Troubleshooting handbrake - rear caliper

[Ardent]

might the mr2ben and other supplied cables both be the wrong ones?
Pfl vs fl

New pads discs cables. The pad nipples in the piston slots. The pedal pressed a few times to take up any slack.
With handbrake off, the pads should now have an interference fit to disc.
Is the adjustment now being done at the handbrake end?
How many clicks are you getting on the hand brake

[Gaz mr-s]

I would have thought the mechanic would already have identified if the calipers actually operate well enough. Use a pipe or deep socket over the lever & see how much movement it takes to lock each wheel. Are they comparable?

Don't use MR2Ben.....expensive.  I'm not sure if's one or both, but there is a difference in length of pfl & FL cables.

[Carolyn]

I'm suspecting duff pads.  It happens.  I had new pads on one of my bikes just not work effectively.

If all else is as it should be?

The brackets are plenty strong enough. 

[normanh]

I've had new calipers, pads and discs installed on old cables, one was repalced last year the other serveral years back. Both had plenty of free free travel before connecting to the calipers and adjusting the handbrake which needed a fair bit of adjustment needed but they worked well.

Norman

[MR2again]

I'm pretty sure the cables are post face lift.  One is slightly longer than the other.

One of the brackets is bent compared to the other so, if no get them stiffened up, I won't have to worry about them yielding in bend when the handbrake is on.

Valid point about the pads.  My.mechanic got them from his usual supplier so they should be OK but it maybe worth getting some others just in case.

[normanh]

Did you fit the cables correctly - on mine PFL they are colour coded for N/S and O/S they have to be fitted to the correct side!!!

I had no issue with MR2BEN's offside cable fitted last year fitted perfect a little pricey but it worked. N/S is 18 years old and still working fine.

Norman

[MR2again]

If the cables were out of adjustment, shouldn't you still be and to get the handbrake to work, just not with acceptable lever travel?

[Gaz mr-s]

If the cables were out of adjustment, shouldn't you still be and to get the handbrake to work, just not with acceptable lever travel?

No. Use the method I mentioned above to see if operating the lever operates the braking action.  Easy for a mechanic to make a judgement from that. Then take it from there.

[MR2again]

Spoke to the mechanic yesterday and he said he had done that test and pulling the lever on the scalloped did lock the wheel so does that mean the new cables are suspect?

[normanh]

The cables are different lengths and colour coded, I still wonder if he fitted them correctly. Colour coded red and blue and must be fitted to the correct side. I cant remember what side is what colour though.

Norman

[Gaz mr-s]

Spoke to the mechanic yesterday and he said he had done that test and pulling the lever on the scalloped did lock the wheel so does that mean the new cables are suspect?

The mechanic should be telling you that one way or the other. He should know if the amount of lever travel needed is acceptable/within what the cable can do.

[MR2again]

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted.  A friend and I took some measurements to try to find out what was going on. 

Pulling the handbrake on led to 0.1 to 0.15 movement of the cable brackets so the whole brackets bending or yielding was a red herring.

With the handbrake levers pulled up hard it took 80Nm to turn the right hand wheel while it needed 160Nm to turn the left.  Pulling the handbrake on moved the lever on the left hand calliper 7.4mms while the right hand one moved more than 20mm.  Most of this extra movement occurred in the first part of the handbrake levers travel as though it was taking up play.

So we replaced the calliper and, at last, it passed the MOT.

[Joesson]

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted.  A friend and I took some measurements to try to find out what was going on. 

Pulling the handbrake on led to 0.1 to 0.15 movement of the cable brackets so the whole brackets bending or yielding was a red herring.

With the handbrake levers pulled up hard it took 80Nm to turn the right hand wheel while it needed 160Nm to turn the left.  Pulling the handbrake on moved the lever on the left hand calliper 7.4mms while the right hand one moved more than 20mm.  Most of this extra movement occurred in the first part of the handbrake levers travel as though it was taking up play.

So we replaced the calliper and, at last, it passed the MOT.

Well done, I have mentioned previously that persistence is one of the best tools in the tool box.

[Gaz mr-s]

So we replaced the calliper and, at last, it passed the MOT.

If you haven't binned it, keep that caliper.  Numerous people have had problems with replacement calipers not lasting long.
If you can, try a rebuild yourself, or if necessary in the future use Big Redd to refurb it.

[MR2again]

Too late. I've sent it back and got my money back.

[Carolyn]

 Contaminated pads?