Focus offside parking brake

Alt Beer · 2014-01-09T12:32:48+00:00

Focus 2004 Mk1 TDCi The car is due for an MOT before the end of January. The last MOT certificate mentioned "Offside parking brake Your vehicle has only just met the required parking brake efficiency [3.7.A.10]" When driving along the red handbrake warning light flashes intermittently. Would be interested in any clues as to what the cause might be and how easy / difficult it may be to sort out. Thanks

Jan 09, 2014 22 Replies

Rate this thread:

Alt Beer 12 years ago

Is there a handbrake equaliser bar on 2004 Mk1 Focus TDCi with rear discs?

Yesterday the car failed MOT at a council test centre due to less than 10% effort of offside handbrake (footbrake fine)

The tester said to spray the handbrake linkage on the disc caliper with WD40 and give the handbrake lever a good workout which I have done. Looking at the caliper handbrake actuator on both sides, the offside doesn't move quite so much as the near side. Leeds me to wonder re handbrake equaliser bar? and if there is one where it is located.

Thanks

Vote

Mrcheerful 12 years ago

the equaliser is above the exhaust, usually just a horseshoe that the cable goes around or a bar with a separate cable each side (I cannot remember which yours has) Do both of the handbrake levers on the calipers release to the same point? iirc there is a stop they should go back to. getting someone else to pull the handbrake on and off while you watch the levers should show whether they both return to the same point each time. A fairly accurate home test of enough handbrake is whether you can turn a jacked up rear wheel using two hands with the handbrake on, you can also get a good comparison of effectiveness by pulling the handbrake on just one or two clicks (not all cars have multiclick handbrakes).

operating the lever on the caliper with a pair of molegrips can also show you if the caliper hanbrake mech. is actually capable of locking the wheel.

Vote

Chris Whelan 12 years ago

[...]

Separate cables:

formatting link

Chris

Vote

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required