The Plus 8 has a hand-brake warning light, like most "modern" cars.
In recent weeks the light wouldn’t always go off when the hand brake was released, occasionally it would come on when driving.
The parking brake callipers were not getting hot, so I was reasonably sure the brake wasn’t actually on. So I thought the switch that senses hand brake lever position must be faulty. Or a loose wire, perhaps.
As this is a Morgan I assumed that the switch would be simple, probably under the lever. So I removed the leather gaiter, just 6 screws held it in place to take a look.
This is what I found:
Careful inspection showed that the broken zip tie was the cause of the problem. It is essential for the switch to function as it acts as a pressure pad on top of the plunger. Without the thickness of the zip tie the plunger cannot be depressed enough to turn off the warning light!!
I considered fixing a pad on top of the plunger, but in the end felt that following the lead set by MMC I’d simply replace the zip tie.
With the cover removed I noticed a line of black dirt all around the edge where the metal trim fits, as shown:
So with leather cleaner I removed the dirt and then applied leather conditioner before putting it all back together.
The handbrake warning light now functions as intended!
So, if you have an Aero with a conventional handbrake and the warning light isn't working as it should the problem may well be a broken zip tie!
