That old devil called 'brakes'...
Discussion
Well, it's MOT time, and aside from the two tyres that are as bald as a badger's bell-end, I had a handbrake that was a much use as an ashtray on a motorbike. You could pull until the lever went into the boot and still the car would roll away on a flat road. You could have got more friction if you'd smeared two women in baby oil and asked them to wrestle on a Teflon-coated waterbed. Hmmm, interesting image, hang on a few minutes...
There. Where was I? Oh yes.
So, I decided it was time to fiddle with spanners, squirt Plusgas and generally fix the thing. First I tried shortening the cable. No difference. Then I had a look to see if the pads were still there
- they were, so I stopped for a diet coke break and took my shirt off to tease the old biddy at number 74. I could see her peeking through the curtains, and it wasn't long before the windows were steamed up.
Not having pulled Jag brakes to bits since I did my Tasmin's about 5 years ago, I consulted the oracle (OK, a photocopy from the relevant Haynes manual
and remembered that the handbrake calipers are supposed to self-adjust. Why they need to escapes me, since the pads should never wear, but upon examination it was obvious that the ratchet on the nearside wasn't working. The O/S ratchet was, but of course the amount of travel in the N/S was preventing the O/S from pulling in. So I pulled the N/S caliper off, stripped it down and found that the ratchet pawl had sprung the 'wrong way' around the adjusting screw. A bit of copper grease and a quick adjustment of the cable, and now the brakes would hold Concorde on full throttle.
Now, of course, having had a rummage around the rear-end of the car, I've spotted a few MORE things that could do with looking at, such as the diff oil weep, and the exhaust touching the boot floor (no wonder it's boomy in the cabin!).... hey ho. Bloody sports cars, who'd have 'em...?
Fungers crossed for MOT tomorrow...
Ian
There. Where was I? Oh yes.
So, I decided it was time to fiddle with spanners, squirt Plusgas and generally fix the thing. First I tried shortening the cable. No difference. Then I had a look to see if the pads were still there
- they were, so I stopped for a diet coke break and took my shirt off to tease the old biddy at number 74. I could see her peeking through the curtains, and it wasn't long before the windows were steamed up. Not having pulled Jag brakes to bits since I did my Tasmin's about 5 years ago, I consulted the oracle (OK, a photocopy from the relevant Haynes manual
and remembered that the handbrake calipers are supposed to self-adjust. Why they need to escapes me, since the pads should never wear, but upon examination it was obvious that the ratchet on the nearside wasn't working. The O/S ratchet was, but of course the amount of travel in the N/S was preventing the O/S from pulling in. So I pulled the N/S caliper off, stripped it down and found that the ratchet pawl had sprung the 'wrong way' around the adjusting screw. A bit of copper grease and a quick adjustment of the cable, and now the brakes would hold Concorde on full throttle. Now, of course, having had a rummage around the rear-end of the car, I've spotted a few MORE things that could do with looking at, such as the diff oil weep, and the exhaust touching the boot floor (no wonder it's boomy in the cabin!).... hey ho. Bloody sports cars, who'd have 'em...?
Fungers crossed for MOT tomorrow...
Ian
on board!
You could have got more friction if you'd smeared two women in baby oil and asked them to wrestle on a Teflon-coated waterbed. Hmmm, interesting image, hang on a few minutes...
There. Where was I? Oh yes.
How I wish I was able to drink enough to come up with this sort of stuff, or does it come naturally?
Rich.
mikal83 said: ah ha, so thats whatigottado, to get my brakes working, glad its flat here in Floriduh
Yep, you'll need to be fairly dextrous to gain access, but at least those brakes are easier to work on under a TVR than they ever were on a Jaguar, where you need hands like a paedophile and a spine like a python.
Simply detach the cable, remove the 2 bolts that hold each handbrake caliper in place, pull the caliper apart and throw the bits on the floor, then reassemble in a workable fashion. It's not rocket science; in fact if NASA designed things the same way there'd be a few less insurance salesmen jumping from ledges.
My handbrake is so good now I actually stalled the engine when I tried to drive off, forgetting I'd fixed the damn thing.
I took the car for its MOT and the ink was drying on the ticket before the revs had finished dying away when I pulled into the compound
Now I just need to fix the faulty indicator repeater, driving lamp, seatbelt, snapped wheel stud, bald tyres and 7% CO emissions and it'll be ready for summer...*
Ian
(* This is, of course, exaggerated for effect. It's only 6%...
:grin: ) I spent the time rebuilding the auto adjusters on my old 280 - however I think I decided they would never work. If the clearance between the pad/disks was great enough to move a notch - the handbrake would have stopped working months ago!
I didn't bother with my current 350, just removed the split pin and turned the screww half a turn.
I didn't bother with my current 350, just removed the split pin and turned the screww half a turn.
All In can say is you lucky chap, You should try getting a SEAC "Umbrella Handbrake" to work - same mechanism but no "lever" and dents in my garage door to prove it.
Am now considering fitting a Hydraulic lock to help (I know it doesnt count for the MOT but would make hill starts a lot easier( (and kinder on the clutch!)
Am now considering fitting a Hydraulic lock to help (I know it doesnt count for the MOT but would make hill starts a lot easier( (and kinder on the clutch!)
Brm Brm said: All In can say is you lucky chap, You should try getting a SEAC "Umbrella Handbrake" to work - same mechanism but no "lever" and dents in my garage door to prove it.
Am now considering fitting a Hydraulic lock to help (I know it doesnt count for the MOT but would make hill starts a lot easier( (and kinder on the clutch!)
Mine works great
Brm Brm said: All In can say is you lucky chap, You should try getting a SEAC "Umbrella Handbrake" to work - same mechanism but no "lever" and dents in my garage door to prove it.
Am now considering fitting a Hydraulic lock to help (I know it doesnt count for the MOT but would make hill starts a lot easier( (and kinder on the clutch!)
Agree completely with BrmBrm, try doing a steep hill start with a brolly handbrake -- not going to happen
although it did give me a better feeling for the bite point...and being able to shuffle from the foot brake to throttle PDQ
Brm Brm said: All In can say is you lucky chap, You should try getting a SEAC "Umbrella Handbrake" to work - same mechanism but no "lever" and dents in my garage door to prove it.
Am now considering fitting a Hydraulic lock to help (I know it doesnt count for the MOT but would make hill starts a lot easier( (and kinder on the clutch!)
Why did they do it that way then? I must admit to never having been really close to a SEAC
Ian
Brakes Fcuking things.....
massive thanx must go to wedg1e though for giving us a hand on sunday when the front brakes on the taz racer packed up.. driving around an sourcing bits for us, and then trying to help us fis them , even offering the calipers off the 390 at one point...
Pity we didnt get them working that well but at least i got her on the grid and had on fcuking hard race had an awesome time and still managed to finish in 9th.. bit of a waste of 6th on the grid but a good effort
G
massive thanx must go to wedg1e though for giving us a hand on sunday when the front brakes on the taz racer packed up.. driving around an sourcing bits for us, and then trying to help us fis them , even offering the calipers off the 390 at one point...
Pity we didnt get them working that well but at least i got her on the grid and had on fcuking hard race had an awesome time and still managed to finish in 9th.. bit of a waste of 6th on the grid but a good effort
G
Graham said: Brakes Fcuking things.....
massive thanx must go to wedg1e though for giving us a hand on sunday when the front brakes on the taz racer packed up.. driving around an sourcing bits for us, and then trying to help us fis them , even offering the calipers off the 390 at one point...
Pity we didnt get them working that well but at least i got her on the grid and had on fcuking hard race had an awesome time and still managed to finish in 9th.. bit of a waste of 6th on the grid but a good effort
G
No worries mate! In retrospect I should've just pulled the calipers off the 390 and come down in the van.
Actually, I've just got in from a thrash in the car... where I ran out of brakes!
Exiting a bend on a twisty narrow country lane, after I'd already realised the brakes were fading fast (so I was losing speed), I found a Shitroen Xantia STOPPED dead. As I'm braking and wondering whether I can squeeze between him and the opposite verge, he indicates right. Crap! Is he turning into a gateway I can't see? Then he indicates LEFT. What the (*&%^??!! By this time I was committed, hard on the brakes and into the gap. Then I realise there's a Landie coming the other way, and I'm wondering how to explain to Julie that I'm in Ward 17, since 10 minutes earlier I told her I was cooking some chicken kievs...
By the will of Allah I get through and proceed at reduced knots a few hundred yards to the next village, where I entertain the pub regulars by jumping out, ripping the bonnet open and then grovelling under the car, all to the strains of 'My Way' which the CD player had been in the middle of skipping due to the bumps in the aforementioned country lane. Even at 30 MPH it took me a good distance to finally stop: it must be heart-stopping at race speeds!
Eventually I got going again, and on the way back I overtook a Maxxed Corsa with 3 baseball caps in it. Trying to cool the brakes I was doing warp speed, but a bit further on there's a 50 limit (longstanding, everyone knows about it, it's 6 miles long and the police patrol it) so I slowed down. Needless to say Maxx knobhead brigade hurtle past a short while later, still doing 80, giving me the usual gestures. Why is there never a Police car around when you want one?
Ian
must be catching LOL
Well the entry into tower when the pedal went to the floor was 105 ( down from 115 the previous lap as i was getting fade from the pads breaking up) i chucked it into the spin at about 60 followed that up with a donut and carried on. ( ah the benifit of a data logger)
the worst bit was actually the race on sunday when i knew there was a problem. I had to push on but knew that at the next corner ther might be nothing !!!!!
Glad you got home ok
G
p.s. sorry for the thread hijack (again)
Well the entry into tower when the pedal went to the floor was 105 ( down from 115 the previous lap as i was getting fade from the pads breaking up) i chucked it into the spin at about 60 followed that up with a donut and carried on. ( ah the benifit of a data logger)
the worst bit was actually the race on sunday when i knew there was a problem. I had to push on but knew that at the next corner ther might be nothing !!!!!
Glad you got home ok
G
p.s. sorry for the thread hijack (again)
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