[John C]

Hi Harry, there seems to have been a lot of debate about the cables over the years. The compensator wasn't regarded as part of the issue at the time I bought replacement cables.

You are right about the cables not normally being the culprit. In the event mine were fine. I just hadn't rechecked the shoes and I believe they were the main problem. And the discs were in a very bad state too.

Good point about backing off 5 clicks. Mine needs further tweaking, so I guess 2 or 3 would be more like it!

Like I said in my post replacing the cables was an expensive mistake in both time and money and what got my handbrake sorted was new shoes and discs, with the rear adjusters re-set.

I saw the articles on the compensator and I didn't think it had moved enough to mess with it. In the event I've got my handbrake working with the compensator untouched, but maybe some have stretched more than mine if the cable adjustment has been over-done. I guess if the adjusters are cranked up with the shoes and hubs as shot as mine were, and as we know the cables don't stretch, then the compensator will take the strain.

Thanks for your reply. Hopefully all of this information will save others from even attempting cable replacement until they have tried the easier stuff. The Haynes manual suggests replacing cables from beneath the car, having removed the exhaust, then finding someone with fingers like E.T. to reach back blindly through the access hole to do battle with the clips. All to replace something that is unlikely to need replacing!

Thanks to all who have shared their experiences on this forum - so far it's saved me grief on dodgy indicators, a boot that wouldn't shut properly, and the dreaded thermostat job (ta Jules..).