Handbrake Probs

My Handbrake has developed problems, it hardly works!

A couple of years ago it was weak and so I adjusted it at the lever, it seemed okay then....

Just recently though it has gone weak again, also saw in the manual that it says the adjuster should not be adjusted, to do with the self adjusting mechanism etc?

Any ideas on how to remedy this hardly working handbrake... guess I will have to jack it up and get the wheels off to inspect what is going on exactly...? I just love fixing my GTA......

Take the pads out ,wind the piston fully back and align as per the manual then pop the pads back .This should reset the handbrake ,but if you've adjusted it at the other end it may need fettling a bit .

okay will do that- am I likely to find any other problems? Such as for example- having to disassemble the self adjusting mechanism? I did see in the manual instructions for taking it apart... said you need a special tool... am I likely to have to do this? Hopefully not ...

It might be worth checking the lever on the callipers which the hand brake cable pulls, it could be siezed, or very very stiff, but as Lee said, it is very important to get the cable adjustment as close as you can to where it was originally. It should not be necessary to dismantle the self adjusting mechanism as, unless the pedal brake position has moved very much down to the floor, is should be alright. In your manual, (page K21 in mine), there is an exploaded diag of the handbrake mechanism on the calliper. If you havent got the diag, and want one, let me know and I`ll post it here.

John

I've got the special tool 514 to do the bellville washer assembly on the caliper .It certainly helps to have it ,lucky find on Ebay .I can lend it out ...it's a boomerang ,on pain of death

I would think that you have adjusted the cable up to much. It is essential that there is sufficient slack in the cable to allow the caliper leavers to fully return to their stop position, the brakes will not adjust unless they do so
Sometimes even where ther is slack, the levers do not always return fully.

I would try forcing the levers back to the stop position and then press the footbrake a couple of times. I would suggest that you do this one wheel at a time. If you don't do it one at a time, you will probably find that because the cables are effectively joined at the handbrake fulcrum, as you pull one tight it will pull on the opposite lever.

Ven when it has adjusted the handbrake is not brilliant, but you will notice the difference to both the footbrake and handbrake once the caliper has been adjusted.

Good luck,

Jeff

Yes thanks, I have just inspected it and it seems that the handbrake does not seem to effect the levers on the brakes. I.e, when I pull the handbrake on it does not seem to move the levers, the levers seem to be pulled in as far as they will go even when the brake is off. I have tried forcing one lever back but it just seems to kinda gradually return to the position of being pulled in. Yet even though the levers are pulled in the brake still hardly works. Any ideas?

Not too sure exactly where to start as I don't want to make it worse.
I am trying to sell the car and am going to have to be able to drive it in order to demonstrate. I guess if I cannot manage it then I may have to tell the potential buyer that this is 'one of the problems the car has' and hope he doesn't mind too much
thanks again and any help appreciated, i.e a starting point.

Try just resetting the pads .This may give you some handbrake .Take the pads out ,wind the piston home ,align slot on piston face to bleed nipple as per manual and put some new pads in if the old ones are a bit thin .
I'd do that first and see what happens .

ok thanks, will try that- will I need to bleed the brakes at all afterwards?

No ,not unless you break something off

Yes thanks, I have just inspected it and it seems that the handbrake does not seem to effect the levers on the brakes. I.e, when I pull the handbrake on it does not seem to move the levers, the levers seem to be pulled in as far as they will go even when the brake is off. I have tried forcing one lever back but it just seems to kinda gradually return to the position of being pulled in. Yet even though the levers are pulled in the brake still hardly works. Any ideas?

Not too sure exactly where to start as I don't want to make it worse.

Hi a22.

It has been suggested on more than one posting that you must slacken off the hand brake completely before you do anything else. If it is still adjusted up tighter than normal, which is what I understand you to say you have done, I am not surprised you are getting that effect, when you have tried forcing the levers back to their stops. What I think you will find is, with tight cables, if you were able to watch the other side at the same time, the other lever will be pulling the brake on via the fulcrum at the hand brake end, therefore when you release the pressure, the other side will want to release, and pull the one on your side back towards the disc.
My advice would be to totally slacken off the hand brake to very loose, then check the levers are not siezed, or stiff, by pushing them back to their rest position, on both sides. Remove the spring clip holding the dust cover over the hand brake mechanism on the back of the calliper, and lubricate with a bit of grease, having got rid of any stiffness first, once you are happy they are free and lubricated, reinstate the dust cover. Now with the hand brake lever still fully off, depress the foot brake a number of times to reset the self adjusting brakes. engin running will help. Having done that go back to the hand brake adjustment and finally adjust to a point where the hand brake is fully on, with a minium travel of 7 notches.
Most of these points I have put into a "to do" list, have been made by other members above, all I have done is to put them an order which you might find easier to follow.
It might be interesting to note that if you have a poor hand brake, but the foot brake is working normally, with normal travel, the hand brake problem will have nothing to do with the self adjusting mechanism.
Hope this helps

John

yes thanks for all the advice and info. I think I am making some ground with it...
I took the pads out of one side to wind the pistons right in but it was already right in and then I pushed it out abit and am having problems getting it back in... not so good so far!

Then I started inspecting the Levers- It was behaving abit strange on one side and was different to the other. One side didn't feel right when you pulled it back, where as the otherside did. The lever was in a totally different position on oneside (pulled in more and didn't return properly when pulled in.
It was getting abit dark but I compared the two sides and it looks like the sliver of metal, (is it the plunger Cam?) appears to be missing on the side that is not working, or has become dislodged etc.
Am I right in saying that without a plunger cam the handbrake would hardly work?
I will have a better look tomorrow to see if I can get further.

If the Plunger cam is missing/ broken what will I have to do? Will I have to take the handbrake mechanism apart?
Didn't realise that the handbrake was as complicated as this!

Am I right in saying that without a plunger cam the handbrake would hardly work?

This plunger, or sliver of metal you mention, I take it is inside the dust cover. If so, if it has become dislodged, you should be able to find it in the cap or it has dropped out onto the ground, and if it is missing, I would sue the previous owner and yes if the plunger cam is missing the hand brake will not work properly.
Do you have the exploaded diag of the mechanism

I got the picture in the Workshop manual which I think is an exploded diagram, number 9 is the Plunger cam?

Also will I have to take the mechanism apart to get the cam back in?
Oh, haven't found the missing cam yet but will look closer tomorrow in the light.

Something also looked funny about the lever arm where the plunger cam should sit. It maybe that that has become worn and rounded, well the edge of it where the cam should sit after swivelling around without the cam?

Thanks again John and all

I got the picture in the Workshop manual which I think is an exploded diagram, number 9 is the Plunger cam?

Also will I have to take the mechanism apart to get the cam back in?

Something also looked funny about the lever arm where the plunger cam should sit. It maybe that that has become worn and rounded, well the edge of it where the cam should sit after swivelling around without the cam?

My diag shows the plunger cam as No. 8, It also shows a small spring No. 9, is the spring there?

With regard to getting the cam back in, if you look at the diag, the answer is yes, but it looks simple enough. If you remove the circlip 5, in my diag, you will be able to withdraw shaft 7, the plunger cam goes behind it.
If you think the lever arm looks funny, then the easiest way to check is to compare it with the other side, which most probably could well be OK.