handbrake adjustment & wiper prob

[lardy]

Can anyone tell me the process to adjust the handbrake callipers on jag rear axle. Also the wipers struggle & only move with a helping hand, motor is fine, linkage ok works fine when away from screen, any ideas? Failed mot so need to get sorted

Thanks
Lardy

[mikey]

The handbrake should be self adjusting. If its not you may need to take off the handbrake callipers and overhaul. Basically its like a sprong strip that pushes a wheeled cam ratchrt to bring the pads closer to the disc. Adjustment is carried out by pulling the handbrake up and down fairky hard a number of times initially. After that it shoul be automatic as you use the handbrake under normal driving conditions.
Mike.

[wilf]

Lardy - as Mike says, the handbrake calipers should self adjust. You might get away with adjusting the handbrale cable itself, most likely cause is stretch in that cable. I don't know where the cable adjustment is made on your particular car - it could be near the handbrake lever, or at the caliper operating arms themselves.
If the handbrake action has changed suddenly, you may find the same problem as I had - handbrake caliper pads had become detached from their backing plates and actually broken clean away!

On the windscreen wipers - is it an electrical or mechanical problem? First check the earth connection on your motor (in fact all electrical connections), second see if you have free movement of the operating cable within the bundy tube. You may well have to strip it all down for cleaning and greasing.

Where the wipers working OK before?

Wilf

[lardy]

thanks chaps, handbrake only stops one side so not sure if it can be cable but will try ,any other suggestions ? wiper motor doesn't seem to be powerful enough to move blades, only when away from the screen which isn't much cop.hoped there might be a quick fix or an adjustment to ease the resistance when blades on screen ?
thanks again

Lardy

[wilf]

Lardy - if the handbrake only works one side, I am afraid you are going to have to get in there and find out whats up - could be the detached pad problem I had. I do hope your car has access provision for the handbrake (usually a removable plate in the rear bulkhead), or it's going to be a right fiddle.

As to the windscreen wipers, as I said it could be electrical connection problems, a weak motor, or stiffness in the rack/bundy tube. You will have to track down which it is.

Wilf

[Kevin W]

OK, maybe daft comments, but are there any sharp bends in your bundy tube, or is the outer tube possibly 'kinked' in any way from bending during fitting? (its easy to do as I found out recently). Either could add extra friction to the inner 'springy coily bit'. Is there also plenty of grease in the gearboxes, bundy tube and round the drive gear in the motor ?

Kevin

[breskit]

I do think that "inner 'springy coily bit' " is a great technical description!

[lardy]

Sorted
screw on the caliper ,remove split pin turn screw to adjust,replace split pin sounds easy but my mechanic mate said it was f!£^*&g fiddly, had to use a mirror.now works superbly.He also sorted wipers by stripping down, lubricating they work fine now too.Now mot'd
Not related, but soft top on the dax, mine is only held on the front by the two pull down clips.In the centre where i assumed the hood would be held by the (thing) that supports the mirror it is only cloth & doesn't seem a good idea to clip it down as it maight tear.When going over 40mph it looks like it will come off.I'm sure this can't be right. You guys with soft tops, how do yours hold on
thanks

Lardy

[wilf]

Lardy - glad you got it sorted. BTW - that adjustment on the handbrake should be automatic, the system should self adjust. Sounds like yours doesn't.

Hood - on my old car, the front hood bows were in two parts, split in the centre. Each one had a "pip" which you had to slot into the wide opening in the very centre of the screen top rail, then when you pulled it sideways to clip it down, it was retained, since the "pip" had moved into a narrower section of the slot in that top windscreen rail, and being an inverted "T" in shape, locked in.
Thus the hood was restrained.

Not sure if I described that very well!!

HTH

Wilf