Discovery TD5 - Handbrake Rattle / Some sort of other rattle at idle & 2,000 rpm

Hi all

I know that I've been a little selfish of late, and have a couple of issues that I'm trying to get to the bottom of!

I've got a rattle that I've posted before, but a local mechanic thinks he's sourced the problem, the problem identified is apparently loose handbrake shoes and housing, which previously was occuring at around 2,000 rpm (from about 1,700 - 2,200 rpm) in either first, second or third gears. Above or below this range, there was no adverse noise at all.

It was diagnosed, as apparently the mechanic has seen this once before, and this was double-confirmed by when driving the car on test and lifting the handbrake (gently!) whilst driving, just to the point of biting, the rattle is removed.

Now, I've noticed that there is a rattle at idle. I kind of suspect that it is the same problem that has now got worse and is now rattling at idle as well as in the range described above.

The reason for posting is that I just don't want to get this wrong. The parts (shoes and housing) are some £140 and the labour on top would make this an expensive mistake if it turned out to be something else!!! Any thoughts / experiences of any others users that might have seen / heard this before would be really, really welcome - particularly anything that can be checked by me at idle to make sure that this is what we currently think it is!!

Thanks in advance for any help...

Check the cable that runs from the handbrake lever to the brake drum, there is a cable clip for the cable on the transmission tunnel. Check the cable has not come free, get your mechanic to check this and anything else before you go throwing money at it.

The brake backplate has bolts holding it to the transfer box, did he check these were tight? It is a 15 minute job BTW. If we assume the bolts are tight and the shoes ect are adjusted properly then the rattle is either in the tranfer box/gearbox and echoing up the cable (very possible) or as mentioned earlier a loose cable touching somewhere it shouldn't.

regards

Dave

Thanks a lot Dave - I will make sure these suggestions get checked!

Richard

Finally got this cured - thanks to Gary at Bigbury 4x4 in Canterbury.

I've had loads of suggestions, from downpipe to counter-weights and so on, but the cure was the handbrake unit.

Apparently, there was a recall on Disco TD5's back in the late 90's, where a certain piece was removed from the handbrake unit as it was causing problems - Gary checked this, and found that not only that the handbrake unit was full of gunk, but also required a modicum of adjustment to ensure that the fittings were tight. This explained that when the fault was being replicated (whilst stationary), that it could be relieved by gently pulling up on the handbrake whilst holding it in the offending rev-range.

No parts required, just a bit of adjustment and clearing out of some crap, and totally thrilled that that fecking rattle has finally GONE! Oh, the relief..... what a good LR mechanic - can't recommend him highly enough.

Thanks pal. I would've never guesed the hand brake. I pulled up the hand brake while the noise was there and what do u know, it's gone. the noise dissapeared. No i must just go and clean it cause i don't think I can drive with it up all the time.

rjsdavis said:

Finally got this cured - thanks to Gary at Bigbury 4x4 in Canterbury.

I've had loads of suggestions, from downpipe to counter-weights and so on, but the cure was the handbrake unit.

Apparently, there was a recall on Disco TD5's back in the late 90's, where a certain piece was removed from the handbrake unit as it was causing problems - Gary checked this, and found that not only that the handbrake unit was full of gunk, but also required a modicum of adjustment to ensure that the fittings were tight. This explained that when the fault was being replicated (whilst stationary), that it could be relieved by gently pulling up on the handbrake whilst holding it in the offending rev-range.

No parts required, just a bit of adjustment and clearing out of some crap, and totally thrilled that that fecking rattle has finally GONE! Oh, the relief..... what a good LR mechanic - can't recommend him highly enough.

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Glad to be of service Theo.

... now if only someone had told ME what the problem was three years ago!!! Ggrrrrrr

Got to love this forum. I've had a rattle that's been driving me mental for the last few weeks. I looked everywhere for it and was stumped, then, a quick search turned this thread up and now I know where it's coming from! Now all I've got to do is get under there and sort it, then rattle free motoring once again! Happy days 😃

Steviecops said:

Got to love this forum. I've had a rattle that's been driving me mental for the last few weeks. I looked everywhere for it and was stumped, then, a quick search turned this thread up and now I know where it's coming from! Now all I've got to do is get under there and sort it, then rattle free motoring once again! Happy days 😃

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My pleasure - I always post up the solution to unusual problems when I have them.

That old TD5 that had the rattle went a while a ago now, and the facelift Disco II ES that replaced her has been largely trouble free for the last year that we've had her.

Only problem to report is being supplied with a faulty replacement windscreen that cracked in the top left hand corner within 24 hours of fitting, and Autoglass (and our insurer's) are refusing to replace. The feckers....

It's grown into a crack (a single line) that has come down and then halfway across the width of the windscreen! She'll be lovely again once this is finally resolved. Looks like taking Churchill to Court for the breach of contract sadly

Good luck, hope you get a satisfactory result. I always post the outcome of my problems because that's the only thing that makes a thread useful for anyone like me who is relatively new to land rovers. Mines a 300tdi, but the hand brake set up is the same, I believe.

Well, it wasn't the hand brake. When I got underneath, I spotted a loose prop nut. I thought I might as well check the hand brake while I was at it and was pleasantly surprised to find it looking like this;



Anyway, no more rattles! Happy days.