The 75 and ZT Owners Club Forums - View Single Post - Handbrake shoe retaining pins pulled through

Comfortably Numb · 23rd October 2018, 23:09

Has anyone else had this problem? Investigating, for this year's MoT, why the offside wheel made virtually no handbrake effort (it seems to have been like that since I bought it with a new MoT last year), I discovered, once I got the disc/drum off, that the short retaining springs were in bits and the push and turn pins were very bent and not in their holes. I straightened the pins, but found the holes in the backplate were cross shaped and the pins just pulled out. The back plates are not particularly rusty. I have had loads of old cars, never had this problem. I do know that I have found plenty of cack-handed repairs, mainly to trim clips etc, apparently done by the previous owner's "mechanic" son, but I can't understand how he has managed this one. One good thing though, I have discovered, having greased the adjusters, that it is perfectly possible to adjust the handbrake by removing just one wheel bolt, and aligning the hole, while wearing a head torch. Removing the disc/drums allowed me to understand the layout of the components, so I knew what I was looking at through the hole. Handbrake is now solid on the 3rd click, and I could pull it to 4 clicks if needed. I removed the nut on the cable adjuster (over 30mm of thread showing- tightened hard against the squared part by numpte mechanic), and put in a 15mm spacer - probably unnecessary after fully adjusting the shoes, - but it saves about 10 minutes of spannering! What a stupid design, just like the size and position of the rear caliper bolts - the easy one came off with a 1/2" spanner, the seized one needed chiselling loose, after I'd failed to get enough purchase with a 12mm open ender hammered onto it. Couldn't get a socket straight onto it. Bad design.

23rd October 2018, 23:09	#1
Comfortably Numb Posted a thing or two Rover 75 Saloon Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Penrith Posts: 1,336 Thanks: 165 Thanked 303 Times in 241 Posts	Handbrake shoe retaining pins pulled through Has anyone else had this problem? Investigating, for this year's MoT, why the offside wheel made virtually no handbrake effort (it seems to have been like that since I bought it with a new MoT last year), I discovered, once I got the disc/drum off, that the short retaining springs were in bits and the push and turn pins were very bent and not in their holes. I straightened the pins, but found the holes in the backplate were cross shaped and the pins just pulled out. The back plates are not particularly rusty. I have had loads of old cars, never had this problem. I do know that I have found plenty of cack-handed repairs, mainly to trim clips etc, apparently done by the previous owner's "mechanic" son, but I can't understand how he has managed this one. One good thing though, I have discovered, having greased the adjusters, that it is perfectly possible to adjust the handbrake by removing just one wheel bolt, and aligning the hole, while wearing a head torch. Removing the disc/drums allowed me to understand the layout of the components, so I knew what I was looking at through the hole. Handbrake is now solid on the 3rd click, and I could pull it to 4 clicks if needed. I removed the nut on the cable adjuster (over 30mm of thread showing- tightened hard against the squared part by numpte mechanic), and put in a 15mm spacer - probably unnecessary after fully adjusting the shoes, - but it saves about 10 minutes of spannering! What a stupid design, just like the size and position of the rear caliper bolts - the easy one came off with a 1/2" spanner, the seized one needed chiselling loose, after I'd failed to get enough purchase with a 12mm open ender hammered onto it. Couldn't get a socket straight onto it. Bad design.