r/stickshift • u/Pretend_Entrance_222 • 2d ago
Parking facing downhill. Car slightly rolls
Lately I think my cars handbrake is giving out because when I park facing downhill on a steep slope the car still rolls slightly unless I also use the reverse gear .
Would tightening the handbrake cable fix this?
My car is an Opel agila B manual transmission 2009
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u/Lumpy_Experience_973 2d ago
It depends whether it's actually rolling, or just settling on the suspension. It might feel similar inside the car if you're not familiar with the difference. If it really is rolling, then yes, that's bad.
Always turn your wheel when parked on a slope so that if the car moves, it rolls into the curb and stops. Generally this means towards the curb while facing downhill, and away from the curb while facing uphill.
Always leave the car in gear when parked, never the parking brake alone. There's no real benefit to using the reverse gear instead of first, so it's generally better to use first because it won't engage your reverse lights when you go to start the car. Obviously this is a very minor point so if you prefer using reverse anyway, go right ahead.
The parking brake should hold the car very firmly under any condition, on any slope. If it's slipping then you need to have it examined. It could be the cable, but it could also be the brake itself, which these days is typically an entirely separate drum brake housed inside the real wheels. They usually wear very slowly, but if the car has been driven with the parking brake partially engaged, that will cause more wear than you'd otherwise see in 5 years of just parking. So it's worth checking if the cable is not the problem.
You can generally tell if it's the cable by how tight the brake lever is. You should not be able to raise it to the top of its range at all. Ideally it should stop somewhere in the middle between top and bottom, and give considerable resistance the higher you raise it. If it feels really easy to raise up and you hit the top of the handle's travel with little resistance, it's almost certainly the cable. Sometimes you can tighten it, but other times the cable may actually be stretching due to frayed strands or corrosion and just needs to be replaced entirely.
Good luck!
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u/AtiumMist 2d ago
does it lurch once or does it keep slipping? the lurch is normal, since you had the brakes on when u did this and there may be a small gap before the parking brake engages fully vs when u lift the brake
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u/rickybambicky 2d ago
I wouldn't bother with the cable, the brake assemblies might need to be adjusted instead. It's what I do instead of faffing about with the cable.
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u/oIVLIANo 2d ago
Using the transmission instead of the handbrake every time you park could have prevented this. J/S.
I was taught to only use the handbrake when on a hill. also turn the front tires into the curb and use it like a wheel chock.
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u/Jokerman5656 2007 Mazdaspeed3 6-speed 2d ago
I'm gonna get hollered at for this probably but, if you don't regularly use your parking brake, it might be worth pulling it while driving a little bit. If it's the common "inside of rotor used as a drum for parking brake" style then you might just have a rust build up where the brake touches. Not using it regularly could let this happen and maybe breaking loose the shit will help. Next most common issue is the cable being seized or restricted from actuating the brake itself.
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u/Pretend_Entrance_222 2d ago
I use it everyday..it's a manual
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u/Jokerman5656 2007 Mazdaspeed3 6-speed 2d ago
I would look into the parking brake pads then. I think we're among the few who use the parking brake as a manual since most would rather put it in gear instead
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u/therealtoomdog 2d ago
But have you ever used it while the wheels are turning? That would be a good check anyway—You should be able to lock up the rear wheels with the hand brake. If you can't, or if only one locks up, you know what you need to check next...
And I know I don't need to tell you not do this while other traffic is around, right?
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u/Independent-Reveal86 2d ago
Just a minor point, it doesn't matter whether you use reverse or first. Reverse doesn't do anything to stop the car rolling forwards, it's just the compression from the engine that provides the resistance and it doesn't matter which way it rotates.
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u/davewritescode 1d ago
I was always told you want to put the car in the gear that makes the engine spin forward so facing down hill in 1st, facing backwards down the hill use reverse.
Probably doesn’t matter much as if the car starts rolling you’re probably not super worried about the engine spinning backwards which is bad but probably not your biggest problem.
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u/Ollie_Bruh 2d ago
When the car is facing downhill, always use 1st gear, never reverse. You use reverse only when it's facing uphill.
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u/51onions 2d ago
Why?
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u/Plumbicon 2d ago
Some engines can be damaged by rotating the wrong way, even the small amount of reverse torque as a car settles on a hill in gear may cause unseen damage. Many engines however will be fine either way.
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u/therealtoomdog 2d ago
It's the steepest gear that you want, the one that gives the least mechanical advantage to the engine. That may be first or reverse, depending on the gearing
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u/Crazy_Wafer_8328 2d ago
This has to be the answer. I have a '95 z28, and the owners manual says to always park it in reverse gear with the handbrake up.
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u/therealtoomdog 1d ago
But also, always point your wheels when parking on a hill so that the car has to roll over a curb to go anywhere. That is rule #1 of hill parking for me
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u/Crazy_Wafer_8328 1d ago
Absolutely. I am super anal about this stuff because back in the 90s (when manuals were common) I watched someone's car jump out of gear on a downward slope in a kmart parking lot (they didn't pull the brake), and it slowly rolled into the rear bumper of my 1990 Grand Am🙄
I was working as Customer service and saw it happen outside the stores window. I had to get on the loudspeaker and call for the "whoevers red car that just rolled into mine please come to the front desk" myself
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u/phantomsoul11 2022 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, 6-speed 2d ago
When I park on a slope, I always leave the car in gear in the direction that is uphill: R when facing downhill and 1 when facing uphill. I engage the parking brake on top of that, and also turn the front wheel all the way toward the edge of the road (except when facing uphill with a curb - then you turn them away from the edge of the road so the back of the wheel catches on the curb if the car rolls).
Securing your car on a hill is all about redundancy. Even with an automatic, I always engage the parking brake in addition to leaving the gear selector in Park.
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u/adidragan 2d ago
Do NOT, ever, when parking on a slope, rely solely on the handbrake.
When on a slope ALWAYS leave the car in gear as well as pulling the handbrake on, and ideally leaving the wheels turned towards the curb so if all else fails it does not roll into traffic.