Posted By: Anonymous
Mot woes and handbrake cable route - 09/05/2018 09:06
Does anyone have a pic or remember for sure the route of the nearside handbrake cable around the exhaust?
When my coupe failed the MOT on handbrake/rear brakes 3-4 years back I replaced the rear pads myself and then left a set of new handbrake cables in the boot for them to fit if required.
They were needed and the garage fitted them with the nearside cable going over the top of (and touching) the exhaust. I remembered there was a heat shield tube over the original Fiat cable so got some heat resistant tape and wrapped the part where the cable was above and against the exhaust and it's been fine like that ever since.
There doesn't seem to be any allowance for fixing the cable anywhere above or below the exhaust without it touching and the service manual doesn't give any clues on the exact route.
Now for the last few years at each MOT they've complained that the handbrake cable is touching the exhaust, even though they fitted it like that and to be fair there really doesn't seem to be any alternative.
Does anyone have a pic of the proper method?
As usual I got advisory on handbrake efficiency so thinking about fitting new pads again and maybe new handbrake cables, even though cables and pads have only done about 6K miles since being replaced. When I replaced the last set of pads they were so smooth and glazed over they were doing almost nothing, almost like the rear brakes doing so little they were just polishing the pads smooth over time. Maybe the new pads have gone the same way already.
Emissions only just passed this time too, so maybe time to replace the 10 year old sports cat. I see various cheap coupe cat's on ebay but assume they are rubbish, so what are people fitting as an alternative?
The exhaust is a big bore stainless system completely welded together from end to end (yes, really) so the cat will need cut out and a new one welded in place so any recommendations for a big, high flow cat would be welcome.
When my coupe failed the MOT on handbrake/rear brakes 3-4 years back I replaced the rear pads myself and then left a set of new handbrake cables in the boot for them to fit if required.
They were needed and the garage fitted them with the nearside cable going over the top of (and touching) the exhaust. I remembered there was a heat shield tube over the original Fiat cable so got some heat resistant tape and wrapped the part where the cable was above and against the exhaust and it's been fine like that ever since.
There doesn't seem to be any allowance for fixing the cable anywhere above or below the exhaust without it touching and the service manual doesn't give any clues on the exact route.
Now for the last few years at each MOT they've complained that the handbrake cable is touching the exhaust, even though they fitted it like that and to be fair there really doesn't seem to be any alternative.
Does anyone have a pic of the proper method?
As usual I got advisory on handbrake efficiency so thinking about fitting new pads again and maybe new handbrake cables, even though cables and pads have only done about 6K miles since being replaced. When I replaced the last set of pads they were so smooth and glazed over they were doing almost nothing, almost like the rear brakes doing so little they were just polishing the pads smooth over time. Maybe the new pads have gone the same way already.
Emissions only just passed this time too, so maybe time to replace the 10 year old sports cat. I see various cheap coupe cat's on ebay but assume they are rubbish, so what are people fitting as an alternative?
The exhaust is a big bore stainless system completely welded together from end to end (yes, really) so the cat will need cut out and a new one welded in place so any recommendations for a big, high flow cat would be welcome.