C5 X7 electronic handbrake - is this a warning?

[Argos69]

Hi all,

The latest "peculiarity" concerns the electronic handbrake on my C5 X7 Tourer.... I've looked at other's experiences before writing this.

Got back in the car at a motorway service station and put the auto box in reverse. No problem, "Parking Brake Released" message and reversed out of parking space. Put into Drive and tried to go forwards - crunch. Dragging the locked rear wheels along due to the handbrake being on!
I cycled the transmission from Drive to Reverse and back to Drive but the handbrake came on every time I tried to go forwards! The car was on a level surface.
I switched off the ignition and restarted the car, same thing.
I tried pushing on the electric handbrake switch, then tried pulling it. A message briefly appeared something like "Maximum Parking Brake Pressure... etc/something". Anyway, suddenly the car allowed me to drive away, BUT the reversing camera stayed on?!?!

I pulled in and cycled the transmission again, Reverse then Drive and the camera went off and I drove home.
I've now tried the forward/reverse/parking brake a couple of times and it appears to be ok BUT!!

I've grown to know with (and sometimes hate) these cars, that you (if you're lucky) get a warning that doom is indeed impending, then it happens!

Based on my experiences, is there actually anything I can check or do (I'm in the UK at the moment and my Diagbox laptop is in France!) or spray with WD40?

As usual, thanks for any help or advice.

[Sloppysod]

..…
I tried pushing on the electric handbrake switch, then tried pulling it. A message briefly appeared something like "Maximum Parking Brake Pressure... etc/something". Anyway, suddenly the car allowed me to drive away, BUT the reversing camera stayed on?!?…

Not much help but this bit is normal, hols the lever to fully apply the brake, push the leave to take ot off again.
Other than that can't suggest anything. Other than, are you sure it's the parking brake coming on and not the foot brake/caliper sticking issue?

[GiveMeABreak]

So only pull the handbrake lever up and hold for FULL application - a normal lift and release or press and release is enough for normal application and release - unless you are on a steep gradient or are towing. Try not to apply fully unless needed as you will be putting additional tension on the cables and strain on the mechanism.

[Argos69]

Thanks folks!

It's working today. Didn't consider the sticking rear caliper option to be honest, so thanks for that. I suppose the locking wheels and rear camera staying on generated so much fear, I considered nothing else. I shall monitor it and update with any changes. Am I right in guessing there's nothing worth a WD40 spray under there, as it's all too dirty and wet to go exploring at the moment?

[GiveMeABreak]

Keep that away from the braking system components like discs and pads and any rubber pipes - you don't want WD40 anywhere near these.

Use a proper Brake and Caliper cleaner designed for these components like Holts Brake cleaner or similar, which is a cleaner and degreaser and dissolves after.

[Argos69]

Thanks Marc,
Yes, I'm a Holts Brake Cleaner fan of many years.
In the good old days before the environmentalists took over, you could buy "proper" solvents, then suddenly all the good useful ones disappeared (even white spirit is becoming "clean spirit", which doesn't work) and none of the other new ones are much good either! The Holts product not only cleans discs, it does all those tasks that pure isopropyl alcohol used to do, when you could buy it, but don't tell anyone else!

Once again, thank you for your advice, you're absolutely right.

[myglaren]

Isopropanol is readily available. I have five litres here (96%), obtained from eBay but there are many other online sources but if there is a printers nearby they usually have it in bulk and will often sell smallish quantities.

I also have litre of Acetone, an excellent solvent, and Ethyl Methyl Ketone.
Plus White spirit, Methylated spirit and 'solvents #5 and #6'.
These are a bit of a mystery, we used them at work, mainly for cleaning the glue machine that used polyurethane glue and was a nightmare to clean, I still have some on my Leatherman, spectacles and work clothes. That came in 25L containers with no indication of the contents, illegal I think. It is quite powerful stuff anyway.

I still have a load of brake cleaner and carburettor cleaner here that will shift most things

[Sloppysod]

Isopropanol is readily available. I have five litres here (96%),

You must be high as a kite!

[myglaren]

Cheaper to buy it in 5L bottles. It lasts years.
Those other solvents are far worse and problematic for me to use.

[Argos69]

Thank you all for the entertainment I've had from the way my original thread has "evolved".

I'm now in my sixties, but back when I was an apprentice electrician, we used Benzine to clean electric motors. It was very effective. A colleague took some home for his son, who was a philatelist and used it to show watermarks on stamps before it evaporated without damaging the stamps. It's now on the "thou shalt not" list! We then used a fluid called "chemtronic", which we soaked the motors in, which then allowed them to run under water.

God only knows what we exposed ourselves to, but it all seemed fun at the time!

Anyway, we're much more sensible now. Where's my "Shake n Vac" sandwich?

[myglaren]

We then used a fluid called "chemtronic", which we soaked the motors in, which then allowed them to run under water.

God only knows what we exposed ourselves to, but it all seemed fun at the time!

Anyway, we're much more sensible now. Where's my "Shake n Vac" sandwich?

Sounds like this stuff. Haven't used it for submarine electrical tests but it works well on locks.