D2 Handbrake adjustment Procedure

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Thanks Fluids



Chock wheels, handbrake off, auto in P ... and if you have SLS, engage off-road mode ... keeps the blasted muffler off your chest! I also put an axle stand under the tow hitch ... just in case. Don't wind it up more than just touching under the tow hitch, or the SLS will level out by releasing air from the bags and the axle stand will then be taking the full weight of the rear of the vehicle.

Adjust your handbrake shoes. Turn the adjuster nut at the bottom/centre on the handbrake assy/drum backing plate clockwise, until it comes to a stop, then, back it off/out 1.5 turns. I think that's a 17mm socket from memory. It's recessed in slightly so you need a longer socket ... I used a sliding 1/2' drive T bar which projected a std socket in just far enough.

(See 2x pictures at beginning of this thread for identification purposes.)

Hold the handbrake cable outer with a spanner (12/13mm[edit, may be bigger!]). A short handled spanner is prefered. I used a pair of short/small shifting spanners. You'll probably need to pull back the foil insulation wrap to expose the nut on the cable outer.

Using a 20/21mm spanner, turn the large nut (which is against the underside of the transmission tunnel) in a clockwise direction to take up the slack in the handbrake cable. To get from 4-5 clicks on the handbrake back to 3 clicks, it took me about 4 full turns on the large nut ... you have to keep crawling out and checking the handbrake travel. Don't forget to release the handbrake each time BEFORE you crawl back under the Disco ...

I found the easiest access was to lie with your legs out the passenger side, with the exhaust join at the front of the front muffler above your face. That way it's a bit easier to get both arms up into the rather limited space you have to work in.

... and a pair of saftey glasses are a must as all the road debris keeps falling down into your eyes!

Please excuse my spanner sizes ... I measured the shifter openings after the fact but that should get you there.

Now you should have a handbrake that does nothing for the first 2x clicks, then grabs like a mother on the 3rd click ... and that's another job crossed off the list.

Kev..