So I believe that my drivers rear handbrake caliper is seized, I don't even use my handbrake but the other day while driving home from work, I started to hear a brake pad squeal from the rear of my car. I went to stop and it started to make a grinding noise then jerked to a stop when I got slow enough. When I went to take off again it hesitated until I gave it a little extra gas, there was a clunking noise, and I could drive off again with just the brake squealing noise again. when I looked underneath the car there is a clear wear mark that isn't as wide as the regular brake pad, and I've heard about the XJS' notorious handbrake issues, so that is what I think it is.

My question is: Is there a way to loosen the handbrake caliper without dropping the whole rear end? I don't have access to a lift and I definitely don't have money to take it to a mechanic. I don't need the handbrake to work, I just need to be able to drive my car. Thanks ahead of time.

 

My bet is that one of the pads has fallen off and has jammed between the caliper and the disc. This has happened to me, twice, following the compulsory handbrake test which is part of the roadworthiness test over here.
Some say (doffs cap to St Jeremy of Clarkson) that it is possible to fix the handbrake without dropping the rear axle cage. All I can say is I have tried and looked and found it impossible. If you want a permanent fix to produce a handbrake as good as any modern one, then my suggestion is attached. I am in a minority of one as far as I can tell, but this is an absolutely permanent fix.
Greg

 

Thanks Greg, I think you're right on the front of the pad falling loose. I'm wondering though if in the mean time (read: until I have the money) would it be reasonable to just remove the handbrake caliper tension bolt and take out the pads to avoid the problem altogether, since I don't use the handbrake anyway and I just need to be able to drive it for now because it is my only means of transportation.

 

If you disconnect the cable, and then undo and extract the pivot bolts (on top of the caliper going into the main rear brake caliper) that would work. They have locking plates so the tabs have to be undone, and I am not sure if this is doable on car or not. That would be strictly illegal over in the Old World though!
Greg

 

Greg I seriously can not thank you enough! I got up under there yesterday and did exactly what you said. It worked perfectly!

For future reference, it is possible to do it without dropping the rear axle cage (if you have skinny arms like I do).

Here is exactly what I did:

1. Disconnected the Handbrake cable, there was no need to cut it, I just pulled off the tension springs from both sides and removed the cable from the guide channels on the caliper arms. After this, I went up front and pulled the handbrake lever up so that the excess cable length was pulled into the sleeve.
2. I pulled the cotter pin from the adjustment screw and removed the screw.
3. loosened the handbrake pad retention nuts on both sides and pulled out both pads.
4. Bent down the wings of the locking plate that guards the pivot bolts and removed both bolts and the locking plates.
5. The outside handbrake caliper arm easily came off from here, I removed it completely.
6. The inside handbrake caliper arm was a bit more tricky, the gap between the rotor and the diff cage was too narrow to pull it out, so I pulled it back away from the rotor and used some mechanic wire to secure it to the cage. I used 3 pieces of wire and secured it in 3 different directions to make sure it would stay still. It seems to be working pretty well.
7. I placed the handbrake cable up in a gap between the cage and the car and also secured it with a piece of mechanic wire.

Side note: I left the passenger side handbrake caliper alone because I had somewhere to be and it wasn't causing any problems sitting the way it was. I may go back in there this weekend and give it the same treatment I gave the drivers side caliper, but for now it seems like the problem has been completely fixed.

Once again, thank you so much Greg, you're a life saver.

 

So from what your saying I could adjust my Calipers and pads up without dropping the cage?

 

I managed to get in there but I have skinny arms and it was kind of a pain. I could see the caliper adjustment bolts while I was under there and I believe I could have gotten to them, but since my only goal was the handbrakes I didn't mess with them. Not sure if you could fully replace the pads without dropping the cage, but it seems like I would have been able to adjust them with some effort.

 

Hi Villain

I've done it myself, replaced the inboard Handbrake Brake Pads, without dropping the Cage on one of my first XJS V12's

Most of the time you can't see what you're doing but I eventually managed it, as I've got skinny arms like you.

What helped me most was that no one told me told me how difficult it was, so I sort of just got on with it.

 

You know, when I first read his comment for some reason I thought he was talking about the normal rear brake pads. haha, I'm a little slow on the uptake sometimes. Yes, you can most definitely adjust and change the handbrake pads without dropping the cage, if your hands and arms are skinny enough.

Important note: loosen the pad retention nuts before anything else, as the inner nut is really close to the diff so if you release the tension bolt first there won't be room for your ratchet in there, and a spanner won't fit around it due to the lip on the back of the caliper.