Xantia handbrake adjustment

[lazza]

HI All

Long time since last post. Been busy and I only like to work under the car in the sun . So it's that time of year again.

Something I want to try to sort out before my upcoming MOT is the handbrake, which is quite loose. You have to pull it up high before it really works.

Can anyone instruct me on an easy way to tighten the handbrake up??

Cheers
Larry

[Stickyfinger]

The adjusters are on the calipers/cable mount, adjust from there to 2 clicks (3 max if done by a housewife with pmms when parking at the supermarket)

[chinkostu]

Dead easy if the bolts haven't siezed up if they have you might need to get some heat or molegrips to work them loose

[Stickyfinger]

Dead easy if the bolts haven't siezed up if they have you might need to get some heat or molegrips to work them loose

Agree, they are sods to undo
As always, 25 hrs soaking with PlusGas is a very good thing....I used a soldering gas-micro-torch as I could keep the heat off the guide tube, I then cooled it with WD40 (got to use it up somehow) then waited 1 hour, came open OK then.

[lazza]

Thanks for the replies- any photos of what i should be looking for?

[Stickyfinger]

The Haynes Xantia book will give you good coverage, really it is just an adjuster on the end of the handbrake cable/leaver that turns back to extend?shorten the cable/leaver height .

[citronut]

The adjusters are on the calipers/cable mount, adjust from there to 2 clicks (3 max if done by a housewife with pmms when parking at the supermarket)

shame on you Mr Sticky

you never ever adjust the cables first,
the correct way to adjust these is, whit the car on level ground, engine running, hand brake off, press the brake pedal very hard two or three times,
they are meant to self adjust up in normal running but never do,

there is a but though,

if they still do not adjust up after doing the above,
firstly check the hand brake levers on the calipers are coming fully of with the hand brake released,
secondly check the pads are not worn away to next to nothing, as i find if the pistons are out a long way the mechanism has trouble adjusting up,

only adjust the cables after the self adjusting mechanism in the calipers is adjusted up,

[Stickyfinger]

As it says in the Book of Lies...I assume to much you are correct.

[chinkostu]

The adjusters are on the calipers/cable mount, adjust from there to 2 clicks (3 max if done by a housewife with pmms when parking at the supermarket)

shame on you Mr Sticky

you never ever adjust the cables first,
the correct way to adjust these is, whit the car on level ground, engine running, hand brake off, press the brake pedal very hard two or three times,
they are meant to self adjust up in normal running but never do,

there is a but though,

if they still do not adjust up after doing the above,
firstly check the hand brake levers on the calipers are coming fully of with the hand brake released,
secondly check the pads are not worn away to next to nothing, as i find if the pistons are out a long way the mechanism has trouble adjusting up,

only adjust the cables after the self adjusting mechanism in the calipers is adjusted up,

I find my adjustment goes all over the place if i have the handbrake off and pump the pedal!

[citronut]

As it says in the Book of Lies...I assume to much you are correct.

I find my adjustment goes all over the place if i have the handbrake off and pump the pedal!

oooh er,
can you elaborate

sounds like some ting aint set up right to me,

dont pump the pedal but just press it two to three times very hard

[chinkostu]

When it went in for its MOT, the handbrake was pretty damn tight. The other day it felt loose so i did the pedal pumping and it felt worse!

[citronut]

something aint working/adjusted as it should be then,
sized caliper slides, caliper levers not returning fully off with hand brake released, cables binding, cables adjusted up wrong,
to name a few

[Stickyfinger]

With mine (done after seals/disk/pad change), I took off the cable ends off the caliper arms, pressed twice, backed off the cable adjusters all the way and cleaned the threads, then adjusted the cables to the correct amount (just loose) on the arms.

[citronut]

With mine (done after seals/disk/pad change), I took off the cable ends off the caliper arms, pressed twice, backed off the cable adjusters all the way and cleaned the threads, then adjusted the cables to the correct amount (just loose) on the arms.

this is the correct procedure after fitting new pads, although i unhook the cables from calipers fisrt, and leave them off till i have pressed the pedal two to three times ( engine running ) after fitting the new pads

[Stickyfinger]

ah good, I will stop then