Transmission Handbrake

[lee_rob]

Hi all,

Does someone have a breakdown of how the transmission handbrake is put together or even a close up picture of one on a car. Mine is in place but seems to have a horrendous amount of play in it so the brake shoes dance around when the brake is off and makes a hell of a racket. When you pull the brake on is does work but only just and gives rather a lot of judder which feels most uncomfortable. I am not sure if someone has replaced the clevis pins with ones which are too long and hence the shoes can move fore and aft too much or if these pins are meant to have spacers in with felt washers maybe....????? I am grasping at straws here as I tried to take up some of the play with some plain washers in between the shoe and the split pin but I would need so many it seems as though I am bodging something that hasn't been put together right in the first place.

Thanks

[Ian Grace]

Lee,

There should not be much scope for play in the transmission handbrake. The two shoes pivot on the pair of studs exiting the back of the gearbox lid - the same ones the selectors slide on. There should be a steel pull-off leaf spring across the top of the shoes. If this is is missing, then that will be your problem. Underneath, there is a pair of links that connect to a third link (forming a Y-shaped arrangement) which in turn connects to one end of a cast steel lever which operates on a fulcrum pin on another shaft exiting the gearbox housing. The other end of this lever is linked to the handbrake lever - and a less than optimum angle.

Here's the transmission handbrake on my Semi-sports:

[lee_rob]

I don't think mine looks like that but I will have a look tonight. With mine the shoes can move fore and aft on the studs and so rattle around. What keeps these in the correct place?? Is this the steel pull off spring? I don't remember seeing one of those. I will check tonight and get back to you.

[Ian Grace]

If you look closely at the photo, you will see a black rightangle steel plate that locates over the rear ends of the two shafts, keeping the shoes in place. The rightangle plate is, in turn, secured with a split pin through a hole in the alloy gearbox top. Sounds like this is missing on your box? If so, it wouldn't take much to make one.