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Old 4th February 2012, 10:57   #4
HarryM1BYT
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75 Contemporary SE Mk II 2004 Man. Sal. CDTi 135ps, FBH on red diesel, WinCE6 DD

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Quote:
Originally Posted by John C View Post
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.

Good point about backing off 5 clicks. Mine needs further tweaking, so I guess 2 or 3 would be more like it!
Not even 2 or 3 clicks - Tight up, then just back off just enough to clear the drum, I do it two or three times to get it just to the right spot where it just clears, with maybe an application of the handbrake in between, just to square up the shoes to the drum.

I managed to sort out my handbrake before the compensator issue came to light and did manage to get mine working on the first click back then and only later discovered it was a slightly stretched one.

Some months later, someone decided for what ever reason to fit a replacement compensator and happened to compare the original with the new one and found it had stretched, innocently mentioning it on the forum - not seeming to even realise they had found the cause of an issue that has been plaguing the 75 for years.

I would definitely suggest you sort out that compensator, irrespective of how well it works at the moment - it is a quite serious safety issue, they are hidden and I suppose could let go without any warning. They only really need to stretch a mm or so with the handbrake applied, for the handbrake to release. You really cannot beat the feeling of being able to apply that handbrake as hard as you like, with the confidence that the compensator will not stretch.

Your compensator is probably around the middle of the range of how far they have been found to have stretched.

I'm really surprised at the shoes being worn out, it is not as if they should wear on normal use. Mine are good as new at 100K.
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