Hi i am 15 trying to learn some skills to be a mechanic. I am servicing my mums old ED falcon to get a RWC i have crossed some thing off the list that needed some attention. The hand brake badly need adjusting... i will drive it and the handbrake cant stop the car if i go about 2 km h it will take 3sec to stop it. Can any body help me please ??? and one more thing last year i took the battery out and then put it back in ever since the ( Check ABS ) light has been on does any body know how to reset it ?


Nathan

O.k. dude: it is good that you are trying to get some mechanical knowledge. However, seeing that you are 15, I highly recommend that you "seek professional advice". The motor car is a complicated device, and mistakes can be deadly!!

*1: buy yourself a manual suitable for the car you are looking at. AND STUDY IT!!!!!!! (I have a shelf full of manuals dating back to the 1970's ish)

*2: at 15, I can only surmise that your toolkit is but basic. The adjustment of the handbrake and rear brakes on the EA - ED requires specialised tools (IFIRC) (my toolkit is worth $thousands)

As far as the "check ABS" light goes, I can only suggest that you check all the fuses. Look in the manual to see where they are located

I would recommend that you leave it to the professionals, and look at a TAFE course.

I tried to get an Austin A40 going at 17, and failed dismally due to lack of knowledge. Now, after 40+ years of mechaniking, I reckon I could fix the space shuttle (not )

ok thanks for the advice but ill do it my self i dont think that im that bad at it so far i have changed the brake pads, exhaust and some other things i know its not much but it is for me anyway im just trying to to get a rwc i might buy one of those books... the hand brake prob had nothing to do with me changing brake pads it was like that for a long time before i changed them but thanks for replying

take a t-vet (or equivalent) course, you can do it as a straight replacement of some school subjects, i think. then you can go into tafe with credit for some modules once youre done with school and into the workforce and an apprenticeship

but to answer your question, the handbrake is dependent on the rear brakes, because ford thought it would be a great idea to have an integrated handbrake. the only way you can really adjust them is with the cable thats under i think the drivers side of the car. but as long as it holds when youre parked on an incline, it should be alright.

you mentioned you did the rear pads, so im going to assume you know what youre doing with this. for the check ABS light, i think the proper way is to hook up a diagnostic computer to it and clear the codes that way.

you put the sensors back in corectly? thre are no boken cables or materials on the sensors is there? keep up the good work man its good to see your a keen kid whos getting to do some work on cars. Enjoy!

Greenie

Like the other guys stated... Brakes aren't something I'd trust to a 15 year old to work on... If you got them wrong and killed your family, would be able to live with yourself? Brakes are what stops deaths... and they have to be well maintained... When you put the two caliper bolts back in you locktited them yeah? This is one of many essential brake related things... You checked the discs? they were legal thickness? weren't gouged, etc etc. You checked the slides and made sure they weren't seized so you don't wear one bad out? ensured you didn't let any air into the system? and the list of cautions goes on...

Ford used that combination caliper for rear brakes and hand brakes... It is goot because unlike a shoe it doesn't need adjusting as the pads wear... It has a 1 way clutch inside the piston... Which pads did you change? There is a knack to the rear ones... You can't just squeeze in the piston with a clamp... you have to screw in the hand brake rod and then squeeze them in...

You've rolled around under the car? There are three cables to the system... The front which runs from the handbrake handle down to that pivoting arm under the car under the drivers legs... the left cable runs from the back left wheel, forward and accross through the pivoting arm and into the adjuster under the drivers bum and then a shorter right hand side cable runs from the adjuster back to the right wheel...

Before you adjust the adjuster... make sure none of the cables are broken... The left and right cables run through body mounts at various places and are held in with clips, the plastic on the cable breaks with age and the clips fall off and then nothing holds the outer cable and the system goes "loose"...

Could be various other things including you not having set the pistons in the back calipers correctly, broken cables, stretched cables. broken other bits, simply out of adjustment... best get yourself a workshop manual and read up...

thanks every one i have tighten the bolt on the cable under the drivers side ... it was very simple and easy. When i have finished servicing the old ED ( which will take a long time couse i have no money

I f**k it today. It went for its first drive in 2 weeks today and the handbrake was on a bit tight and when my mother stoped at the lights smoke came from the wheels. Then wile i was still in town i went to Earlville - i live in edmonton, Earlville around 5 Km away from were i live and i coulnt fix it coz i had no tools with me

then went to start it ( f**k! battery dead ) coz i didnt put the alternator back in right. Jump started it and on our way back home since the alternator wasnt working the battery was about to die going 80 kms on the highway ( if is did stall there would be no P-steering or braking

f**k had to stop at the lights so me mother put it in N and kept it at 3000Rpm then birnout of the lights trying not stall. Then on the very last corner 20 meters from home it stalls going around the corner

Lucky only just made it home. so i took out the alternator fixed it the fixed the front brakes then adjusted the Hbrake again ( all fixed ) ... What a s**t day but its all good now LOL

Buddy... You're an accident waiting to happen... Best go get yourself some car education before you touch anything else... Sign up as an apprentice mechanic and actually learn something before you kill somebody... May not be yourself or your mum, may be a baby in the car you've just had a head on with because you've got no breaks...

For the record the car still works fine without the motor going... Steering works as per normal, it is just heavier and it will be most heavy when you're not moving (ever driven a real car?)...

Breaks works good too, just not as efficient and heavy in the pedal... Reving it to 300rpm wouldn't achieve anything if it isn't charging...

So from this, how you didn't cook your rear pads and warp the rotors, completely negate the front brakes and bodged the alternator so it runs flat while driving... Seriously buddy... Take a big step back and reassess the serious of the situation and the risks you've taken and the hazards you've caused... For the sake of all the other motorists on the road... Take it to a mechanic... Please...

my vote also goes to leaving cars alone for a while. you are the reason why mechanics need a license.

For me, the best way to learn is by doing. I'm an office jock, not a mechanic, but started doing my own maintenance long ago when I couldn't afford to pay for someone else's labour. Started by buying a correct manual for the car (Gregory's is pretty good). Then bought tools as I needed them - even cheap tools can be OK if you aren't using them every day. Now I do almost everything myself (including brakes and engine) and haven't had any major mistakes - but I am careful. When I get stuck or the manual isn't clear, I refer to Fordmods; there's a wealth of experience here - there will always be someone who had done it before. I leave transmission, wheel alignment, machining, bodywork, and some electrical to the experts - they have all the specialist equipment and skills.

My advice FWIW:
1) get a manual and read Fordmods
2) have a go, being careful to follow the instructions
3) buy the tools you need as you go
4) get someone with experience to check any critical work (eg brakes)
5) enjoy your ride and the satisfaction of learning and fixing it yourself