Hand brake adjustment

I've had a look at the how-to's but they don't really answer my question, so please bear with me.

Last MoT, my handbrake barely scraped through. So, ahead of this years trial, I thought I would adjust it, and thereby eliminate the problem.

In normal use, my handbrake lever comes up two clicks, three if I really yank it hard (I very rarely do). This two clicks is enough to hold it on every road, incline and driveway I encounter on my usual travels.

Anyway, last night I jacked the back of the car up, took my back wheels off and checked the gap between the pads and discs on both sides. With the handbrake lever in the off (released) position, neither side has a gap exceeding 1mm. In fact, both are much smaller than that, barely clearing the disc at all. I refitted the wheels and, with the back of the car still off the ground, attempted the turn both rear wheels. I couldn't turn either.

The adjustment guide doesn't actually start with someone just adjusting the handbrake, it assumes that the calipers have been removed/replaced and mine haven't. I have a feeling that I'm being a bit thick and missing something basic here. Do the cables etc all need disconnecting, then check the 1mm gap, the adjust the cables?

Thanks in advance, Taff

Normally, the problem is that the lever on the calliper that actually operates the internal mechanics of the handbrake is wholly or partially seized.(what the cable attaches to)
You need to see if these levers are actually moving far when you pull the handbrake on.

The gap between pad and disc is controlled by the hydraulic brake system so is not relevant to the handbrake.
The 1mm gap mentioned in the handbrake setting how to is the distance that the cable pulls the calliper handbrake lever away from its stop position on the calliper body.

It sounds as if your cable may be adjusted too tight, compensating for levers partially seized. This means that even though you pull the handbrake on as hard as you can, the mechanism inside the calliper is moving insufficiently to get enough braking force to pass the MOT test.

The above scenario is the classic problem and can result in stretched handbrake cables rather than a properly working handbrake.

The only answer is to dismount the callipers and try to move the levers by hand. I think you'll find that they hardly move at all. You can free them off, but the problem is that the needle bearing on the mech has probably disintegrated. Then it will be new or refurbished callipers.

Muchos Gracias. I had a sticking caliper last year that I freed off using your how-to, so you could be onto something.

I'll disconnect everything tonight and run through it, see what whats

The piston on the rear brakes winds in and out using a wind back tool..There are 4 or sometimes 2 holes in the piston for locating the raised pins on the tool...if you don't have one I found the spanner on my angle grinder did the same job.
The best advice for adjusting the rear brakes is yo follow this guide that David posted obout 7 months ago..

Above procedure is incorrect for MG F and MG TF!

Handbrake cable adjustment in document enclosed.

Caliper is self adjusting, and does not need any gaps setting up between pad and disk.

Important thought, after fitting caliper, is to operate the brake peddle several times to move pads to disk, before operating handbrake.

The pad/disk clearance is dictated by the "give" or elasticity of the main seals.

If the pads remain tight on the disk, then most likely fault is the handbrake mechanism inside the caliper has seized up, and the roller bearings are solid with rust. This prevents the mechanism from releasing the pads when releasing the handbrake.

You can sometimes free them with penetrating oil (down the shaft that the handbrake lever connects to on each caliper), but long term solution is full caliper overhaul (not easy job to do properly) or replacement calipers (expensive).

thanks all for the answers and guidance posted, it's very much appreciated.

Last night, I went to disconnect the handbrake cable at the calipers. The drivers side came off easily, the passenger side came off fairly easy but was under tension. As soon as I gently tapped the clevis pin out, the cable snapped away.

Hard to describe this but I had the drivers side clevis and fork lined up, but the passenger side was 25mm out of line. If I pulled the passenger side fork to line it up with the mechanism, the 25mm gap transferred to the drivers side.

At this point, I checked the handbrake caliper mechanism on both sides. Both seemed free enough, plenty of movement and both returning to the 1mm gap specified.

So, inside the car, I wound out the adjuster under the cubby as far as it would go without coming off, which caused the 25mm gap to vanish. Then I went to each caliper in turn and refitted the clevis, easy with the gap gone. I then wound the adjuster back in until the handbrake lever came up two clicks and checked that the rear wheels were locked. They were.

Seems ok but until I get it back on it's wheels and on the (steep) driveway, I won't know for sure.

Clearly someone has been adjusting the cable far too much, but why?!

TaffMGF wrote:
At this point, I checked the handbrake caliper mechanism on both sides. Both seemed free enough, plenty of movement and both returning to the 1mm gap specified.

If this is with the handbrake cable disconnected at both calipers, then this is wrong!

With no cable attached, or the handbrake cable adjustment fully back at the handbrake lever, the two small levers (where the cable attaches to the caliper) will get pulled back, by the caliper springs, until they touch the stop (ie no gap) It is the cable adjustment that gives the 1mm gap.

This it to put a small amount of tension on the cables to ensure the handbrake lever is pulled fully down when released.

You should adjust the cable, at the handbrake until the gap in the mechanism is 1mm as per the page from the service manual indicates.

If when adjusted this way, the handbrake lever movement is too much (more than 3 clicks), then there is a fault with the auto adjustment mechanism in one of the calipers.

Adjusting any other way may cause binding of the brakes.

Adjusting the cable to give the required clicks is incorrect, and just masking another fault, and with brakes I would want everything to be 100%

To check this mechanism remove the caliper and brake pads (leave brake hose connected but remove handbrake cable).

Operate the handbrake lever by hand, and the piston should easily ratchet out (DONT GO TOO FAR) on every operation of the lever, and stay out.

When it has moved out 10mm or so, wind the piston back, and try again.

The lever should be easy to move, and spring back sharply with the spring when released.

Dont forget when putting everything back on the car, leave the piston wound fully IN and line up the pin on the back of the pad with a notch in the piston.

Do not operate handbrake until pads have been moved in by using the brake peddle.

Thanks Gors. I wasn't 100% certain that what I had done was right, so I left her up on the stands last night. I'll have another crack this evening.