Correct order to apply parking brake / handbrake
 

Hi everybody.
I´m the new owner of a xk8, and I would like to know the correct order: apply the park brake on the gearbox and then the handbrake or is better the inverse order.
And the same to to start the car: which is the best order?

Thanks

Regards

Oscar

I personally try and make a point of parking the car with no load on the transmission. My driveway happens to be at an incline. As the car rolls to a stop, I put it in (N)eutral. Then I apply the parking/hand brake. Once I release the foot brake, all the load is on the parking/hand brake. I then put the car in (P)ark. The idea is to put the load on cheap, easily replaceable parts instead of the more complex transmission. OTOH, I have never seen reports of (P)ark issues reported on this forum for this transmission so this is a practice not entirely rooted in rationality.

I'm a little obsessive also. When I start the car for the first time of the day, I usually exercise the parking brake (up and down) to keep it moving freely and to make double sure it is completely released. This is while I wait for the RPMs to drop below 1000, and take my foot off the brake while putting it in gear just to save a little wear and tear on the transmission.

Like fmertz said it's best to put the load on the handbrake not the transmission. However my handbrake doesnt' work that well so the car sits on the transmission instead of the parking brake. I need to get it looked at, at some point.

Fmertz post is 100% correct and based on good engineering fact, despite his well known modesty ! !


1) car stopped and in neutral , foot on brake
2) apply handbrake
3) foot off of brake, if car rolls, apply handbrake harder
4) put in park
5) ignition off
6) the cat has landed



Z

Another good transmission saving tip is to put your shifter in neutral if you are at a long stop light. This also keeps the transmission temperature down.


Z

You guys are correct but probably in a minority, I've never used the handbrake routinely on either of these cars.

As long as the car is not parked on an incline, the transmission (locking) pawl is not really under any stress. But any incline will stress the pawl if the car rolls at all after park is selected.


no one knows how much stress is too much stress. But my local transmission expert told me once his rebuilding business would suffer if everyone used their handbrake before shifting into park.


Z

We used to get a lot of questions about seized Parking Brake. Owners were rarely or never using them. I haven't seen the topic for a while and replies to this thread suggests this is now changing or has already changed.

Like several here, I live on a steep hill. Ever since being shown the parking pawl on an XJ transmission in the 70's and understanding how little is holding the weight of the vehicle, I've also used the parking brake. RaceDiagnostics lives in a much flatter part of the country.

Graham

In CA part of the road test was knowing how to park on an incline. Who knows what is supposed to be the position of the front wheels depending upon a particular condition? It is not obvious. This involved the PB taking the load before the transmission was locked.
When the parking pawl has a constant load it side loads the transmission bearings unlike driving loads and with no constant lubrication. It could cause galling of the sliding surfaces.

i tend to keep my PB adjustments on the looser side but it still holds the vehicles on incline. Just hate that initial drag when readjusting them, seems like it would be a lot of friction and heat. Note, that if storing a car for over a month, would strongly recommend chocking the wheels to take the load, setting park and not using the PB. Ever have it weld itself in the engaged position. To prevent this and just for your sanity, never ever use anything in the same family as "white lube" on drum brakes or any machined hardware for that matter. It contains water. Guess what this does.