That is what I initially thought since the cable runs so close to the exhaust but, as I said, I removed and tested the cable and it is fine. Ivan
Well it isn't a fabulous parking brake but it does work. Pads and rotors OK? I know ... obvious but if the entire mechanism moves and operates well on both sides through the entire range of operation then I don't know what to say. Perhaps once it's in place and operating something like a bend in the cable hangs it up under load? Mine were seized from the long trip home to SF from Oklahoma with the GD air pump on. I think the cars with no air pumps probably never had an issue. Maserati and emissions systems ... they never got it right until 2002. Did the plate in the engine compartment about not operating it at higher altitudes amuse you? I discovered that one at 10:30pm while ascending the Bertha pass as I left Denver. Yes, the car will not operate but it sure did glow a lot! Bottom line it should work.
I think the problem is that the cable is not pulling hard enough on the hand brake calipers. If I wedge a large screwdriver behind the caliper levers there is still a little more movement once the brake handle is pulled tight. The cable is not over stretched as there is still plenty of adjustment still left. This is not rocket science ... just a cable pulling on a disc which in turn pulls two cables. It should work better ... but it isn't .... ahhhggg ! Ivan
Let me be clear. I completely removed the cable from the car (not a trivial task) as I wanted to make sure I did not miss anything. Cable is working fine ... no kinks, no melting. Ivan
The problem may be inherent in the design. I believe that the same hand brake assemblywas used on the Merak as on the Bora, but I could be wrong. Given that it is the same, tightening the adjusting gear then applying the hand brake is the name of the game till things tighten to a satisfactory level. Even with that, those e-brakes over time weaken. I just don't think the design of that self adjusting gear is the very best. Just Sayin! Ciao, George
Ivan, does the cable slide easily in it's tube? If you have adjustment left and you pulled all the way upon the lever, I can't see why it isn't fully engaging the E brakes, unless something is binding in the cable or the E brakes themselves. When I had my Bora, one thing that did bother the heck out of me was the brake lever not lowering below the seat level in the off position and pressing against my right thigh while driving. I finally had to shim the back of the bracket considerably to tilt it forward enough to comfortably drive it. Larry
Well there's always this ... Search results for: 'wheek chock' So do you get to the end of the possible mechanical travel with the lever? Or is it stopping far too soon so that you can't get good enough leverage with your arm? And then there's weight lifting to build up your arms ...
Well I'm glad then that I put in all the heat shields that I did. When I looked in that engine compartment going over Bertha pass it was cherry red on the headers. More than the E brake cable housing melted that night.
You are certain the cable isn't just stretching. You found there is more movement to be had at the lever arm at the caliper end after you've pulled the handbrake tight. Have you tightened the manual pad adjuster? There is a serrated turn screw that advances the pads manually to compensate as their surfaces wear down this is not automatic. Reference Part #7 on Table 22 in the parts book. PS - Did you ever solve the shudder when engaging your clutch? Best, - Art
I doubt the cable is stretching more than it should. The cable looks really good. I am familiar with the serrated turn screws and I adjusted them after putting in the new pads. I just spoke to a mechanic that has two Boras in his shop. He is going to check how much play there is on the handbrake calipers once the level is pulled. He suggested I try to loosen the front cable so that the lever engages towards the end of travel. That is an easy test so I'll try it once it stops raining. The clutch shudder is still there but seems to be getting better the more I drive the car. I really is not that big of a problem and I've learn how to dive around it. Ivan
Good luck with that test, I hope it works.! Your vivid, repeated, dire warnings about relying on the Bora handbrake are etched into my head, Ivan. It's possible that a weak HB is as good as it gets. If you consider the 'footprint' area of the Bora's HB pads, the area is probably 1/5th that of the dedicated brake pads, I can imagine this was a problem from day one. You'd have to apply 5 times the 'squeeze' to get the same brake-holding force as the regular brake pads. And maybe none of us are not getting that 5x 'squeeze' from our handbrake lever and cables. Generally speaking, the HB pads depend on a high initial "break away" force to hold, relative to braking force. So, once the initial grip is broken and the rotor is moving, the pads offer less resistance to roll, and away she goes With the small footprint of the Bora HB pads, it's easier to reach 'break away' unless the 'squeeze' is amplified. Which I can imagine is why most OEM handbrakes are designed to hijack the large-footprint dedicated brake pads. They don't need as much 'squeeze' to attain high break away force, which offers a much higher margin of safety. - Art
Well I probably wouldn't put it into any drifting maneuver duty! But I don't recall this ever being an issue once mine was fixed after that cable housing melted inside? Perhaps for youse guys a Charles Atlas course is in order? Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
The reason for wanting to have a good working handbrake is not that I fear loosing brakes while driving. I have confidence in the Citroen brakes. I like to take my cars on overnight trips which means the car might have to sleep in a place that has a slope. Of course if I can find a nice flat spot I will park there but that is sometimes hard to do in the Smokey Mountains. A good handbrake is useful when starting the car in the morning as there is nothing to keep the car from rolling while the hydraulic pressure builds up. Mike D suggested I carry a wedge to block a tire; which is a great suggestion. I have a couple of collapsible wedges which should work great and will store easily in the compartment behind the driver's seat. Ivan
Goodness no, I never meant to suggest the HB as a back up. Just describing the *initial* grab of the handbrake pads is the strongest once its grip breaks away, the HB will not stop the car from rolling. I always employ my handbrake along with engaging Reverse. Good idea with the collapsible wedges, I have a few sets myself. Cheers, - Art
From what you are saying, (and as a former typewriter mechanic who knows nothing about Bora hand brakes), I would guess that the problem is lost motion. (1) ". . . cable pulling on a disc which in turn pulls two cables . . ." It's possible that the problem is slack in the "two cables". Can that slack be adjusted out discretely, (independent of the primary cable or the rest of the mechanism)? (2) There might be something in the primary cable path that is preventing it from completely engaging. It might be some worn groove (on a curved guide) that traps the cable as it tightens up very near the limit of engagement, thereby preventing some of the motion from being transmitted to the end of the cable. (3) If none of those work, try releasing the handbrake and adjusting all the slack out of the cable so that the pads are snug against the disks, and then set the handbrake. It should lock up tightly almost immediately on the pull. If it does: then loosen up on the adjustment a bit and you'll be set. If it doesn't . . . I have no more guesses.
The problem with the emergency handbrake is the the lever that is meant to advance the adjusting gear thereby tightening the brake pads does not. Your option is to take that emergency brake assembly apart and see why that gear is so obstinate or use a screw driver/mallet combo and manually rotate that adjusting gear till the desired tighness of the brakes is achieved. When the hand brake was actuated in my case, the lever arm just jumped the gear tooth. The flat head screw driver and mallet won my vote and took care of any incline issues. Ciao, George
It has been a while and it has not been straightforward but we did it! The new EZ column, after much fine tuning is finished and ready to install... Will report when back on road... Regards. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Am I correct in assuming that either the tilt or in and out capability of the original steering column is no longer available? I was informed by EZ Steering that the in and out feature would be lost if I made the conversion. Can you tell us what, if anything, was lost in the conversion.
Hello Elliot--- First of all let me say that this is a completely new EZ steering column. The first picture above is the original Bora column we removed from the car. The second and third pictures are the new EZ column. The tilt function range as we know it, has been reduced because we touch against the dual hydraulic paddle switch at the extreme. I am actually thinking of simply fixing it at my optimum point. The telescopic in/out mechanism is no longer functional. You can order the column length to be at any point of the previously available adjustment; in my case furthest away from the driver. This not a life sentence as, if required, you can later bring the column nearer to yourself by using spacers. All in all, I have the EXACT same driving position that I have always had. Therefore, for me, all in all, the EZ PS is perfect. Regards.
It's a great system but I wish that the tilt and in and out functions could have been preserved. Just my take on things because I love the whole idea of adding a power steering unit to the Bora.
I saw but did not sample this system on a freshly restored Espada, a car which greatly needs power steering even more so than the Bora. The speed sensing connection via that cars LF wheel gear box I found to be kludgy. I think a remote speed sensor on the drive shaft seems like a much better idea. But given the design of this unit and that of the Bora's I don't see how they could ever preserve all of the steering column's adjustments and there's no room for such a unit outside of the passenger compartment like on some other cars. I'm very interested in hearing about how well it functions on the Bora. I've read some other reports and they were good.
Maserati 'Boomerang' concept car sells for GB £2.9 million, roughly $4.6 million in today's exchange rate.
Gentlemen---Drove the Bora yesterday more than 50 miles. The PS is dead on. For me simply PERFECT. Easy to park yet due to its speed sensitive nature no problems at speed. Also bolted on spacers front and back; it makes a difference to handling and IMO looks better too. The EZ guys were amazing. They stayed with us all the way through. We have documented the install at their request as they want to create a full manual for the Bora. BTW, while everything was apart also replaced the dash/instrument lights with LEDs. One can actually read the gages at night after decades of guessing. We have talked about the negatives of this choice before. However, this is a life changing mod, at least, for me. On a totally unrelated issue I have decided to add an oil cooler to the Bora. Any recommendations about hardware/placement? Prefer to mount cooler up front. I know the Meraks came with a cooler; where/how exactly is that installed? Stuart at MIE has an original Merak one for $579. For that price one can get a racing spec cooler with today's tech. Thoughts, comments appreciated. Regards.
Cool. Congrats on the steering... As for small LED lights for instruments. Where did you buy them and how many needed? My Indy would have similar/same number of gauges and lamps presumably. Sounds like a good idea for thos autumn. Martin
