| Author | Message | ||
     Jackie Burbidge Unregistered guest Posted From: 121.222.96.19 |
can the auto transmission be manually put into neutral by disconnecting the link I have a broken key ( not in the lock thank goodness)i cant move the car forward to get my other car out to go and get another key. (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Lungmuss Unregistered guest Posted From: 195.93.21.34 |
Jackie, I see you posted this message a few days ago so I thought I would put my idea forward. You did not say the type of car so I am putting forward an idea based on the GM400 gearbox. I think if you block the wheels to stop the car moving. Then go under the on the passender side and unbolt the rod from the actuator lever. Tie the lever up out of the way. As the actuator lever should have been in the 'Park' position pull it back past 'Reverse' to 'Neutral'. Remove the blocks and hopefully you can then move the car. If I am wrong then I am sure someone out there will put us both right. Regard, Clive (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Paul Yorke Grand Master Username: paul_yorke Post Number: 730 Registered: 6-2006 |
Jackie, Clive is pretty much there. I would take the clevis pin out of the linkage though to be on the safe side. I would add one very important note though! Shadow's and Spirits have NO hydraulic braking system if the engine is not running. They weigh 2 1/2 tons so unless the area the car is in is very flat you will need to make sure that you can stop the car when it does start rolling. Not something to be done by yourself!! The parking brake should not be relied upon for anything more than the slightest incline. | ||
| James Feller Prolific User Username: james_feller Post Number: 164 Registered: 5-2008 |
Paul beat me to it Jackie, I forgot this system is in place on our cars once while moving my Spirit in a stupied and 'lazy' way. Rather than starting the car, I needed to move it about a foot or so to get a garbage bin around the car, I elected to just put it into Neutral. The car had sat most of the day on the top of the incline of my drive. So yes most of the system pressure would have bled out by then. My drive is on a quite steep incline. So foolishly I turned the ignition to Run, released the park brake and moved the gearshift into N. I did have my foot on the footbrake but it went hard quickly, and the car started rolling slowly back down the drive.... With a slightly 'raised' pulse....it occured to the dim wit in the drivers seat, me, to START THE CAR QUICK.... back came the brakes almost instantly when the car was cranking then started.....phewwww... so yes be very very careful!!!! the pressure in the system only stays in the system for a few hours after stopping, hence you will always get your brake lights illuminate when starting. be careful. Cheers J | ||
| Paul Yorke Grand Master Username: paul_yorke Post Number: 731 Registered: 6-2006 |
You are not the first and unfortunately you will not be the last. Hopefully the lack of response from Jackie isn't because she is too busy Duct Taping her door back on!! The column gear shift is also the cause of many inadvertent door removals. Reach in with the engine running and off she goes. It bemuses me that R-R thought it a good idea to 'update' the parking brake so it automatically releases when you slip it into gear!! | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 2314 Registered: 4-2003 |
Back to the original questions, if you pull the gearchange fuse or isolate the battery, then you may manually move the selector at the transmission by hand without disconnecting levers or clevis pins. The only reson that the selector locks in Park is because the electrics force it back if you try to move it. And yes, from 1974 there is no master cylinder, so those later cars are brakeless without running the motor recently. | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 2315 Registered: 4-2003 |
I’m torn on that one, Paul. I personally prefer the manual release for my own use, but in balance I would actually prefer the automatic release as I have had so many parking brake pads destroyed by valet parking attendants. The blighters ignore the warning lamp and just drive the car around the carpark with the brake applied. After around four such events the pads are spent. As with any large vehicle, apart from the warning lamp, the unaware will barely notice if the parking brake is applied, especially as there is no huge brake handle poking you in the ribs. RT. | ||
| Paul Yorke Grand Master Username: paul_yorke Post Number: 732 Registered: 6-2006 |
Pads ~ Door - Tricky call.  TBH I don't rely on the Parking Brake for anything except the MOT test and never use it when normally parking. I guess I should go back a step to - " It bemuses me that R-R adopted such a useless Parking Brake system". If it worked at all, valet parkers (and many owners) would know it was applied and an auto release would not be needed! Richard - The gearshift actuator uses a worm gear system and as such it should never be forced to operate in the wrong direction because of the damage it can cause to the gear. Worm drives are designed to 'self lock' so it is irrelevant whether power to the actuator is removed or not. Linkage disconnection is a must! | ||
| Stefan Morley Prolific User Username: myupctoys Post Number: 265 Registered: 7-2009 |
Hi Guys, While back decided to replace all brake pads and thought be a good idea to do the park pads at the same time. Got the package and saw the size of the park brakes, thought is this a joke, couldn't believe it. Understandable why it happens, not an issue for most cars leaving them in neutral. Till you do it once on a hill with 2.5 tonnes and no hydraulic pressure. Latest RROCA mag has someone else's experience of heart in mouth. Quick thinking James. Cheers Stefan | ||
| Stefan Morley Prolific User Username: myupctoys Post Number: 266 Registered: 7-2009 |
Hi, Replaced my accumulators a few years back. Held pressure well for a while but over time deteriorated. Not to the point of an issue, standard foot pedal pump test came up okay but leaving the car for a while seemed to drop pressure too quickly. Remedied the situation just but re-bleeding the brakes. Bleeding the brakes on car ramps is not an easy exercise but when I replaced the accumulators did the best I could. Over time I can only assume the remaining air found its way to the point of least resistance. Re-bled the calipers only, and the difference is holding pressure was amazing. Front I get about 20hrs, rear only about 5 hours. Assuming I've driven it at 100kms/hr for a while. Barely anything recognizable as an air bubble came out but the braking response and pressure holding capability surprised me. Certainly wasn't a waste of effort. Stefan | ||
| Martin Taylor New User Username: martin_taylor Post Number: 3 Registered: 7-2013 |
If your accumulator valve seals and pressure is good you should have pressure for weeks, I rebuilt the system from start to finish on my shadow and it will hold pressure for four weeks without a problem in both circuits. There are many myths about these cars having a substandard braking system which simply are not true if the system is maintained to the standards set by the engineers that designed the system. I have read on a few websites that people expect to see a warning light before the car is started, this should not be the case, all these cars should require a minimum of fifty applications of the brake pedal before pressure drops to an unsafe level, and left standing the pressure should hold. Many shadows loose pressure through the slow/ fast levelling solenoid as the seat in the valve wears. If your brakes don't work without the engine running, please get them fixed. If you want to move the car without starting it, just hook 12v to the ing on fuse and the transmission actuator will work. | ||
| Graham Burn New User Username: graham Post Number: 9 Registered: 6-2013 |
Hi Martin, I was blaming the bleed valve on the accumulator head for my loss of pressure when parked but it sounds from what you say there are other paths of leakage, can you please explain? Thanks Graham | ||
| Martin Taylor New User Username: martin_taylor Post Number: 4 Registered: 7-2013 |
Hi Graham, The slow fast solenoid was the cause of my loss of pressure or leakage. This has a plastic seat which had hardened and cracked allowing fluid to return to the reservoir. I ended up replacing the entire solenoid to fix this as getting the seat was proving difficult. There are only two other ways of losing pressure (per circuit) without losing fluid. One is the accumulator valves not seating and leaking back to the reservoir which is unlikely, the other is at the control valves if rust flakes damage the sealing rings. The levelling valve is the usual culprit. If you are losing pressure too fast try blocking off the feed to the levelling and see if the problem disappears. On mine when I attached a tube to the return outlet of the solenoid it was leaking about one drop every ten seconds. | ||
| Graham Burn Experienced User Username: graham Post Number: 11 Registered: 6-2013 |
Hi Martin, thanks for the tips I'll check that when I get home next month. Graham |
