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amount of travel on handbrake caliper

Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 7:49 pm
by Alan 480
Just had car fail MoT, on handbrake among other things.

As far as I can see the amount of movement of the piston /caliper when handbrake is pulled on is 'low' ie less than a mm !!

it is the same on BOTH sides. this is when I have caliper off and have wound the piston back against the 'stop' has any-body actually measured how much it moves? I guess it does not need to go far as the pads are 'touching' most of the time.

I have adjusted both wee adjusters in back of caliper and taken ALL slack out of cable, AND it sits against the stops when OFF

I found that the bonding on one of the pads had failed letting it 'drop' a touch so losing ALL surface area, this would explain why I had a stack of slack to take up last week as I did my 'rounds' not very carefully obviously!! (I fitted new cables the month earlier and assumed it was just cable bedding in) :(

I did see thsi once before about 20 years ago on a FIAT 128 and they dropped into the gap tween disc and caliper and so stopped the car from reversing!!

Re: amount of travel on handbrake caliper

Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 7:48 am
by ClioRSiTurbo
Sounds like the calipers either need adjusting or are fcked... don't ask me how as never tried... my car failed on both front and back discs pads and rear calipers and rear calipers so I replaced the lot with quality / uprated parts where I could... got both rear calipers for sale both covered less than 800miles bought from ebc (ebc supplied them not manufactured them) paid 120 each. Factory finished in gold. If interested or need them feel free to pm me. Ps whole car is for sale in parts... just wasting space now.

Re: amount of travel on handbrake caliper

Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2012 8:28 am
by heavend
Hi Alan

You don't actually say why the handbrake failed the MOT.
Whenever any of my 480's failed the MOT it was an inbalance between left and right.

Reply with details of your actual symptom and I'll give you a step by step how to fix.

Cheers
d.