Having had the handbrake cable replaced recently, and then a rear
calliper repair, the mechanic gave the car back with the handbrake
cable adjusted to its limit, but no effectiveness of the brake. Ive
read ‘‘the Book’’ on the subject and perused the archives, but am
wondering what I should look for at the calliper end to get it
working again. Being a manual conversion, hill starts at the lights
in traffic can get me sweating…–
73 xj12,76 xjs 5 sp (swap4auto!)
Sydney NSW, Australia
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
My experience is that the remove-disassemble-clean-lubricate routine does
the trick. I say that as though the job is easy…which it isn’t.
Doug Dwyer
Longview, Washington USA
1987 Ser III XJ6
1988 XJS V12
Having had the handbrake cable replaced recently, and then a rear
calliper repair, the mechanic gave the car back with the handbrake
cable adjusted to its limit, but no effectiveness of the brake.
In reply to a message from Doug Dwyer sent Thu 4 Mar 2004:
Does anyone know if there’s any preventive maintenance which is
worthwhile for the XJ-S handbrake calliper area? e.g. a squirt of
WD40 to prevent the handbrake seizing-up so readily in the first
place.
I wouldn’t want to get oil on the brake shoes, though.
Regards
George–
The original message included these comments:
My experience is that the remove-disassemble-clean-lubricate routine does
the trick. I say that as though the job is easy…which it isn’t.
–
1989 XJ-S 3.6
London, United Kingdom
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–
Yes, and it’s the easiest preventative maintenance you’ll ever do on a
Jag…
Use the handbrake every day !
Doug Dwyer
Longview, Washington USA
1987 Ser III XJ6
1988 XJS V12
Does anyone know if there’s any preventive maintenance which is
worthwhile for the XJ-S handbrake calliper area? e.g. a squirt of
WD40 to prevent the handbrake seizing-up so readily in the first
place.
Hello, Dean. Based on the work you had done on the caliper, I suspect that
the mechanic did not properly position the handbrake retractor plate (the
bronze plate with two tines) on the top of the handbrake caliper during
reassembly. If the retractor plate tines are not engaged properly into the
holes in the top of the caliper it is not possible to adjust the brake to
hold, and it sounds like the mechanic just tried to fix the problem by
tightening the cable. Unless you have physically seen the mechanism out of
the car, the handbrake caliper is a nusiance to work on since most work is
done by “feel” rather than sight. I don’t question your mechanical skills
but, under the recent “professional” brake repair circumstances, I suggest
you take the car back to the mechanic for resolution.
Jim Johnson - NCJOC
'88 XJ-S, V12, Lucas (CEI), TH400 (w/B&M), Dana 2.87
Annapolis, Maryland
Hello, George. You wrote, “Does anyone know if there’s any preventive
maintenance which is worthwhile for the XJ-S handbrake calliper area? e.g. a
squirt of WD40 to prevent the handbrake seizing-up so readily in the first
place.” I wouldn’t use spray lubricant / penetrating oil on the brake
system. The best preventive measure to ensure a working handbrake is to R&R
the handbrake calipers each time new handbrake pads are required. It is a
simple device, but if the lubricant on the self adjusting mechanism is not
periodically refreshed, it hardens and the adjuster does not work.
Additionally, the bronze retractor plates (they keep the calipers apart to
keep the pads from dragging and wearing out quickly) deform over time and,
as comparatively inexpensive as they are and since they are removed to get
the handbrake pads in, it make sense to replace them also.
Jim Johnson - NCJOC
'88 XJ-S, V12, Lucas (CEI), TH400 (w/B&M), Dana 2.87
Annapolis, Maryland
In reply to a message from Dean K sent Thu 4 Mar 2004:
Your mechanic most likely missed one of the hand brake caliper
halves with the pivot pin. This is not hard to do. Take it back and
have him refit the handbrake calipers properly. This can be a very
fiddly job. The retraction plates on the top of the handbrake
calipers most likely have been bent by now, and should be replaced.
For what it’s worth, I cut off a punch to about two inches in
length to aide in lining these things up.–
the Pro from Dover
washington d.c., United States
–Posted using Jag-lovers JagFORUM [forums.jag-lovers.org]–