Hand Brake Adjustment - Standard Calipers

[Geoff Brown]

I know this subject is somewhere on Tech Talk but cannot find it?

I understand that the hand brake system having an 'unequal length' cable system can be a bit temperamental to adjust to get the two wheels locked equally.

I have had no real problem with my previous Seven but on my current car I just cannot get the near side rear wheel to lock satisfactorily with the hand brake lever at three clicks. Not even at two clicks. The off side is solid.

The car is three years old - MoT beckons. Up to now there has been no problem with hand brake adjustment & when built both caliper pistons were at the 'null' position so a wind back may not help.

From what I can remember this asymmetric problem can be to do with the position of the piston in the caliper as actuated by the lever on top of the body?

Can the actuating lever on the top of the body be repositioned as I assume it must be on a splined drive held in by the small bolt? 

All suggestions from past experience gladly received.

 

 

  

[SM25T]

Slacken off handbrake cable adjuster under car by diff. Remove calipers. Screw both pistons back into caliper with a windback tool clockwise (never anticlockwise !). Refit. Don't touch handbrake. Press brake pedal hard a few times to actuate self adjuster in pistons. Check handbrake operating levers on calipers are on stops. Adjust cable as required. When complete .... check levers still return to stops when handbrake released.

[Paul Richards]

Is it possible the cable has slipped off the pulley at the rear of the handbrake lever and become trapped?

[Geoff Brown]

After a nights sleep & a morning to ponder I did the following:

Slackened off the cable, pulled back the gaiters on the slide bolts  checked for problems - all nice & greasy from the build, exercised the actuating lever fully with a suitable tool, gave the face of the caliper engineering percussion with a plastic hammer & exercised the foot brake by putting all my weight against it.

Adjusted hand brake. Result 100% better & the NS wheel actually locks satisfactorily. The OS still locks as before & when hand brake off the pad bind is acceptable.

So...I suspect some sort of 'sticktion' in the mechanical part of the caliper.

My MoT examiner understands that the hand brake on Sevens is 'carp' (his words) so gives some latitude but does like some form of efficiency!

So car should be OK for MoT.

Thanks for the advice chaps.