9•14 Braking system
8 Remove the terminal blocks from the
battery tray. Unbolt the battery tray from the
inner wing, and lift it out of the engine bay.
9 Refer to Chapter 1 and drain the brake fluid
from the system.
10 Refer to Section 10 and remove the
master cylinder.
11 Refer to Section 11 and extract the non-
return valve from the vacuum servo unit, but
leave it connected to the vacuum hose leading
to the inlet manifold.
12 Working in the cabin, from the left-hand
side footwell, remove the four servo unit
retaining nuts, located behind the brake
linkage bracket.
Caution: Get an assistant to
support the servo unit as you do
this, to prevent it from dropping
out as the last nut is removed.
Refitting
13 Clean the mating surfaces of the servo unit
and the bulkhead. Fit a new gasket over the
servo mounting studs.
14 Offer up the servo unit to its mounting
location. Insert the link rod through the
bulkhead, ensuring that it aligns correctly with
the brake linkage.
15 Refit the clevis pin and retaining clip. Refit
the four retaining nuts to the servo unit studs
protruding through the bulkhead, and tighten
them to the correct torque. Press the trim back
into place behind the pedals.
16 Reconnect the vacuum hose by pressing
the non-return valve back into the grommet on
the servo unit; refer to Section 11 for details.
17 Refit the master cylinder, brake lines and
hoses, referring to Section 10 for guidance.
18 Refit the battery tray, battery and battery
cables by reversing their removal sequence.
Reconnect the terminal blocks to the battery
tray.
19 On pre-1990 model year vehicles, refit the
fuel filter and its retaining strap.
20 Fill the brake fluid reservoir to the "MAX"
mark and bleed the entire brake system; refer
to Section 2 for a detailed description of this
operation.
21 Test the operation of the servo unit, as
described at the beginning of this Section,
before bringing the vehicle back into service.
Warning: Adjustment of the
handbrake should be carried out
after the brake discs have been
allowed to cool completely, and
not immediately after driving the vehicle,
when the discs may still be hot. The
expansion of the discs at high
temperatures may give rise to an
inaccurate adjustment
1 If the handbrake has to be pulled through an
excessive degree of travel before it takes
effect, or if the rear wheels appear to be
binding, the handbrake may be in need of
adjustment (see illustration).
2 Park the vehicle on a level surface, with the
engine and ignition switched off. Select first
gear (manual transmission) or "Park" (automatic
transmission). Do not apply the handbrake.
3 Chock the front wheels, raise the rear of the
vehicle and rest it securely on axle stands -
refer to "Jacking, towing and wheel changing"
for guidance.
4 Remove both rear roadwheels to gain
access to the brake calipers.
5 Remove the retaining screw and prise the
brush seal out of the centre console, and slide
it off the handbrake lever. This will expose two
adjusting nuts, at the base of the lever; remove
the plastic lockplate from them, and put it to
one side (see illustration).
6 At the right-hand rear caliper, unscrew the
plug from the adjusting screw hole. Use a
4 mm Allen key to turrrthe adjusting screw
clockwise until it reaches the end of its travel,
then back it off half a turn. This should set the
brake pads just clear of the disc - rotate the
disc by hand, and check that it still turns
freely. If it binds, back off the adjusting screw
by a further quarter-turn and check the disc
again. Refit the adjusting screw plug.
7 At the caliper, slide a 1.0 mm feeler blade
between the handbrake actuator lever and its
end stop. Inside the car, turn the right-hand
adjusting nut at the base of the handbrake
lever to decrease or increase the clearance at
the caliper. The clearance is set correctly
when the feeler blade will just slide between
the lever and end stop, with slight resistance
(see illustration).
8 If the correct clearance cannot be obtained,
or if it can be set correctly but the brake disc
still binds on the pads, after the handbrake is
applied and released, check the handbrake
actuator lever and return spring on the caliper
for signs of corrosion or damage. If no
problems exist there, the handbrake cables
may be sticking internally due to corrosion -
refer to Section 14 for more information.
13.5 Removing the plastic lockplate, to
expose the handbrake cable adjusting nuts
13.1 Handbrake cable layout and adjustment mechanism
1 Cover 3 Cable 5 Plastic locking plate 7 Handbrake lever
2 Cable guide 4 Pivot pin 6 Adjusting nuts 8 Pawl release button
13.7 At the caliper, slide a 1.0 mm feeler
blade between the handbrake actuator
lever and its end stop