Xantia brake pedal cap keeps dropping

[octinum]

This is the last thing I need to address before recommissioning the Xantia back on the road. Once I've fixed this, I'll test the car for a couple weeks. Then flush the coolant, refill, and MOT.

The brake pedal cap keeps dropping from its place. I have noticed that it mostly happens when I press the brake pedal with half of my foot. Is there a known fix for this? I am planning to drill a couple holes to the upper sides, and use cable ties for now, but I'm not sure of the outcome.

Here is the misbehaving cap. It seems it was messed with before me, and the metal pin (which I think is supposed to be a spring of sorts) has dropped when I tried to bend it a little. The protrusions on the pedal body itself look intact, but of course they might have worn off to the point where they hold on to the cap at the edge.



To non-Xantia people, why this is important: THE CAP IS THE BRAKE SWITCH. without the cap on, the brake lights don't light up, which of course isn't... ideal when in traffic.

[xantia_v6]

The places where the metal pins have been glued on there was originally a plastic strip moulded into the cap. They are very fragile and even with care they often break.

I have previously repaired one by ignoring the broken clips and cutting a piece of flexible plastic (about 1mm thickness) to fit snuggly into the groove in the rubber outer cover, a hole was cut into this piece of plastic to clear the brake lever, wiring etc. The end result is that the assembly is held together by the rubber cover with the added plastic thing.

[octinum]

Oh, no plastic cap? Let me try that, thanks! I'll first try with pins, maybe glued inside first to see viability as I am pretty sure I'm not as skilled as yourself.

[Stickyfinger]

It is what god invented cable ties for

[ekjdm14]

I would suggest a couple of rounds of duct tape. And if you find the brake lights stick on afterwards, add some WD-40

[octinum]

@ekjdm14 I actually carry a can of WD-40 and a roll of duct tape in the boots of all my cars!

Anyway, I'm scared to remove it again, but I think I managed to fit the cap much better this time. I lost the paper I wrote the measurements but forcing the thicker metal pin inwards just a bit seems to have done the trick.

I believe a valid repair would be to heat those metal pins and push them _inside_ of the broken cap slots, not on top like the previous repair was done. Even better would be adding some plastic for thickness first. And when it is beyond repair, @Stickyfinger solution seems to be the permanent solution.

Also, the way the switch contacts look, perhaps my mods-to-be-done list could include a brake light relay mod. But that's a long way until there; the next job is the diode mod for the Hydractive control unit.

[octinum]

Confirming the solution. With mine, the plastic "borders" of the cutouts on the sides of the pedal cap were broken, preventing latching with the pedal switch body tabs. Basically, all four points should be like the one on the upper left side in the photo.

Trying to push the metal pin someone had added before me inside did the trick. I drove the car for some time tonight, testing the pedal including heel-and-toe attempts, and the cap did not fall.