Hand Brake Problem

[garlyn8981]

Hello all

Can any body help with some advice about my hand brake problem that I am having with my 3500.
I have put the car back together after having the rear callipers over hauled with new seals and having new brake discs and pads. While I was doing this I have replaced all the rear bushes, rear road springs and new shocks.

Now that it is all back together I have connected up the hand brake cable I have done some adjustment on it but only seem to get resistant and can lock the rear wheels from turning when the hand brake is pulled right up to its limit. Surely this can not be correct after fitting new discs and pads. On the hand brake leaver there are 2 holes an upper and a lower hole I am not sure if I have it in the correct position or does it even matter which hole it goes into on the leaver.

I seem to remember reading some where about that you have to ratchet down on the rear calliper somewhere ????. If so where is this done and on what part of the calliper is it and is it done on one or both of them.

The hand brake cable worked fine before I started the overhaul so any advice tips or clues would be great.

Thank you

Kind Regards
Gary

CFH1J

 

[harveyp6]

I can't remember which hole the cable fits into on the lever, as I don't think I've ever had to fit a new cable, but you should be able to see wear marks on and around the hole that it was fitted to previously.

To set it up you have to remove the cclevis pins from the quadrants on the caliper, then with the disc removed, operate the quadrants by hand to adjust up the caliper to the point where with the quadrants back on their stops the disc just slides in without free play, but without binding. Then adjust the cable so that when it's at rest with the handbrake off, both quadrants are back on their stops, but there is no slack in the cable.

 

[mikecoombs]

I usually give up, put it all together and take it for a run while continuously pressing the brake pedal on and off. Strictly speaking the run isn't necessary youcan do it standing still but the booster seems to make it adjust up much quicker so you need the engine running and that means it needs to be in park with the wheels chocked coz the handbrake isn't working yet...

 

[Demetris]

The factory manual approach is to work the handbrake on and off enough times to allow the rear calipers to adjust themselves.
It does work, but Harvey's method offers a more precise result.

 

[garlyn8981]

I usually give up, put it all together and take it for a run while continuously pressing the brake pedal on and off. Strictly speaking the run isn't necessary youcan do it standing still but the booster seems to make it adjust up much quicker so you need the engine running and that means it needs to be in park with the wheels chocked coz the handbrake isn't working yet...

Hi Mike thanks for your advice I am at that giving up stage now after trying to work it out but your way does sound much easier to adjust it up using the booster to do the work, and it will spur me on to get the brakes bleed so I can use the foot brake to correct the hand brake problem.

Thank you very much for your help.

Kind Regards

Gary
CFH1J

 

[garlyn8981]

I can't remember which hole the cable fits into on the lever, as I don't think I've ever had to fit a new cable, but you should be able to see wear marks on and around the hole that it was fitted to previously.

To set it up you have to remove the cclevis pins from the quadrants on the caliper, then with the disc removed, operate the quadrants by hand to adjust up the caliper to the point where with the quadrants back on their stops the disc just slides in without free play, but without binding. Then adjust the cable so that when it's at rest with the handbrake off, both quadrants are back on their stops, but there is no slack in the cable.

Hi Harvey many thanks for your information by looking at the way you have said to do it I take it that is the proper way it should be done and again I thank you for that. Have you by any chance done it the way Mike is saying and do you get the same result ie is it good enough to pass the MOT Test.

Look forward to your reply

Kind Regards

Gary
CFH1J

 

[garlyn8981]

The factory manual approach is to work the handbrake on and off enough times to allow the rear calipers to adjust themselves.
It does work, but Harvey's method offers a more precise result.

Hello Demetris

Many thanks for your reply, do you know I looked long and hard to find out how to get the handbrake set up to how it should be and I could not find it any where. I all the manuals I looked at all it says is how to put it back together again. When you say about the Factory Manual I take it you don't mean a Haynes Manual. Do you mean the 2 big Red Books listed as Vol 1 & 2.

Can I ask is the method you have mentioned by working the Handbrake on and off to allow the callipers to adjust suitable to pass the MOT Test, and do you have to keep adjusting the handbrake until you get the handbrake leaver down to the 3 clicks as per the MOT Test.

 

[Demetris]

Gary, yes, by factory manual i mean the books issued by the Rover company.
It's been some years since i did it by the hardbrake method, but you may well need to pull up the handbrake more than 20-30 times. You simply stop when you feel that there is no improvement in the handbrake lever feel and travel. Although this is usually good enough, depending also in the wear of the ratchet mechanism in your calipers, as i has been said, you will have superior results both on handbrake and brake pedal travel by following the Harvey's method. So, if you have no reason to rush, it is well worth doing.
If you are worried about counting the number of clicks during the MOT test (i am not too familiar with this...) make sure to use the lower hole of the handbrake lever to attach the cable, as the increased leverage will help you.

 

[garlyn8981]

Gary, yes, by factory manual i mean the books issued by the Rover company.
It's been some years since i did it by the hardbrake method, but you may well need to pull up the handbrake more than 20-30 times. You simply stop when you feel that there is no improvement in the handbrake lever feel and travel. Although this is usually good enough, depending also in the wear of the ratchet mechanism in your calipers, as i has been said, you will have superior results both on handbrake and brake pedal travel by following the Harvey's method. So, if you have no reason to rush, it is well worth doing.
If you are worried about counting the number of clicks during the MOT test (i am not too familiar with this...) make sure to use the lower hole of the handbrake lever to attach the cable, as the increased leverage will help you.

Great thank you will have it sorted by the weekend I am sure.

Regards

Gary
CFH1J

 

[Demetris]

The factory manual approach is to work the handbrake on and off enough times to allow the rear calipers to adjust themselves.

EDIT: I just had a look in the factory manual and it doesn't mention anything like that. :roll:
I must be getting old... :?
Anyway, it still does work though!

 

[harveyp6]

and do you have to keep adjusting the handbrake until you get the handbrake leaver down to the 3 clicks as per the MOT Test.

There's no requirement in the MOT to have the handbrake holding with the lever only up by 3 clicks. All it has to do is meet the required efficiency with some reserve travel on the lever.

 

[harveyp6]

Hi Harvey many thanks for your information by looking at the way you have said to do it I take it that is the proper way it should be done and again I thank you for that. Have you by any chance done it the way Mike is saying and do you get the same result ie is it good enough to pass the MOT Test.

I've never done it that way, but if the quadrants aren't being held off their stops by the cable being too tight, and if the calipers are OK, repeated use of the hand and/or footbrake will adjust the calipers up eventually. You just won't get that final little bit extra that you get by doing the adjustment with the disc out of the way.