Which wheels does it work on and can it be tightened as it seems to do virtually Sweet FA.......

i ask as i changed a wheel and the caar ket rolling alonmg trhe road whilst trying to undo the nuts till my mate sat init with his foot on the floor with the brake pedal, also when on it's side the rear wheels span freely and the front span but stop when you let go of it.

thanks from john

Hi,
....I'm assuming that this is a serious question. My first advice would be to buy a handbook (Haynes).

If the handbrakes on Panda's work at all, they operate inside the rear drums. You can adjust them underneath the car. About 2thirds of the way down the car (from the front), in the centre you will see where the handbrake cable pulls a loop of cable, each end of which is attached to the rear hubs. At the end of the handbrake cable is a threaded section with two nuts on. Seperate the two and wind the one against the rear loop up until your handbrake only come up 3 clicks, then tighten the other nut hard against it.

If your handbrake still dosn't hold, strip your rear brakes down very,very soon !

hmmm so it works on the rear brakes....

have haynes manula but usually find there a load fo rubbish when it comes to most questions but good for giving insturctions.

So the front wheel is stiff to turn for no reason then...anyideas?

As in the frotn wheel will turn when span (in mid-air by hand) but comes to a halt almost immediat;y, yet the rear wheels with the hand brake on spins freely :S

oh dear.

thanks from john

John Lawley said:

So the front wheel is stiff to turn for no reason then...anyideas?

As in the frotn wheel will turn when span (in mid-air by hand) but comes to a halt almost immediat;y, yet the rear wheels with the hand brake on spins freely :S

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Check the thread below about sticky brakes - that's probably where you are, particularly if that wheel/hub is much hotter than the other side when you stop after a run.

Your front brakes are disks my friend. If the front ones have been as neglected as the rear ones; it is likely that the brake pads are jammed up against the disc. This is not good. Your disc could fracture.

Dismantle the calliper, clean away the rust and other deposits, check the pads and replace if needed. Check the hydraulics. Re-fit, using copper grease on all moving components ( except,of course, the discs and brake pads !)

rebuild brakes time yay

i take this will also increase my MPG when sorted out?

from john

It follows that it will increase mpg. Enjoy.

Without starting a new thread I've just decided to jump onto this one as it's the closest to my query in so far as it involves the handbrake.

My rear suspension and axle was to get replaced and my Mechanic had started to remove it and in doing so removed the handbrake cable; he couldn't finish the job as he said more parts were required and to cut the story short I had to take the car home. I decided I would put the car through the MOT in the hope that it may well pass despite the rear suspension's corrosion and if anything it would identify any other unknown faults. I managed to get an MOT appointment for tomorrow afternoon due to a cancellation.

However, I noticed that following my Mechanic's removal and refitting of the handbrake cable that the handbrake lever now pulls the full way up (about an 80° angle from the floor) and the car can still be pushed with the it fully up! I asked him to look at it and he adjusted it again but with barely any improvement; he said it's been adjusted as far as it will go. The handbrake was 100% since I bought the car and only ever needed about four clicks as anyone would expect of a handbrake. Now since it has been poked with it has got into this state and all before the MOT tomorrow!

I've attached some photos that show it has been adjusted to it's full extent and also that some new cable ties have been used to attach the cable to the axle. There is some slight resistance when pushing the car with the handbrake up but it certainly won't pass the MOT.

What possibly could be causing this issue? All was fine before and the cable is connected OK to the operating levers at the drums. I can't understand how something so simple cannot be rectified by a Mechanic.

The outer cable is not fitted in its bracket! If you look where the steel brake pipe connects to the flexi hose you will see two holes in the bracket either side of the pipe. The outer cable locates into these.

Back the adjuster right off and you will be able to refit the cable easily, then just adjust back up as required.

I'm speechless...

Well spotted Mr. F

Ps. Please do NOT describe that prat as Mechanic.

panda1408 said:

The outer cable is not fitted in its bracket! If you look where the steel brake pipe connects to the flexi hose you will see two holes in the bracket either side of the pipe. The outer cable locates into these.

Back the adjuster right off and you will be able to refit the cable easily, then just adjust back up as required.

Click to expand...

Yeah that's a pretty poor show for a mechanic! Those extra cable ties were the only reason the handbrake was working at all.

kolza said:

I'm speechless...

Well spotted Mr. F

Ps. Please do NOT describe that prat as Mechanic.

Click to expand...

Brilliant! Happy days
Thanks kolza and panda1408. I see what you mean, the outer sheaths' ends of the handbrake cable is not set into its steel plate. Easy when you know how or it's pointed out.....I feel stupid having to mention such an elementary mistake and thought it was something more complex especially when a thread search didn't pick up anyone else having the same problem.

I'm getting fed up with these stupid small problems arrising, I stopped taking the Mito to him a few years ago after they tried to undo the moulded in artificial hexagon bolts that are a design of the engine cover :bang: Not forgetting too the stripped oil sump bung threads that ended up in a new sump pan at £200. For me to take the Panda to MOT tomorrow with something as obvious as a handbrake that does about 25 clicks and still doesn't hold would be a joke and embarrassment. Anyhow, MOT is in afternoon and I've arranged to get it looked at and corrected my another Mechanic recommended by my dad.

I could do so much car work myself if only I'd access to a ramp.

Thanks again guys for your help.

Got to love this forum

Looks to me like new untrained monkey not capable of using spanners and brain cells.
If it were me I would check that his nuts are tight on what he has done!
And ask for a bloody refund.
Dave

Chancer dare say!!!

pandamaniac said:

Looks to me like new untrained monkey not capable of using spanners and brain cells.
If it were me I would check that his nuts are tight on what he has done!
And ask for a bloody refund.
Dave

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Just had MOT done and it failed on the corrosion of the rear nearside spring's top and bottom mountings/cup. I thought it would anyway and just put it through to see if anything else would be picked up and it did; rear brake imbalance is incorrect. Usually MOT inspectors are dull and depressed in their approach (like Virgin Media Technicians) but the guy I got today was more than helpful and even did the rear brake test 3 or 4 times as he said the imbalance could be due to the car sitting unused for long periods.

Sad fact is that the Mechanic who did the handbrake "adjustment" yesterday is experienced and not a trainee on a YTP scheme or anything like that. I didn't ask for a refund as I hadn't yet paid him as I was supposed to get all the suspension work done by him, but that won't be happening now. I know the proprietor well and he was a great Mechanic with decades of experience working for a Fiat dealer but is health as meant he's not "hands on" anymore and the guys doing the work just keep letting me down too many times so it's time to go elsewhere.

I had the Mechanic my dad recommended to me adjust and correct the handbrake this morning which he did in 10 minutes and of course it was just as panda1408 stated; simply just slackening the nuts and securing the cable sheaths' ends in the steel plate as shown in photo. Simples. I have also arranged that he can carry out the axle and rear suspension replacement in a few weeks and now sort out the brake imbalance.

So are you going to let us know the name of said garage so we can all write an online review of the establishment?

Good luck with the car

AndyPanda4x4 said:

So are you going to let us know the name of said garage so we can all write an online review of the establishment?

Good luck with the car

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Normally that wouldn't be a problem to answer but it's left me with a dilema as I know the owner personally.

I know it's a cop out, but I'm reluctant to give the garage's name as the owner has always been very good in the past but I've been let down on too many occasions in recent years by some of his staff doing stupid things to my cars, and so I've decided not to use their services anymore. All I can suggest is that if anyone local is looking their garage work done in Finaghy/Dunmurry area they can PM me and I'll advise them in detail.

Pandani said:

Normally that wouldn't be a problem to answer but it's left me with a dilema as I know the owner personally.

I know it's a cop out, but I'm reluctant to give the garage's name as the owner has always been very good in the past but I've been let down on too many occasions in recent years by some of his staff doing stupid things to my cars, and so I've decided not to use their services anymore. All I can suggest is that if anyone local is looking their garage work done in Finaghy/Dunmurry area they can PM me and I'll advise them in detail.

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Very diplomatic

Its a shame when previously well run establishments go downhill. Have you complained to the owner personally and showed him photos?

onemanmade said:

Very diplomatic

Its a shame when previously well run establishments go downhill. Have you complained to the owner personally and showed him photos?

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It is a real shame its gone downhill and I'll mention to him my reasons why I stopped going to his business when I speak to him on a personal level; I've got the photos on my phone to demonstrate the simple handbrake saga. He was a well experienced Fiat mechanic and I went to school with his son so have known him for over 20 years. I stopped taking the Alfa to him after some damage was done to it and I'm sure he's wondered why, but his health is so bad with so many ailments that I can't bring myself to talk about it now so will wait until the oppurtunity arrises.