Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Varche]

Marks DTM has a very good guide on how to do your handbrake. Here is the link.

http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1152564750

Take your time and don't cut corners!

[feeutfo]

yes, very good link that, and a well written usefull guide.

Use it or loose it.

[TheBoy]

Marks DTM has a very good guide on how to do your handbrake. Here is the link.

http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1152564750

Take your time and don't cut corners!

Aye, I know the guide well.  In fact, it could even be my car in the guide?


The amount of maintenence the bloody handbrake needs is frustrating - its one of those jobs I hate, but always needs doing


And, yes, I **ALWAYS** apply the handbrake fully without fail, so its not lack of use.

[ians]

My minif/l just crept through its MOT this week (with brand new eternal system in place).

One advisory was handbrake performance.  I too apply it all the time (well, when stationary.. ) so god knows what the problem is.   I guess another strip down session beckons when the weather improves and I manage to rid myself of the lurgy - doesn't seem a year since I last did it last:(

[feeutfo]

he was asking about head light alignment earlier, hope he's sorted by now...?

[TheBoy]

My minif/l just crept through its MOT this week (with brand new eternal system in place).

One advisory was handbrake performance.  I too apply it all the time (well, when stationary.. ) so god knows what the problem is.   I guess another strip down session beckons when the weather improves and I manage to rid myself of the lurgy - doesn't seem a year since I last did it last:(

Does seem to be a recurring issue on a few Omegas.  There is obviously something odd with its (standard-ish) design.

The little Rover, 10yrs old, 101k on clock, I can honestly say I have never, ever looked at the rear brakes.  In fact, don't think I've ever taken off the rear wheels (tyre place has to change tyres). No problem with the handbrake on that.

OK, so rear brakes are drums (so always in use), and I probably use the handbrake more on the Rover to, err, turn a bit tighter .

[Kevin Wood]

One problem with the handbrake not being part of the service braking system is that the friction material will never bed in to the drum properly so, even (especially) if everything is new the shoes may not be achieving a particularly good contact area with the drum. This means poor performance no matter how well the actuating mechanism is working.

I guess the nswer is to pull it up a couple of clicks every now and then when slowing the car and let it do some work. Don't overheat it though.

Kevin

[TheBoy]

One problem with the handbrake not being part of the service braking system is that the friction material will never bed in to the drum properly so, even (especially) if everything is new the shoes may not be achieving a particularly good contact area with the drum. This means poor performance no matter how well the actuating mechanism is working.

I guess the nswer is to pull it up a couple of clicks every now and then when slowing the car and let it do some work. Don't overheat it though.

Kevin

which I do regular (well, every month or 2)

[Kevin Wood]

What was the failure? Lack of efficiency?

Was it the same on both sides?

Only other thing I can think of is that the cables are getting a bit elastic. If the lever isn't running out of travel (which would be a fail anyway) you should still be able to apply the same force though. :-/

Off with the rear disks and see if you can rough up the inside of the "drum" area, perhaps?

Kevin

[feeutfo]

One problem with the handbrake not being part of the service braking system is that the friction material will never bed in to the drum properly so, even (especially) if everything is new the shoes may not be achieving a particularly good contact area with the drum. This means poor performance no matter how well the actuating mechanism is working.

I guess the nswer is to pull it up a couple of clicks every now and then when slowing the car and let it do some work. Don't overheat it though.

Kevin

which I do regular (well, every month or 2)

its in the manual that one, something about keeping the drum brake servive clear of rust and crap.

[TheBoy]

What was the failure? Lack of efficiency?

Was it the same on both sides?

Only other thing I can think of is that the cables are getting a bit elastic. If the lever isn't running out of travel (which would be a fail anyway) you should still be able to apply the same force though. :-/

Off with the rear disks and see if you can rough up the inside of the "drum" area, perhaps?

Kevin

The mechs look to be working fine both sides, and inside of drums looks good to me. I did strip the mech down one side, but made no difference. Guess I'll have to do other, but really don't see how that will help.

[Varche]

Are you actually following the excellent How to guide that Marks DTM produced? Here is the link

http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1152564750

It only takes about a week!

PS I got so fed up of mine last year that I bought new discs, pads and handbrake shoes in the end.

[Kevin Wood]

The mechs look to be working fine both sides, and inside of drums looks good to me. I did strip the mech down one side, but made no difference. Guess I'll have to do other, but really don't see how that will help.

I guess either you're not applying enough force to the mechanism to achieve the required level of braking or the friction surfaces are not providing adequate braking despite plenty of force. Hence either siezed cable/mechanism (appears ok, and unlikely) or a problem with the friction surfaces.

Was just wondering if the surfaces have got a bit glazed, hence roughing up the drum with a bit of emery paper, etc. followed by a bit of use might allow them to bed in better. :-/

It's always a problem taking kit cars through SVA where the brakes have had very little use but are expected to perform to a higher then MOT standard. Brake balance is all over the place, typically. Rough up the disks, drive it a few miles and it's all spot on.

Kevin

[feeutfo]

new shoes, de grease the drums, wack it back together and apply the hand brake sensably, say 5 second bursts, while driving at 20 or 30ish to bed in but not produce much heat, let them cool inbetween, i over did it with mine and the shoe lining fell off into the drum....if that helps? appologies if i'm covering old ground.

[ians]

I have had 2 Omegas with seized cables - just at the point where the inner cable emerges from the outer at the wheel end.  The plastic coating seems to wear through, cable corrodes and then sticks in the outer sheath.   I replaced the one on this car a couple of years ago so hope that's not the problem again here.
I'll try the applying-when-moving trick.

Certainly if I apply the h/brake such that it is as far on as can reasonably be applied (5 notches at the moment -I can get it another notch by some force), on the horizontal and in drive, it will hold the car in idle but not with any throttle - and I suspect it wouldn't hold it in idle on much of a slope.  That does seem pretty poor performance.