MOT fail, 1998 xantia 2.1td

[foeism]

It failed only on the handbrake, which states;
001 Parking brake lever has no reserve travel (3.1.6b)

Can somone please explain as i'm unsure what this is referring to?

Thanks

[ekjdm14]

Reserve travel would in my view be how much further the lever could move once the handbrake is already on. i.e. if the lever has to be pulled all the way up until it hits the stop for the handbrake to be acceptable then there would be no travel left in reserve for if you wanted to park on a hill etc and needed to pull it up tighter.

[foeism]

ekjdm thanks for the reply.

How do I go about adjusting the handbrake lever on an xantia?

thanks

[elma]

Theres a nut and a locknut on the handbrake cables. You'll find them at the top of the front callipers.

[rory_perrett]

The hand brake self adjusts as the pads wear down. If the hand brake travel in the past has been ok then it is unlikely that you need to adjust the cables, it might just be that you are ready for a new set of front pads.

[citronut]

NEVER ADJUST the cables until you make sure the hand brake mechanism is/has adjusted up,

the usual fault here is the adjusters in the front calipers are meant to adjust up in normal use, but 99% of the time they do not,
so to adjust them up place the car on level ground like a petrol station forecourt, let the hand brake full off, then with the engine running press very hard
on the brake pedal 3 or 4 times ( DO NOT stamp on it !!! ) , now try the hand brake i will almost guarantee you lever will not travel up as much as it did before hand,

an other thing that can stop the hand brake auto adjusting is if the lever on the caliper is not coming fully off when you release it, or if someone has over adjusted the cables so they hold the levers on slightly whilst the hand brake is released,

another tip
is if/when fitting new front pads is to unhook the cable end from the caliper lever, do not reconnect it till you have fitted the pads and with the engine running press thye brake pedal a few times to reset the mechanism in the calipers, then reconnect the cables

[foeism]

Thank you all for the replys

citronut
I will try the firm foot method first and if no joy, I will look to replace the front pads and follow your steps to remove the cables first, press a few times and refit cables.

[xantia_v6]

If pressing the brake pedal does not fix it, it could be a seized adjuster in one front caliper. Pop the front wheels off, unclip the cables from the caliper and with a pair of pliers, manually move the levers on each caliper and see if one has much more free play than the other. I don't think that worn pads will cause this problem, unless the adjuster is also seized, in which case, new pads won't fix it.

[foeism]

If pressing the brake pedal does not fix it, it could be a seized adjuster in one front caliper. Pop the front wheels off, unclip the cables from the caliper and with a pair of pliers, manually move the levers on each caliper and see if one has much more free play than the other. I don't think that worn pads will cause this problem, unless the adjuster is also seized, in which case, new pads won't fix it.

Thanks. if it's a siezed adjuster on the front caliper, does that mean it's time for a new set? I'm off on wednesday this week and will report back.

[citronut]

If pressing the brake pedal does not fix it, it could be a seized adjuster in one front caliper. Pop the front wheels off, unclip the cables from the caliper and with a pair of pliers, manually move the levers on each caliper and see if one has much more free play than the other.

also make sure each lever fully returns to it full off position, otherwise the handbrake mechanism will not adjust up,

I don't think that worn pads will cause this problem, unless the adjuster is also seized, in which case, new pads won't fix it.

i have seen cases were the pads were very low and the hand brake would not adjust, as the pistons were way to far out

[citronut]

Thanks. if it's a siezed adjuster on the front caliper, does that mean it's time for a new set? I'm off on wednesday this week and will report back.

if its just the lever seized you can free them off,
pull the rubber boot off enough to get some lube ( not the orible W stuff as it ait a lubricant ) at the lever pivot
now by gripping the lever with vice grips and lube and work lube and work lube and work lube and work lube and work, till it springs back fully to the fully off position un aided

[foeism]

Thanks. if it's a siezed adjuster on the front caliper, does that mean it's time for a new set? I'm off on wednesday this week and will report back.

if its just the lever seized you can free them off,
pull the rubber boot off enough to get some lube ( not the orible W stuff as it ait a lubricant ) at the lever pivot
now by gripping the lever with vice grips and lube and work lube and work lube and work lube and work lube and work, till it springs back fully to the fully off position un aided

Brilliant thank you.

[c.morewood]

the usual fault here is the adjusters in the front calipers are meant to adjust up in normal use, but 99% of the time they do not,
so to adjust them up place the car on level ground like a petrol station forecourt, let the hand brake full off, then with the engine running press very hard
on the brake pedal 3 or 4 times ( DO NOT stamp on it !!! ) , now try the hand brake i will almost guarantee you lever will not travel up as much as it did before hand,

Thanks citronut,
I've been trying, unsuccessfully, to release the pressure on the front pads to allow the wheels to spin more freely (and also to stop the pads binding whe parked overnight) I tried your tip above tonight and the car now freewheels really well downhill in places where she would have slowed to a stop previously.
Maybe this post should go in the handy tips section?

[foeism]

Right quick update; The levers moved freely and both returned as they should. So just I just tightend up the cables just a little and this has helped.
Awating for the call from the MOT station!

Also had to do a spot of welding to the bottom sill of the drivers door as it was a little rotten. Looks like one of the rubber gromets perished and rusted from inside out.