1998-2005 Volvo C70 Parking Brake Problems and Adjustment

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

The 1998-2005 Volvo C70 does not use the rear disc caliper to hold the car when parked. Its parking brake is a small set of drum shoes hidden inside the hat of each rear rotor, applied by cables from the lever between the seats. When a C70 rolls on a hill, needs the lever pulled almost to the top, or drags after a rear brake job, the cause is nearly always those shoes being out of adjustment, worn, rusted to the drum surface, or a cable that has seized or stretched.

How the C70 Parking Brake Works

The first-generation C70 coupe and convertible share their rear brake layout with the Volvo 850 and early S70/V70. The service brakes at the rear are discs with a caliper, but the inside of each rotor's center hat is machined as a small brake drum. Mounted to the backing plate behind the rotor are two parking brake shoes, a star-wheel adjuster between them at the top, return springs, and a lever that the parking brake cable pulls. This design is usually called drum-in-hat.

Genuine Volvo lists the parking brake shoe kit, part number 31262626, as a direct fit for the 1998-1999 and 2001-2004 C70 with the 2.3L and 2.4L five-cylinder engines, the same kit used on the two-wheel-drive 850/S70/V70 of that era. Because the C70 was front-wheel drive only, it uses this two-wheel-drive shoe set.

Inside the car, the owner's manual describes a conventional hand lever: to release it you pull the lever up slightly, press the button and lower it, and the brake warning symbol in the instrument panel stays lit while the parking brake is applied. If that symbol stays on with the lever fully down, check the lever switch and the brake fluid level before blaming the shoes.

The important thing to understand is that these shoes do not self-adjust. The rear disc pads take up their own wear through the caliper piston, but the parking brake shoes only get adjusted when someone turns the star wheel. Brake & Front End notes that cables stretch and friction materials change thickness over time, which is exactly why drum-in-hat systems need periodic adjustment.

Common C70 Parking Brake Problems and Their Symptoms

Two things make these problems more common on a C70 than on a daily-use sedan. Many of these cars are convertibles that sit for long stretches, and a parking brake that is rarely used lets rust build up on the drum surface and in the cable sheaths. And the rotors often get replaced without anyone touching the shoes, so a fresh rotor with a slightly different hat diameter leaves the old shoes badly out of adjustment.

How to Diagnose Before You Buy Parts

1. Park on level ground, chock the front wheels and count how far the lever travels before it holds firmly. A lever that goes nearly to the top is telling you the shoes or cable need attention.
2. Raise the rear, release the lever and spin each rear wheel by hand. It should turn with only light pad drag. A heavy drag on one side points to a stuck cable or over-tight shoes on that side.
3. Have a helper set the lever while you try to turn each wheel. Both sides should lock. If one side locks and the other does not, the problem is at that wheel, not at the lever.
4. Look at where the cables enter each backing plate. Rust swelling, a torn boot or a cable that will not spring back when released usually means cable replacement.
5. If adjustment does not bring the lever into a normal range, remove the caliper and rotor and inspect the shoes, springs, adjuster and the inside of the rotor hat directly.

How the Parking Brake Is Adjusted

Adjustment is done in two stages, and the order matters: shoes first, cable second. Adjusting only the cable to make up for worn or loose shoes pulls the shoe levers partway on all the time and can cause drag.

Stage 1: The shoes (star wheel)

There is a small access hole in the rotor hat, separate from the lug holes. With the wheel off and the rotor held on with a couple of lug nuts, turn the rotor until the hole lines up with the star wheel at the top of the backing plate. Brake & Front End describes the standard method for this type of brake: turn the star wheel with an adjusting spoon or thin screwdriver until the shoes drag on the drum as you turn the rotor, then back the adjuster off until the rotor turns freely. Spin the rotor a few times while tightening so the shoes center themselves. Back off only by the amount the factory service information specifies, and never guess: too little leaves the shoes dragging, too much brings back the high lever.

Stage 2: The cable at the lever

Once both sides have correct shoe clearance, remaining slack is taken up at the cable adjuster at the parking brake lever, reached from inside the center console. Tighten it just enough that the lever holds the car firmly within the normal range of clicks listed in the service manual, then confirm both rear wheels still spin freely with the lever released.

After new shoes are installed, apply and release the lever several times and recheck. New shoe linings seat to the drum surface over the first several applications.

What to Replace Together

If the rear rotors are coming off anyway, that is the time to deal with the parking brake, because the shoes are only reachable with the rotor removed.

• Parking brake shoes - replace as a set if the lining is thin, cracked, oil-soaked or separating from the shoe. See our brake shoes.
• Springs and adjuster hardware - return springs lose tension and adjusters rust solid. A new brake hardware kit is inexpensive insurance when the shoes are out.
• Rear rotors - if the drum surface inside the hat is badly rusted, grooved or out of round, the shoes will never hold well. Replacing the brake rotors gives the new shoes a clean surface.
• Parking brake cables - Bosch's drum brake repair guidance treats parking brake cables as wearing parts and recommends replacing them when the drum brakes are repaired. On a C70 that has sat for years, a sticky cable is common.

The front of the car is a separate job, but many owners do all four corners at once. For the 1998-2005 C70 2.3L T5 on 16-inch wheels we carry EBC Redstuff ceramic front brake pads for street use and EBC Yellowstuff front pads for harder driving. The full range is under brake pads.

How Hard Is the Job?

Adjusting the star wheels and the cable is a driveway job for anyone who has done a rear brake job: the tools are a jack, stands, a lug wrench and a thin screwdriver or brake spoon. Replacing the shoes is harder. The rear caliper and bracket come off, the rotor comes off (sometimes only after the shoes are backed off through the access hole, because a lip of rust or worn shoes can trap it), and then the shoes, springs and adjuster must go back together in the correct orientation. Take a photo of one side before you disassemble it and work one side at a time so the other side is always there for reference.

Recheck the service brake afterward: the rear calipers must be torqued to the value in the factory service manual, and the pedal must be pumped firm before driving because the caliper pistons retract when the rotor is serviced.

On recalls: a check of NHTSA records for the 1998-2005 C70 model years shows no parking brake recall. The brake-related campaigns listed for the 2000 and 2001 model years cover aftermarket replacement master cylinders from one remanufacturer, not the original parking brake.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the 1998-2005 Volvo C70 have rear drum brakes?

No. It has rear disc brakes for normal stopping. The only drum on the rear is the small parking brake drum machined into the inside of each rotor's hat, with its own set of shoes.

Why does my C70 parking brake lever pull up so high?

Almost always because the parking brake shoes have worn or were never adjusted after a rotor change. They do not self-adjust, so the star wheel inside each rotor hat has to be set, then any remaining slack taken up at the cable adjuster at the lever.

Can I adjust the parking brake without removing the rotor?

Yes. The star wheel is reached through a small access hole in the rotor hat once the wheel is off. The rotor only has to come off to replace or inspect the shoes and springs.

Should I replace the parking brake shoes when I replace the rear rotors?

Inspect them every time. If the lining is thin, contaminated or cracked, or the car would not hold on a hill before the job, replace them along with the springs while everything is apart, since this is the only time the shoes are easy to reach.

Is there a recall for the C70 parking brake?

NHTSA's recall records for the 1998-2005 C70 do not list a parking brake recall. Parking brake trouble on these cars is wear and maintenance, not a known factory defect.

Sources

1. Genuine Volvo parts catalog, part 31262626 - parking brake shoe kit and its C70 fitment by year and engine
2. Volvo C70 Owner's Manual - parking brake lever operation and warning symbol
3. Brake & Front End: Adjusting Parking Brakes - drum-in-hat star-wheel adjustment method, why cables and shoes go out of adjustment
4. Bosch: Drum Brakes Tips, Tests and Repair - parking brake cables are wearing parts, replace with drum brake repair
5. NHTSA recall records, Volvo C70 - no parking brake recall for 1998-2005 model years; aftermarket master cylinder campaign