I just replaced a leaking caliper on the passenger rear of my 2004 3.0 X-type and I'm having a problem with the parking brake. I changed the caliper because it was leaking and followed the service manual procedures. The brakes work just fine, pedal feel and stopping distance are very good.

The problem I'm having is that on the passenger side the e-brake lever doesn't seem to be getting any force to the pads. The driver side works well and holds the wheel when I push on the lever, but the other side is just kind of floppy and doesn't hold. It is clear that the lever is being actuated correctly, but it's not holding the wheel. I've researched on the forums and internet and all I can find is to adjust the cable, but that won't help since the cable pulls the lever the full distance anyway.

So the question I have is what is going on? Is there a method of adjusting the e-brake after caliper replacement, or do I have a bad caliper? I've tried manually working the lever in the hopes that it would tighten up, but to no avail. Any ideas?

 

Below is a link to a thread that has a written adjustment procedure for the handbrake. It is a ratcheting mechanism at the caliper.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...ocedure-92739/

 

Ozzlefinch, first things first, when you manually do the e-brake lever, is the center piston turning or staying in 1 position (only moving to apply pressure to the pad)? If the piston is turning and then turning back as you release the lever, that is what is causing what you are seeing. You will need to use a screw driver to hold the piston in place and then run the lever back and forth a few times till the piston is resting against the pad.

With the above, do you have the pin on the pad sticking into the appropriate slot on the piston? This pin prevents the piston from turning, leading to what you are seeing. Kinda like when you drop the caliper on to the mount, you need to make sure that the 2 slots are pointed in the direction that you are installing the caliper (ie, if you hold the caliper so the pins are at the 3 and 9 o'clock position, the slots in the piston should be at the 12 and 6 o'clock position).

 

No, I didn't realliy look at the piston while actuating the lever. Thanks for the info, Thermo, I'll pull off the wheel first thing in the morning and have a look at what you said. It sounds easy enough. Then again, if it's a bad caliper it's under warrantee. I just hate the thought of pulling it off if there is nothing wrong with it. I'll check it out and if it fails your test, then I'll get another.

It's just a bit annoying since all the rear brakes are less than a year old. I took the car in for a safety inspection and they failed it because of the caliper leak. I can't take it back with a faulty e-brake or it will fail again for that. Ah well, anything mechanical is prone to failure...

 

Ok, right then. I pulled the wheel first thing this AM and checked the alignment of the piston to the pad as Thermo suggested- even though I was sure I hadn't made such a rookie mistake (but who knows, it's still worth rechecking ). So everything looked good on that, but when actuating the lever the piston didn't move at all. The lever felt a bit wobbly and there was a slight crunchy feel to it as though the splines weren't engaged. Interesting. Very interesting. I took a chance and tightened the lever hold down screw (4mm allen) and lo and behold, the problem was solved! Clearly the Knucklehead Apprentice (3rd class) who assembled the caliper at the factory failed to torque the lever hold down screw properly. And his supervisor failed to follow up.

So what was the takeaway from this project?

1. Brakes MUST be 100% right. There is no deviation from this. Any defect must be fixed immediately and correctly using quality parts. NEVER compromise on the brakes, EVER!
2. I got a defective caliper. No way around it. I had the technical skill and forum support to help me with a simple fix, but the average Joe wouldn't have been able to repair it- possibly putting him in grievous danger.
3. The caliper failed quality control. The company will be hearing from me about this soon enough. Trust me.
4. Lifetime guarantees are boss!
5. The forum members ROCK!

I'm happy I could fix it without taking it all apart again, but I shouldn't have had to. I think that in the future I will have to check new calipers while still in the box- a few minutes there would save a lot of time after installation. Lessons learned.

 

Ozzlefinch, that is the first time I have heard of a lever being loose. Guess there is always a first. I would let the company know what you found and how something that simple should not have made it out of their building.

Enjoy the kitty and let her purr.

 

Truth is I've had this X for 2 1/2 years now and it's the single best car I've ever had. So I wore out the brakes- big deal- can't blame the car for that. The only real problem I've had with it is getting it away from the wife long enough for me to have a turn at the wheel.

I've also never seen a loose e-brake lever on ANY new caliper for any application. It's beyond my understanding how such a defect could have made it through a QC check. In any event, I have made my displeasure known to those that matter....