Hand brake/ parking brake

[mudhog]

I have no pressure on my parking brake even when it's pulled all the way out!!!
Can anyone suggest ......

a. what it might be

b. How i could attempt to fix it?

PLEASE!!!!

[TonyN]

Make sure all the cables are OK, then take the drums off and check the shoes or the axle havn't failed and covered the shoes in oil, if everything is OK then clean it all the dust out and make sure the adjuster is working fine.

The adjuster should click as you pull on the handbrake (with the drums back on) untill they reach the right distance from the drum.

[mudhog]

Make sure all the cables are OK, then take the drums off and check the shoes or the axle havn't failed and covered the shoes in oil, if everything is OK then clean it all the dust out and make sure the adjuster is working fine.

The adjuster should click as you pull on the handbrake (with the drums back on) untill they reach the right distance from the drum.

Cheers, it does click as I pull it out and there is some resistance but it just pulls out all the way and I can still drive no problem. I'll have a look underneath. I take it that it is cable and not hydrolic.

[The Lang-Shankit Scunner]

I had to manually adjust mine in the drum, until it was tight putting the drum back on.

[marky]

Cheers, it does click as I pull it out and there is some resistance but it just pulls out all the way and I can still drive no problem. I'll have a look underneath. I take it that it is cable and not hydrolic.

The adjuster should click it is Located in the DRUM

[captain_chaos]

If it's and auto, why bother using the handbrake? I just leave mine in park. There's no handbrake on squeaky either, but have to leave that in gear with a couple of bricks chocked under the wheel and hope for the best.

[Tallyman]

That's OK until it comes to MOT time, then
FAIL

Best to get it sorted now.

[captain_chaos]

That's OK until it comes to MOT time, then
FAIL

Best to get it sorted now.

squeaky will fail an MOT on a way lot more than a broken handbarake

[TonyN]

The trouble with that is the adjuster only works on the handbrake, so as the rear shoes wear, you end up with loads of foot pedal travel and the brakes feel rubbish.

If it's and auto, why bother using the handbrake? I just leave mine in park. There's no handbrake on squeaky either, but have to leave that in gear with a couple of bricks chocked under the wheel and hope for the best.

[captain_chaos]

The trouble with that is the adjuster only works on the handbrake, so as the rear shoes wear, you end up with loads of foot pedal travel and the brakes feel rubbish.

hmm ok, I'm going to start using the handbrake on the surf then. Still got bricks for squeaky lol

[coolsv650]

I had to manually adjust mine in the drum, until it was tight putting the drum back on.

There is also a rubber bung in the backplate which is you take off you can manually adjust the brakes through

[ABE]

The trouble with that is the adjuster only works on the handbrake, so as the rear shoes wear, you end up with loads of foot pedal travel and the brakes feel rubbish.

Going to sound really stupid here
What does one have to do with the other? does the handbrake not operate back brakes and foot pedal operate the front brakes.

how can one effect the other?

[Slugsie]

Going to sound really stupid here
What does one have to do with the other? does the handbrake not operate back brakes and foot pedal operate the front brakes.

how can one effect the other?

The handbrake operate the back brakes, the pedal operates front and back. So if there is a lot of slack on the back brakes because the adjusters haven't adjusted, then most of the travel on the foot pedal will be used up in taking up the slack on the back brakes.

It's a 10 minute job to manually adjust the rear brakes, and it doesn't half make the pedal feel better:

Park on level ground, and chock the front wheels with bricks or similar.
Release the hand brake, and put the gearstick in neutral (use the red button on an auto to do this if the engine isn't running).
Jack up one rear wheel.
From the underside of the car, look at the inside of the drum of the jacked up wheel, find the rubber bung, and remove it.
Using a smallish flat headed screwdriver, turn the adjusting wheel (it's the knobbled one you'll see, it'll only turn one way. A torch helps here.)
until the wheel/tyre can still be turned fairly easily by hand, but stops quickly when released. Replace rubber bung.
Do the same for the other wheel.

If you have a Limited slip diff on the back you may need to jack up both sides at the same time.

[mudhog]

The handbrake operate the back brakes, the pedal operates front and back. So if there is a lot of slack on the back brakes because the adjusters haven't adjusted, then most of the travel on the foot pedal will be used up in taking up the slack on the back brakes.

It's a 10 minute job to manually adjust the rear brakes, and it doesn't half make the pedal feel better:

Park on level ground, and chock the front wheels with bricks or similar.
Release the hand brake, and put the gearstick in neutral (use the red button on an auto to do this if the engine isn't running).
Jack up one rear wheel.
From the underside of the car, look at the inside of the drum of the jacked up wheel, find the rubber bung, and remove it.
Using a smallish flat headed screwdriver, turn the adjusting wheel (it's the knobbled one you'll see, it'll only turn one way. A torch helps here.)
until the wheel/tyre can still be turned fairly easily by hand, but stops quickly when released. Replace rubber bung.
Do the same for the other wheel.

If you have a Limited slip diff on the back you may need to jack up both sides at the same time.

Thanks for that detailed description (or idiots guide which is probably better for me ) I'll give that a go today and see if that works.

[Slugsie]

Thanks for that detailed description (or idiots guide which is probably better for me ) I'll give that a go today and see if that works.

No problem, hope it helps. I only learnt how to do this a couple of months ago.