Hello to All,
I recently made adjustments (centre yolk) to the handbrake... after thinking there was not enough pressure being applied to the rear brakes.
(Note the rear brake pads are about 10mm thick)

Before the adjustment, I observed the following;

A. There are a total of 8 clicks in the handbrake handle ratchet travel.
B. The handbrake dash light comes on at click 2.
C. Movement of handrake cable (at calliper) started at click 6.

The adjustment made was as follows;
Using 16mm extended socket - I tightened the adjusting nut on the central cable yolk - approximately 6mm. Then observed the following results;

D. There are a total of 8 clicks in the handbrake handle ratchet travel.
E. The handbrake dash light comes on at Click 2.
F. Movement of handrake cable (at calliper) now starts at click 3.

One would now think that the handbrake (rear pads) are now closer to the rear rotors and hence now have potential to apply more pressure and so become more effective?

I test drove the car to the local Mall and back (5 klms) and did not notice any rear brake binding noises and the car appears to roll freely on hills etc.

However, on returning home.... I noticed that the rear driver side Alloy Wheel was too hot to touch and appreciably hotter than the other three wheels - which were barely warm to the touch.

My Query are;
1. Have I over adjusted the Handbrake cable ?
2. Why is excess heat being generated at one rear wheel only ?
3. Will this go away.... as the rear Driver side pads wear-in to a balance ?

If anyone has the official 'step by step sequence' for the handbrake adjustment procedure - I would very much like to hear from you and I would be very appreciative.

Cheers,

 

Hey Lcgi,


- Check that Xthe parking brake levers on both of the rear calipers are moving freely. They a re prone to seize!
- Check that both of your parking brake cables are not seized.

See TSB XT206-08 for specs
JagRepair.com - Jaguar Repair Information Resource
(The gap should be on one side between 0 mm and 1.5 mm and on the other side between 0.1 mm and 1.5 mm.)

See attached pic for how to measure and how to adjust ...

Cheers,

David

 

Hi David,
Thank you for your interest and valuable references.
I have since obtained and downloaded Info you referred me to
from Topix online, (well worth the £5 - for the 1 hour access)

I can now adjust the handbrake properly and according to specs.

Thanks again.

 

UPDATE: Adjustment

I put the rear wheels up on Ramps and inspected the Handbrake
Actuation Levers and discovered the Lever on the rear Drivers side
calliper - was not fully releasing via the spring return mechanism.

This I'm sure was the cause of the overheating mentioned earlier.

So, with a little WD40 and a couple of taps, I was able to loosen
the sticking swivel action of the Actuation Lever - so that it once again
was able to fully release under the spring return pressure.

Adjustment to specification from there - was easy and straight forward.
(see attached procedure)

Afterwards, I took the car for a test run along the same route as before... but this time when I arrived home - all 4 wheels were cool to touch and the handbrake is working very well.

JOB DONE.....

Thanks again DavidN for your reference and pointers.

 

I have a 1958 XK 150. The emergency brake has stuck in the further up position. The release button does not seem to be moving adequately to make a release possible. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Also is it necessary to remove the passenger seat to access the mechanism and if so how is that accomplished? Thx!

 

Hi RoverBob,
This particular forum is for X-Types that are about 50 years newer than your classic Jag, so you might want to try the forum for XK 150's.

Try here:

XK120 XK140 XK150 - Jaguar Forums - Jaguar Enthusiasts Forum