Hello i drive a Escort 1.6 zetec. Basically my hand-brake goes up quite a few clicks and doesn't seem to hold very well on steep hills, has to be applied very high. I have checked my rear drums and pads. My drums are worn but not to the point where they need replacing but i did fit new pads.

I also checked the hand-brake cable which i cannot adjust any further as it is already on the tightest setting. It sounds to me that the hand-brake cable is stretched.. so dont want to fork out for drums if they dont need changing.. but would appreciate any advice. Thank-you :)

Hello i drive a Escort 1.6 zetec. Basically my hand-brake goes up quite a few clicks and doesn't seem to hold very well on steep hills, has to be applied very high. I have checked my rear drums and pads. My drums are worn but not to the point where they need replacing but i did fit new pads.

I also checked the hand-brake cable which i cannot adjust any further as it is already on the tightest setting. It sounds to me that the hand-brake cable is stretched.. so dont want to fork out for drums if they dont need changing.. but would appreciate any advice. Thank-you :)

Try pressing really hard on the brake pedal, with the engine running, and pumping the handbrake up and down. This worked on my Escort when I first bought it. Also, the auto adjusters could be stuck.

Thanks mate but that didn't make any difference. Will be replacing the hand-brake in the next week or so, will let you know if that solves it.