Hey guys, been stripping my xj of paint this past week and it wasn’t until today I noticed this wire rope in the underside of my car, the problem with it is that the bracket that holds it seems to be bent and not letting it move, I haven’t been having Any issues with my car at least not noticeable ones so I’m quite curious and concerned what this wire is for, can’t seem to find anything about it online, any answers are much appreciated.

The bent bracket

Where the wire attaches in front, doesn’t seem to connect to anything except this metal

 

Looks like the handbrake cable that you Americans apparently never use !

It is a legal requirement to have a second totally independent brake system here in the UK and many other countries too, and I suspect also in the US. Any car with an auto transmission has a Park facility that merely puts a pawl into the output shaft in the gearbox to prevent rotation so is a brake of sorts, and as far as I have read here on the forum, most Americans just put their cars in Park and never apply the handbrake, the Park setting stops the car moving. Modern jaguars have an electric "hand brake" that is applied when the car is in Park and the ignition key is removed, my MB SLK has the same. I can also apply this brake in an emergency like a total brake failure.

So your car looks as if somebody in the past has disabled the handbrake or it has been damaged by driving over a rock or something.

 

Guilty. hand brake??? Rarely if ever used, on either jaguar or Jeep

The one on my Jeep works really well....

The one on the Jaguar, another story. At one time, it worked, not well, but sorta..
I had the front wheels up on ramps make it easier to work on the wires in respect the . rear lamps. for a mysteious reason, I did not place chocks behind the rear wheels !!!
Transmission in Park. All OK... Til I moved the lever to reverse, intnding to see if the white lights came on!!! never got that far. it rolled back ! door open and me in the "V" between door and chassis. gonna get whacked? No, Saved by the Jeep. Open door hit rear of the Jeep !!! Good "tweak" on the Jaguar door It would not close. Screwed??? No, son saved it. Another tale for another day.

I farmed out the replacement of pds and caipers on the rear! I provided parts. Including new park brake pads. Well, as read no hand brake function. Pulling out the cane meets resistance that does nothing... UGh, too late to fuss at 'em...

Carl

 

Ahh, the stories our old shops could tell, right Carl?

Dave

 

On of the peculiarities of this system is that it was designed to be a "parking brake" and not what we usually think of as an handbrake in the modern sense. It was made solely to hold a stationary car and prevent it moving from a static position (eg: on an incline) and if well-maintained and properly adjusted it does exactly that. What it doesn't do (at least not very effectively) is bring a moving vehicle to a stop - something it was never designed to be used to do - the original intent was just to stop (manual gearbox/stick shift) cars from wandering off when unattended...

 

I only used my "ahand brake" on the very ear;y cars. Lousy mechanical brakes. Stomp hard and pull hard to get a stop. when prked, just put the trans in low or reverse.

My T had a "hand brake" it also functioned as a hand clutch?? The shoes were ineffective. I tossed them Mad it easier to drive. Park. Just let the handle forward and it was in high. with the high drag planetary transmission, OK most of the time. Not on a steep incline. . I had a wheel chock for that.

Now my 49 Mercury club coupe. I really liked that car/ three on the tree and OD..
I leaned the hard way. Do not park on an incline with OD engaged and the hand brake not set.... guess what happened... .

 

Us old classic Mini drivers really know how to appreciate hand brakes, especially the "fly-off" variety.................
Primary use, J-turns on full power, secondary use, parking.