Parking Brake Mechanism - Lotus Evora Service Notes

Lotus Service Notes
8. Ensure the customer is made aware that maximum braking efficiency will be achieved if, for the first few
hundred miles, needless heavy braking is avoided, and the brake pads are allowed to 'bed in' fully before
being used to their full potential.
JL.5 - PARKING BRAKE MECHANISM
The parking brake ratchet lever is mounted between the seats in a fabricated steel structure which also
houses the gearchange mechanism. The lever activates a primary cable which exits the cabin at the front of
the fuel tank bay, and turns through 90° to connect to an equalising yoke at the front of the engine bay. The
yoke forms the abutment for the primary outer cable, with the inner cable continuing through a slot in the yoke
to link to the RH secondary cable. The opposite end of the yoke connects to the LH secondary cable, with
both secondaries penetrating the rear subframe and routing through the lower wishbone to their respective
rear wheel parking brake backplates. The interaction of the yoke with the three separate cables results in an
automatically balanced force being applied to each of the secondary cables.
At the each brake backplate the secondary cable connects to a lever mechanism which provides a bal-
anced expanding force to the lower ends of the parking brake shoes which operate within brake drums formed
integrally with the rear brake discs. The upper ends of the shoes pivot against opposite ends of an adjustable
length abutment, with access to the toothed adjuster screw available via a hole in the brake backplate.
Parking brake lever
Micro-switch
The parking brake should be applied by pulling up the lever with high effort, and engaging the highest
ratchet setting attainable. When parking the car on a slope, the additional precaution should be taken of leav-
ing the transmission in first or reverse gear and steering the wheels towards the kerb.
Adjustment
At each service interval, the parking brake should be fully applied, and lever movement assessed by the
number or ratchet 'clicks' attainable. The adjustment is satisfactory when 4 or 5 clicks are achieved.
To make an adjustment;
1. Ensure that the parking brake lever is fully off, and the adjuster in the LH secondary cable is fully slackened
(shortened).
2. Remove both rear wheels. Using the access hole in the brake drum and hub flange, turn the adjuster
downwards to expand the shoes until the brake drum cannot be turned by hand. Then back off the adjuster
the minimum amount necessary to allow free rotation of the drum without rubbing, and then repeat for the
opposite side.
Primary cable
LH secondary cable
Section JL
RH secondary cable
Equalising yoke
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