ZX handbrake MOT faliure

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thiscocksZX
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ZX handbrake MOT faliure

Post by thiscocksZX »

Car just failed MOT for 'no handbrake reverse travel' what ever that means [?]. The handbrake works fine so it seems a bit petty. Dont know if anyone knows what this means? The bloke was talking about a re-build of the handbrake cylinders or something, ill get him to explain it better when I take it in again on tuesday. Funny thing is they didnt pick up on the knocking front suspension which is much more sereous I think. Glad they didnt though cos ill be fixing that my self. (just got 2 drop link bars from e-bay -£20).
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

'Reserve Travel' for a handbrake means that the lever is coming up too far, and on cars with self adjusting mechanisms like your ZX it often means that the mechanism has stuck.
As I don't know the model of your ZX I don't know if it has discs or drums. What I do know is that after 10 years our ZX handbrake ceased to work properly on one side and when my friendly mechanic dismantled it he found that both cylinders were leaking slightly and the linings had come off the shoes!
If you have the drum ones at the least you should replace the securing nutswhen you dismantle it. Probably worth doing a bit more as a precaution as its not thge easiest to get apart as the securing nut is staked. Generally you will find the cables have gone as well.
The disc ones are essentially the same as a BX front brake but again the cables suffer and there is a thread running at the moment about the adjusters.
Jeremy
wilkobob
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Post by wilkobob »

Could try (if its drums) adjusting the self adjuster manually through the hole for the wheel bolts in the drum. This can be done by jacking the rear of the car up, with handbrake off (chock front wheels) removing road wheels, and look through one of the holes, whilst turning drum round, until you come accross a "nut" which has a jagged edge. turn it using blade of flat head screw driver against the "jagged edge" until drum will stop with 4-5 clicks of the hand brake, repeat this for both sides. If this procedure works, then its likely that the self adjusters have packed up. (this method has worked for me on both bendix and lucas brakes).
As jeremy says, its likely that the handbrake cables will also have gone.
The best job would be to replace everything on the rear brakes, shoes, cylinders (if weeping), and the self adjusters. This should give you another 3-4 years of trouble free rear brakes.
Another point here would be, once you have repaired the rear brakes, you will notices a hell of a difference in the overall braking power of the car (I know on all of the cars ive sorted the rear adjusters out on, theres been a dramatic improvement).
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

Strangely I noticed no difference at all but the ZX brakes have always felt slack and poor, but then I'm used to a BX.
Be very careful with the drum setup if it is not releasing properly. I hada Renault 21 with a virtually identical system including the diagonal split circuit. One day I pull off a motorway and when I went to give way at the roundabout at the end of the slip road found the brake pedal sunk to the floor. I was able to avoid any accident and when I pulled into a car park I found the nearside rear wheel was smoking due to the brake not releasing properly.
jeremy
sooty
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Post by sooty »

I agree with what has been said, but I would have had my Handbrake on 2 clicks and feel until the drum starts to drag, then let the Handbrake off to ensure its free running. If the release of the Handbrake makes no release of the drum dragging then the Handbrake cables need adjusting. I adjust mine by putting the Handbrake on & off and continue adjusting till the Drum drags on the 2nd or 3rd click.
Good luck
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

Which is all well and good if its working properly. However if you have to resort to adjusting it through the bolt holes it is not working properly and adjusting the cable is for many cars considered a procedure for setting up new cables rather than routine compensation for shoe wear.
jeremy
citronut
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Post by citronut »

thats normal for zx/ax as 9 tmes out of 10 rear adjusters dont work even when they have all been replaced and coated with copper slip,it is usual to have to adjust them up manuly for MOT,and if they are discs and cable is not releasing properly the adjuster will not work asv it is being held on slightly regards malcolm
James.UK
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Post by James.UK »

I had cause to apply my brakes very very hard at about 75mph on the M6 recently.. They were awfull!! I had to change lanes a bit sharpish as I would certainly have run into the car in front.
I took it easy for the rest of the journey and the following day got a friend to help me strip the rear brakes.. and they were a mess [:0] [:I]
On both wheels the shoes had both broken up at one end and on one side one had only about half its working surface left!! But mechanicaly everything was in good working order.. We replaced the shoes, did the routine copper grease of nipples etc and adjusted the hand brake back up..
I then test drove the car and the difference was immediately very noticeable.. The brakes are far better now. [:)] I don't know when the shoes were last replaced but its been a long time since the drums were removed and the shoes examined thats for sure! My mechanic who does all the servicing on my car said that the car met MOT standards on brake tests on all 4 wheels, if thats the case then the MOT standard is dangerously low in my opinion! [:(!]
.
jeremy
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Post by jeremy »

The Construction and Use Regulations requirement for a service brake (footbrake) is 0.5g and it is this figure which is quoted as the stopping distance in the Highway Code (+ of course the 'thinking distance')
In fact most cars of the 1960's could manage 0.9g and I think some tester mananged to get just more than 1g from a Jaguar XJ6 - so as you see the standard is very low. The required efficiency of a handbrake (emergency) brake is 0.25g and I have memories of working this out and marking my parents drive as we desperately tried to get the handbrake on a Rover 3 litre working adequately for an MOT. (The car was expensively and professionally maintained! but - guess what - yes the handbrake didn't work!)
jeremy
citronut
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Post by citronut »

make shure before you fit new shoes peel the wheel cylender dust seal back at one edge to see if there is any fluid in side of it,if so you will need to replace cylenders as well,other wise you might waist your money just fitting shoes only to have fluid leak over them regards malcolm
turbolag
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Post by turbolag »

And if the cylinders have gone, change the fluid as well on the new parts will soon go the same way.
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