Handbrake and other irritations

sanjay · 10-03-2008, 04:31 AM

okay guys

noticed more little niggles in my car that really detract from my enjoyment of it. :(

first issue is the handbrake - i know its an auto but i really want my handbrake to be working 100% when im sitting at the lights on a hill or parked on a hill and dont want to rely on the gearbox to hold me there.

took it to jarvis ford (dumb idea but they had a service special on) and they charged me $70 to 'adjust' the handbrake. now it works on small gradients but anything more than say 30 degrees and its useless again.

they reckon theyve adjusted the shoes to the absolute maximum - and the next step is new cable and shoes. ive decided im never going back to them for anything but is it reasonable for me to take it to my trusted mech and get them to diagnose what i ACTUALLY need to get the handbrake working A-OK again? can anyone tell me what they did to get their handbrake 100%? ive heard that falcon handbrakes in general are pretty but this is unacceptable to me. so is the $500 quote for new shoes and cable for my 1997 magna a year ago, id really rather not.

second issue is the interior lighting. theres two rear lights above the doors - the left hand side one stays on no matter what i do. if i fiddle with the switch it will go off till i go over a bump then it comes back on. REALLY ANNOYING when night driving. my question is this - how do i get the light cover off so i can remove the bulb or try to clean the contacts in the switch to get it working properly?

lastly - the big interior light in the middle of the ceiling doesnt turn on when i open a car door. and theres no switches on the big light to determine whether its always on, only on when a door is open, or off all the time. simple case of dead bulb? and how the hell do i get under the cover of that one to replace it if so? dont want to break anything :(

Foggy · 10-03-2008, 08:54 AM

Hi Sanjay,

in regards to the handbrake it might be worth getting a second opinion on it. I recently bought a S1 ute with 275000 on the clock and the handbrake was stuffed but after cleaning and adjusting on the weekend it now graps on real nice.

See Ya

galaxy xr8 · 10-03-2008, 10:36 AM

There is a lot off thread's and topic's about the AU's dreeded handbrake, try a search and see what you come up with.

ronwest · 10-03-2008, 01:18 PM

As stated a search will find all the gory handbrake info.

AU handbrakes aren't "set and forget". If you want a working handbrake you'll need to commit to keeping on top of it.

Something I've discovered is that after it's properly adjusted, if you "yank" the handbrake lever up it will go out of adjustment much quicker than if you just (more or less) "gently" pull on the lever.

LG · 10-03-2008, 01:33 PM

You can adjust it a little at the actual lever end too.

sanjay · 10-03-2008, 03:07 PM

hmm done a search but still looks fairly complex. will see what my mech says about it.

any help with getting the light surrounds off so i can remove the globes or fix the switch? is it a matter of a flat head screwdriver and praying? :(

sanjay · 10-03-2008, 05:12 PM

ive put a new dome light bulb in but now i have a new problem - its always on!

does this mean the sensors in my door are broken? is there some hidden DOOR - OFF - ON switch that i cant see? :(

blackers10 · 10-03-2008, 06:23 PM

theres no hidden door light switch which is damn annoying when you dont want all the lights on aye!!

**Peuty** · 10-03-2008, 06:27 PM

Your dimmer switch isn't all the way up is it?

GK · 10-03-2008, 06:34 PM

Sanjay,

Check to see if the interior light switch is on. It's the small sliding (semi circular motion) switch on the headlight switch. The same sliding switch sets the illumination of the gauges at night.

Also, I had the switch go in one of the courtesy lights in the rear of the Futura. It turned out that the rubber or plastic hinge had melted and wasn't allowing the switch to properly rock to the "off" position. Take the lens out, remove (carefully) the mechanism and inspect. You could simply compare it with the one that still works to see what the issue could be.

As for brakes, have a look at the handbrake end. Slide off the cover and set the driver's seat all the way back. Take a 10mm open ender and adjust clockwise. If you've got some adjustment left, you'll see that the 10mm nut is higher up the thread. If you've got any thread below it, you've got adjustment left.

Also, have a lookie here and see if that gives you some ideas on the rear brakes.

Rear Rotor and Pads Change
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showpos...5&postcount=54

Filing the handbrake shoes
http://www.fordforums.com.au/showpos...2&postcount=68

Hope it's an easy fix. All the best with it.

GK