Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Handbrake working - handbrake stops……!

Pulled up in town today and applied handbrake and it kind of went ‘pop’ and no tension on the handbrake lever!

Made our way to overnight accommodation and had a quick look under the parcel shelf and can see that when pulling the lever the cable to right rear isn’t moving

It’s dark and late so need to look tomorrow but any initial thoughts?

To me it seems the cable has either snapped or disconnected from the front end. Still 1 week of touring to do in France so not ideal but not insurmountable if it can’t be fixed

Any suggestions as to possible cause and more importantly easy fixes welcome

If the rear cable to right isn't moving then unlikely the one to the left is but compare with image below showing the essence of balance mechanism from main cable.



If nothing looks amiss it does look like the issue is at handbrake lever end. If you can gain access underneath, ideally with car on ramp then compare with diagram below.



Likely issues are cable broken, clevis given way or even lever pivot bolt missing.

My plus 4 handbrake cable failed, (as others have) on the bend where it turns down towards the rear O/S wheel. It is quite a tight bend and the outer sheath had split and let water in, rusting the inner cable. You can only see the problem area with the rear wheel removed.

Only solution is a new cable assembly. I did it myself but a bit of a pig as it means seats out, along with gearbox tunnel and propshaft tunnel and of course both wheels off. The cable was well over £100 and stock was low.
If you have the parcel shelf out, try pulling on the steel cable that goes down to that wheel, and if it pulls right back out, you will confirm it is broken. If you are in France, then I think recovery to the UK will be the only solution.

Just a thought Doug. Could you not have pulled the new cable through with old one or is it clipped in some otherwise inaccessible place?

To the OP I would be tempted to manage without handbrake to complete your tour using first or reverse to hold car when parked if quick fix not possible.

No, mine was clipped in place at two locations inside the prop tunnel. The gearbox tunnel needs also to come up to fix the outer sleeve in place. (That wasn't easy either due to the mastic holding it to the floor!)
The clevis pin onto the handbrake mechanism is best done from underneath, but car needs to be well jacked up to get access if not on a lift.
It may be ok parking without a hand brake but hill starts could be a problem. Also, on ferry, wheels would need to be well chocked.

Thanks Doug. Ironically just come back from garage after doing general underside check with car on lift. The handbrake lever mechanism seems fairly well protected so not as mucky there as I thought. Found the three in my case clips holding main cable in place. Rear one on cross member below rear UJ easy to get at but the other two would need propshaft tunnel removed for access. At a pinch it looks like cable could then be replaced in this state, given car on lift and use of long nosed pliers.

On my 2018 +4 I had the nipple pull out of the lever inside one of the brake drums. I had to take the lever out and pinch it in the vice to close up the gap and then re-assemble everthing.
Cheers
John.

Thanks for the input and certainly the pictures

I’ve since found your post from when you changed the cable Doug. I’ve had a good look today - so far as I can without getting under the car - and the problem is definitely at the front. I tried calling a Morgan dealer near Tours but he didn’t speak English ( why should he!) and my French on the phone was no where near good enough to explain the problem😉

With the aid of google translate I’ve sent an email but no response.

The rest of trip largely avoids large towns so I will just have to manage the problem and get it fixed when I get home

Interestingly, one thing I have added to my list of essential item when travelling is some old clothes to be worn when lying on the floor🤣

Well if it is definitely at the front, the first thing to go for is the clevis pin and end nipple where it goes onto the bottom end of the handbrake lever. Best looked at from below, but if you dont have a lift, you will need to get the front well up on your axle stands to give room to belly underneath.
If thats ok, next possibility is that the securing nut for the outer cable sleeve has come loose and the hollow bolt that the steel cable runs through, has jumped out of its housing. Gearbox tunnel off to get access from the cockpit.
Note, it is not possible to buy a part harness; you have to get the whole thing.
When you come back on the ferry, get them to chock the wheels rather than rely on the gearbox to hold it steady.
“Bon chance” as they say over there.

Mine failed near Sorrento on a steep hill. A local mechanic simply ran a new inner cable for I think euro 40. But he did put 30 miles on the car with my permission