Questions about MOT handbrake test

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VirusWar

VirusWar

Member
Posts
20
Location
Serbia
Hello, hope you're all well.
I'm from Serbia and we got a technical inspection of cars every year, I think it's the MOT equivalent, but could be wrong, doesn't really matter.
I have a Freelander 1, 2001, automatic. The questions I have, one of the tests is the handbrake test on the rollers. Car is sped up on the rear axis and then the handbrake is yanked, resulting in the car pushing itself off the rollers. That's a successful test.
I've been inside the garage when this was done on my Megane II, which is front wheel drive, and since they only got one set of rollers, for one axis, how is this done on a 4WD? Or maybe I don't understand how it works, in which I would love an explanation.
Another question is, should my handbrake actually lock wheels, or maybe it's made to just slow it down when I'm moving, because when I'm stationary, the handbrake does hold.
Because on a manual car, if you pull the handbrake without the clutch, the car will stall and some damage may occur, if the drive wheels lock; but on an automatic, what happens if you pull it during driving? Can it damage the transmission?

In the end, I ask all of this because I live in a rural area, and we don't have a lot of automatic cars here, especially a 4WD, and I read somewhere that pushing one axis while the other one is locked can damage the transmission or the drivetrain. This could be false as well, of course.
Should I inform them and ask of all this? Or just let them have it and if something does break, I get free new parts, from insurance? :D
 
VirusWar said:
how is this done on a 4WD? Or maybe I don't understand how it works
Click to expand...

In the UK, a 4X4 brake test is done on the road, with a special meter in the car called a Tapley guage. This measures brake efficiency by measuring deceleration.

A Freelander 1 shouldn't be tested on a single axle rolling road brake tester.

VirusWar said:
Another question is, should my handbrake actually lock wheels, or maybe it's made to just slow it down when I'm moving, because when I'm stationary, the handbrake does hold.
Because on a manual car, if you pull the handbrake without the clutch, the car will stall and some damage may occur, if the drive wheels lock; but on an automatic, what happens if you pull it during driving
Click to expand...
The handbrake should be able to lock the wheels. If it doesn't, it needs maintenance.

It won't affect the automatic gearbox, even if the rear wheels lock, as the torque converter will simply stop transferring torque, just like it does when you're stationery. ;)
 
Well then, I'll inform them about that and see their reply. In all honestly I think there's no need for me to worry, but still, better safe than sorry.
I'll check my handbrake, as well. It probably needs to get tightened.

Thanks a lot!
 
VirusWar said:
I'll check my handbrake, as well. It probably needs to get tightened.
Click to expand...

It won't need tightening, it needs maintenance, which is stripping the brakes down, cleaning the whole assembly, correctly lubricating the right areas, and reassembly, before the correct adjustment method is used.
If the hand brake still doesn't function correctly, then new drums and shoes will be needed, before the lubricating and adjustment procedure is followed again.

Simply adjusting the cables isn't correct, and causes it's own issues.
 
I got new drums and shoes installed ~half a month ago, and I assume the mechanic did clean and lubricate everything that needed it. That's why I don't understand why the handbrake isn't working properly, and also why I said I suspect it just needs adjustment.
In the end, whatever it is, it'll get solved. I mainly wanted to ask about the rollers and the proper workings of a handbrake.
Thanks again, cheers!
 
VirusWar said:
I got new drums and shoes installed ~half a month ago, and I assume the mechanic did clean and lubricate everything that needed it. That's why I don't understand why the handbrake isn't working properly
Click to expand...

Sounds like the job hasn't been done correctly, as if it was, the hand brake should lock the wheels with a moderate pull on the lever.
They need to be adjusted as per LR instructions in the manual, or they don't work correctly.
 
Well, they burst my brake lines.
I mean, they claim they were bad, corroded, so when they rolled on the rollers, and tried to brake, the line bursted.
I told them what I read here, they assured me it's okay.
I assume the brake lines are bad cause they were never changed probably, so voila. That happened on Monday, and if you fail the inspection, you got 3 days to fix and go again, and if you don't do it, after those days you pay the full price plus 50% more as some punishment.
So I manage to do it just cause I got a friend mechanic that left all his work, and I called some people that got me the parts fast. We worked for 2 days. Also I had to change everything brake related on the front wheels. Currently it's waiting for another inspection. And I'm waiting for results.
This country is fu*ked up.
 
GrumpyGel said:
This rings bells of the automatic adjuster having been installed the wrong way round - ie it does not adjust the shoes up to the drum correctly.
Click to expand...

Can someone post a picture of the automatic adjuster? I want to be certain for sure I got the right information from the web.
 
Alright. I passed.
An old colleague works there now, he called me and said, I quote: "You passed. Don't ask how."
All that aside, what he said afterwards intrigued me. He explained how they test the brakes, they roll the rollers till they get on the display 200Nm(don't understand exactly what this means, but it doesn't really matter), and then they brake. He said, that with my car, one roller reported 0Nm, and the other one up to 500Nm. He said, its like the power was pushed from one wheel to another.
They got two rollers for each wheel on a single axis. I said that people here (on the forums) claimed that shouldn't be done, but he said he got two Audi's Q5 both automatics and they didn't have any issues. I assume its may
He also asks me if he could borrow the car sometime in the future so he goes to some other center to check on some other rollers to see if its making issues due to the car or the rollers, he wants to be sure so he can report to the owner if they should contact the company that sold them the rollers.
Anyhow, could anyone explain this to me, if its because of the car. How does this happen and why? I'm not really familiar in 4x4 cars.
 
The Freelander uses a hydro/mechanical 4X4 system, where the front and rear axles are always connected with a Viscous Coupling Unit (VCU) in the middle of the vehicle.

An Audi uses and electronic coupling, so the drive is only connected front to back on demand of a computer, so it can be tested like a normal 2WD vehicle.

The Freelander 2 uses the same electronic coupling, so can also be tested like a normal 2WD vehicle.

Because of the mechanical coupling, the Freelander 1 should be tested on the road, or on a 4 wheel roller, unless the propshafts are removed, making it a 2WD.

For reference on brake performance.
You should be getting about 450Nm per front wheel, and maybe up to 400Nm per rear wheel, so something is amiss if you're not getting figures close.
The only way to know the figures is to remove the propshafts before the roller test.
 
Thank you for that answer. I also wanted to ask the difference between FL 1 and 2 in this matter, so thank you for that, as well.
Well I guess inexperience and lack of education is what brings us here. All of the people working there are under 30 and all have only courses that last one year, teaching them how to use the equipment and stuff.
Imma tell them all this, and hopefully now they learn that there are cars like this, so they should take care in the future.
I learned a lot, too.

I appreciate everyone that took their time to respo
 
VirusWar said:
Well I guess inexperience and lack of education is what brings us here. All of the people working there are under 30 and all have only courses that last one year, teaching them how to use the equipment and stuff.
Imma tell them all this, and hopefully now they learn that there are cars like this, so they should take care in the future.
Click to expand...

Wow, and that's allowed?

I'd not want anyone with so little experience to repair the brakes on a vehicle that my wife and children go in.

With over 35 years experience, I have trust issues with anyone working on my vehicles, especially brakes, steering and suspension components.
 
Oh no, I meant they work in the inspection center. The mechanics are something else, the inspection guys just take your car, and then tell you if you can register the car or not.
But its dumb, the country changed the laws this year, and people were failing because they didn't have the plastic cap over the lock (that you remove if your car doesn't wanna unlock from the fob, so you see the keyhole on the door). If you didn't have it, you fail. If your power windows don't fold down, you fail. If your seat belts don't retract fully when you let them go, you fail.

What I dislike is the lack of knowledge about these stuff, what if I didn't know the guys there? They would just get bad info from the rollers, cause they cant test it properly, and I would fail it. Because he said that they had a hard time getting it to brake how it should.
And then, whos fault it is? Whatever I would do, I would still fail it.
 
I thought the rollers go in opposite directions, at a slow speed. One cancels the other at the diff and the prop doesn't move, only if an roller speed is different on each side.
 
Yea the rollers go opposite of each other. We talked today and he said that they have options for it, and they tried both things. If he rolls it in the same direction, he said one gets stuck and the rollers computer gives up, probably not to damage anything.
 
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