Discovery 3 Electric parking brake fun - more tales from a crap bungling amateur

[Urko]

Having paid the garage £200+ to sort out the fan belt tensioner (correctly diagnosed by fellow shiters - thank you), I had no funds (and they had no time) to deal with the handbrake.

These have a crap reputation but they actually aren't bad if you take proper care of them (which I obviously haven't).

Fortunately there is loads of internet wisdom on them, and the first job is to remove the mounting bracket (actually I recently came across a bloke who managed to dodge this step but not until it was too late).

The bracket is steel, fastened to a chassis bracket by four 10mm bolts into captive nuts on the bracket.....

[Urko]

[Urko]

Even gassing myself with plusgas, leaving them overnight etc, they just wouldn't come out.  I don't have access to a gas axe or similar so no chance of heating them, so I decided on my normal approach; buy more stuff -

Cheapo 3 inch grinder (because access is tight), set of cold chisels and slightly better bolt extractors cos mine were ebay chinesium ones.

Predictably, none of this helped much (probably operator error) so I wound up destroying the bracket to remove it. 

[Urko]

This is the actuator - actually rotated 180 degrees because the cover faces the front of the car when fitted to the bracket.  Next job, take out the torx screws and prise off the cover... 

[Urko]

So this is the gubbins - apparently I need to wind in the slotted rod at top left as it's extended too far.  If I am lucky that will sort things out (pending inspection and adjustment of the parking brakes).  If not, I am going to need the plastic cogs I bought in a kit off eBay just in case.

[Urko]

Man maths has me ahead so far as even allowing for unscheduled tools and a new bracket I have saved probably £900 on what the  garage would have charged - they would want to fit a new unit for understandable reasons.

[Rust Collector]

I need to remove the handbrake on my one - some helpful person has previously removed the top cover, and never replaced it. Hilarity* has of course ensued.

I will be watching with interest.

[Urko]

  On 03/02/2025 at 18:36, Rust Collector said:

I need to remove the handbrake on my one - some helpful person has previously removed the top cover, and never replaced it. Hilarity* has of course ensued.

I will be watching with interest.

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Is yours auto?  Mine is a manual so the handbrake does actually get used.

[Rust Collector]

Mine is automatic, so the non-functional handbrake was filed under ‘ignore’ for much longer than it should have been.

[Gaffer]

I’ve always done them by leaving them in situ and working above the rear diff. It’s a right fuck on but haven’t had to mess with rotten brackets etc.

Has it snapped a cable or have the shoes delaminated and it’s over extended that way? Last one I did I put a new aftermarket cable in the o/s (side that always fails) and it was slightly too short causing absolute Armageddon when the EPB was trying to do its initialisation procedure.
 

If you do need to replace cables then get ready for the backplates being fucked. Cheap enough to buy but require the hubs splitting to fit which require new wheel bearings. While you’ve got the hubs off it’s then a shame not to do the rear upper and lower hub bushes…

[Gaffer]

@Urko Looks like the mechanism has unlatched, have you pulled the emergency release cable? It’ll need the relatching procedure running on diagnostics unless you can get enough slack on everything to relatch it manually

[Urko]

Yeah I had to pull the emergency release as it was jammed.  Going to take a look at the shoes etc next.

I have two diagnostic setups for this - the icarsoft one which is multiple makes came up with a comms failure for the relatch so I will try the Faultmate instead or I may just see about relatching manually.

 

[Urko]

I was hoping to get away with just adjusting the shoes but suppose I'd better take a look inside.......

[Urko]

Wound back

[N Dentressangle]

If LR hadn't put so much stupid shit on it, the Disco 3 would be a great car.

Imagine one with none of this bollocks, no air suspension, a robust autobox and a reliable engine. It would be epic.

[Urko]

Without wishing to tempt fate - mine has been pretty good.  I've had an air suspension compressor and this isn't the original parking brake module, but all things considered it could be a lot worse - heard tales of much newer stuff shitting itself expensively.  The air suspension is great for hitching up the big trailer or the caravan, and you don't need spring assisters etc on the back to keep it level.

[Rust Collector]

I find mine sits too high for towing my twin axle car trailer, which is a bit annoying, and seeing as it has to have a type approved tow bar I don’t think I can fuck around and fit a dropper plate on it. I was a bit gutted the first time I hitched it up, and so I still prefer towing with my saggy arsed Mitsubishi when I have the choice.

[Urko]

Yep I am improperly using a plate from an OE towbar as a dropper on mine (towtrust towbar)

[Barry Cade]

  On 03/02/2025 at 20:20, Urko said:

Yep I am improperly using a plate from an OE towbar as a dropper on mine (towtrust towbar)

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That's a TL1, should have 2 positions for the towball? 380mm is the standard height for these, same as the OE bar.

[andy18s]

  On 03/02/2025 at 19:42, N Dentressangle said:

If LR hadn't put so much stupid shit on it, the Disco 3 would be a great car.

Imagine one with none of this bollocks, no air suspension, a robust autobox and a reliable engine. It would be epic.

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Ford/LR USA tried that and stuck the 4.0 V6 from the Explorer in as another alternative, think they sold half a dozen....

 

 

[Urko]

  On 03/02/2025 at 19:42, N Dentressangle said:

a reliable engine. 

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189000 miles with scheduled servicing so far on mine.    

[N Dentressangle]

  On 04/02/2025 at 13:58, Urko said:

189000 miles with scheduled servicing so far on mine.    

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Like all these things, it's the catastrophic failures that make the most noise!

[Urko]

Of course, it will grenade itself next week, as soon as I finish this handbrake now.

[somewhatfoolish]

Isn't the Dixon Bate adjustable a jen-ewe-wine JLR offered accessory on these?

[Urko]

OK, well round one is a loss for me.  I have run out of time and I need to use the car this weekend so I am having to lash it up a bit for now and have a further crack at it next weekend (weather permitting).

I adjusted the parking brakes (I've done this before) relatched the off side one and tried it out - the motor still just spins for ages but doesn't do anything - suspect the plastic cogs or the circlip inside are shagged, but no time left to investigate further even though I have a kit of the cogs to rebuild it.

Bonus points to me for undoing the allen bolt for the adjuster at the top just that bit too far and it dropping into the disc/drum, meaning I had to remove the caliper and caliper bracket and the drum, retrieve the wee clamp, refit it and put all that back - which took an age.

I still have no clue how I am going to remove the remains of the old bracket so I can fit the new one - my new cold chisel and massive lump hammer won't make any impression - but that will all have to wait a bit now.  

[Urko]

[comfortablynumb]

Got any welding kit @Urko? Id try welding a nut to those threads and see if it'll unscrew, the heat penetration would help too, and at least you'd have something to fit the new bracket to?

[Urko]

  On 05/02/2025 at 16:45, comfortablynumb said:

Got any welding kit @Urko? Id try welding a nut to those threads and see if it'll unscrew, the heat penetration would help too, and at least you'd have something to fit the new bracket to?

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Good shout - I do have a MIG but it's in storage 100s of miles away due to me being in between garages at present.  Thanks for the idea though.

[Urko]

What do folks think about leaving the mounting plate off for now?

The handbrake actuator unit thingy can't drop off/down anywhere as far as I can see, it's got two heavy brake cables going into it, as well as the emergency release, all of which are anchored elsewhere.  I considered cable tieing the bracket in place (I can't bolt it on until I sort out the bits of old bracket and bolts) and then cable tieing the actuator to the bracket but I am not sure I'd be gaining owt.   At least mine has the cover fitted back on!

[Urko]

  On 03/02/2025 at 20:24, Barry Cade said:

That's a TL1, should have 2 positions for the towball? 380mm is the standard height for these, same as the OE bar.

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Ground to the centre of the ball is 380, but only using this arrangement