will fit them in the coming days to my own car and report back if something about them is off.

1704024615115.png

1704024628503.png
 
BearMcPear said:
The ~800 mm lengths you sometimes see on websites refers to the partial length that is different between the two cables, just to clear up any confusion.
These pictures are from ATE. They have just come in yesterday so will fit them in the coming days to my own car and report back if something about them is off.

View attachment 117098
View attachment 117099
Click to expand...
Please donreport back regardless as its useful info on this topic. Good luck
 
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