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austin healey " E " brakes

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austin healey " E " brakes

After installing new rear brakes on my 65 BJ8 the E brake will not hold on a grade, the handle will come completly off the teeth, whats strange is the brake works just fine in a flat surface,2 or 3 clicks and its tight, the cable is ok, no frayd wires,no busted brackets,etc.even tighting the ajuster way tight gives little or no results, any thoughts out there?Mikkus.
 
Re: austin healey " E " brakes

Hi are you sure the btake shoes are properly asjusted to the drums and did you bleed the cylinders properly.???
OH one late thought the sliding adjuster pistons inside the break assembly can be frozen and not moving the shoes--Keoke
 
Re: austin healey " E " brakes

Hi Mikkus,
Are the bolts that hold the e-brake to the drive shaft tunnel tight? If the brake handle moves left-to-right, the teeth might slip off. Also, how good is the spring that holds the release button. Does the button require a fair amount of force from your thumb?
 
Re: austin healey " E " brakes

If it was working well before, I would adjust the square bolt again 'till tight then back off one flat. You should not have to adjust the cable if everything was done properly. Remember, it is totally mechanical. No hydrolics involved.
 
Re: austin healey " E " brakes

tahoe healey said:
If Remember, it is totally mechanical. :nonod: No hydrolics involved.--- :yesnod:
Click to expand...
 
Re: austin healey " E " brakes

Mikkus,
The emergency brake bracket was not welded very good on my 65 BJ8 and would " slip off the end " when trying to set the E brake since it was only partially fastened to the frame.
I had to re-weld it to the frame. I also strengthened it with a little extra piece of metal at the junction between the bracket and the frame.
Perhaps the same guy welded your 65 E brake bracket to your frame ( on a Monday morning ) :crazy:

Ed
 
Re: austin healey " E " brakes

Mikkus -

You're very first mistake is using the "adjuster" to tighten the cable. I assume you are talking about adjusting the slack out of the cable by tightening the fork which attaches to the handbrake attachment under the axle? If so you are adjusting your brakes wrong.

You must slacken this adjuster off completely then take up any slack in your brake shoes by adjusting them per the manual (i.e. by tightening the shoes by twisting the square adjuster peg on the back of the brakes).

Once you have done this, then you can remove the slack out of the system by taking up the fork adjuster on the cable under the axle.

Also beware these cables break through the front mount located in the driveshaft tunnel quite easily. Fixing that mount in the tunnel is a b*tch.
 
Re: austin healey " E " brakes

The square nut that adjusts the rear brakes is the primary adjuster. The cable adjuster can override the square nut adjuster and end up with the rear brakes on all the time. If you cannot affect the rear brakes with the cable adjuster, it is not hooked up correctly.
 
Re: austin healey " E " brakes

I posted simultaneously with Alan (Healeynut), he is right.
 
Re: austin healey " E " brakes

Thanks Tahoe, yes i know its macanical , and ive did the proper settings acording to the manual,out of coureosty i put the old shoes back on an the E brake work's ? though not as well as before, ive taken the old shoes to have new pads put on. these brakes from Moss Motors are about 3/4 in shorter in length ? will see how that goes, thanks ,Mikkus.
 
Re: austin healey " E " brakes

Thanks, to all of you who have given your advice, ive owned this car since 1969, i know it quite well, i do most of the work myself,ive had the tunnel off ,taken the handle out and its fine, there is nothing broken,i can see everything,there's no gunk under this car, its very clean,yes i understand the concept of the adjustment, i was just "fishing"to see ive i could get it to hold. Right now im tossing my xxxxx%^%D at Moss and there 3/4" to short pads,ill let you know, thanks ,Mikkus.
 
Re: austin healey " E " brakes

Having the original shoes relined is the best method I have found. However, the US lining and UK lining differ in thickness and some times you can not get the drum back on. So I would check the manual for lining thickness and tell the installer . Additionally having the lining riveted in stead of glued [ Bonded ] will reduce the brakes tendency to squeal , I also like to send the drums out too and have the shoes arched to the drums.--Fwiw--Keoke
 
Re: austin healey " E " brakes

Thanks keoke, yes im having them arched and these drums have been machined to the max so i think ,hope they fit,Mikkus
 
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