Finally had enough!!

[Wildfire]

Finally I have had enough!! The handbrake on the Griff, in usual TVR style, eased off whilest I was washing it. I came out with a bucket of water just in time to witness the Griff slowly roll back in to my garage but encountering the wall before it reached it. Teh car had been fine for the hour beofre. This is the second time that I have had damage from c**p handbrakes not only that I'm having all sort of idling issues, dipping the clutch yesterday doing around 50 the engine died, leaving me coasting with no servo on the brakes and the radio stuck off.

After looking at the car from all angles from the front all I could see was chips and marks. SO seeing as my job is looking very sketchy and I could be well out of the money and well into unemployment I have decided to go for a full front end respray Yes the money could keep me going if the job goes but you only live once. Next Thurday the car is going off to MGS coachworks, one of the best Alfa Romeo restorers in the world to make the front end look good.

I also cleaned the stepper motor and tightened the handbrake.

I will post pics when it is done.

[HarryW]

Wildfire said:

......not only that I'm having all sort of idling issues, dipping the clutch yesterday doing around 50 the engine died, leaving me coasting with no servo on the brakes and the radio stuck off.
......

Not sure that bit would concern me

[Podie]

You rely on the handbrake?!?!

Stick it in gear!

[TVR keith]

Stopping in a downhill traffic queue the other day in my Chim I applied the handbrake.
After a few minutes the car started to ease forward.
Is it the case that as the discs cool down the handbrake is no longer on tight enough to hold?

[Wildfire]

TVR keith said:

Stopping in a downhill traffic queue the other day in my Chim I applied the handbrake.
After a few minutes the car started to ease forward.
Is it the case that as the discs cool down the handbrake is no longer on tight enough to hold?

Could be, but could also be that they are rubbish!! I wasn't even parked on a big slope, just a very slight decline.

[jonnyb]

The hand break is rubbish, but it holds the car on my drive with quite a slope.

I always press the break peddal then apply the hand break with the peddal pressed. seems to work.

[else]

Wildfire said:

and tightened the handbrake.

I have found that the handbrake is much more effective if it has plenty of travel at the lever IE. about 5 clicks. I remember reading somewhere that the automatic adjusters, in the rear calipers, won't work properly if the cable is too tight, not enough movement i believe.
I also think that you can apply more force to the lever the higher it gets. Its easier to pull back than up if you get what i mean

[jamesk]

TVR keith said:

Stopping in a downhill traffic queue the other day in my Chim I applied the handbrake.
After a few minutes the car started to ease forward.
Is it the case that as the discs cool down the handbrake is no longer on tight enough to hold?

This is definitely true. I never used to leave mine anywhere without it being in gear. Heard too many stories of things contracting and impacts resulting. Mine was quite a good handbrake too by the way.

[steve-v8s]

Doesn’t the handbrake act on shoes inside the rear hub rather than he disk ? May be wrong on this but assumed that was the case. My handbrake needs a good tug but holds well when properly applied. Having said that I always leave it in gear as well.

[Griffter]

steve-v8s said:

Doesn’t the handbrake act on shoes inside the rear hub rather than he disk ? May be wrong on this but assumed that was the case. My handbrake needs a good tug but holds well when properly applied. Having said that I always leave it in gear as well.

No, it works on the disc.

[97octane]

The problem is that warm calipers cool down, so lose grip on the discs after the car's been standing for a while. I've been advised of this by TVR dealers who say leave in gear.
Sorry...bolted...stable...horse...door (cont p94)

[loose cannon]

this was also a problem on early rear disc cars across the board. hence finally having drums in the centre of the disc's

[steve-v8s]

So the later ones did have drums then ?

[headcase]

I believe cerbies have the drum/disc but still have a crap handbreak!

[jodypress]

i had something similar with my griff. it was on a driveway. i pop out for 30 mins or so, come back to see my car off drive, in road. to top it off, the car had actually rolled back into the road into an oncoming car. the driver, got out with some road rage to have a go at the driver of my griff, only to realise the car was empty. bet that freaked him out. luckily no damage at all.

[apache]

If you press the brake pedal while applying the handbrake it helps

[donatien]

It's not happened to me (yet) but always wise to leave the car in gear. My dad had an old Rover P5 and he always parked it the 'right' way up/down the hill in gear and wheels in to the kerb. Contingency at it's best.

Been mentioned many times on these fora, brakes after cooling are not the same thickness as when hot. So what bites after pulling up following a rapid ride may not bite 30 minutes later.

Dave

[groucho]

I have HiSpec 2 pots on the rear of my Griff and have not managed to get the handbrake to work very well yet. I haven't tried the foot on the brake thingy though.

[donatien]

apache said:

If you press the brake pedal while applying the handbrake it helps

Hey Pete, are you running standard brakes or did you upgrade with the wheels?

[apache]

donatien said:

apache said:

If you press the brake pedal while applying the handbrake it helps

Hey Pete, are you running standard brakes or did you upgrade with the wheels?

nope, was running standard brakes