I have always used my parking brake in every car driven. (almost 35 years since
licensed, damn it.) I have never had one freeze. Everything else has frozen,
but never the parking brake. And for you doubting Thomases and Thomasettes, I
have lived in New York City and skied in Vermont EVERY weekend for years; Moved
to western PA, north of Pittsburgh; finally, I now live near Cleveland, and I
would argue that it is often as cold here as in the Yukon (and will remain so
until those crazy Canadians stop sending "Alberta Clippers" down here!). IMHO,
parking brake sticking, or freezing problems are mostly a myth unless you are
parking for 3-4 months at a time, that is.
Jim
Florrie & Allen Bachelder wrote:
> Seems on cars of my youth, in cold climes, parking brake freezing was a
> constant problem. We quickly learned it was better to avoid using the
> parking brake where possible - which is most times and places - unless you
> live in San Francisco or Duluth. To this day, I leave the car in reverse -
> using the parking brake only while starting the car. No this is not a fix
> - but it may explain why my '76 has yet to do this. ((There I go - tempting
> fate again...))
>
> Allen B...
>
> >From: douglas wilson <dfwilson@netcom.ca>
> >
> >List, Rare MGB problem. On 75/76 MGBs there are diodes on the right side
> >footwell panel. They regulate current from the starter/parking brake light
> >switch.If a diode fails when you put the parking brake on the starter can
> >engage even though the ignition is off. Weird problem that occurred on my
> >76B. I read the tech description on the Sacremento MG Car Club web page.
> >For your info. Cut off switch a good idea if you remember to use it all
> >the time.Doug 76B.
> >
> >----------
> >From: Bob Howard
> >Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2000 7:23 AM
> >To: mgs4dave@warwick.net
> >Cc: mgs@autox.team.net
> >Subject: Re: Battery Size info / battery cutoff switch
> >
> >Dave,
> > I am a believer in the cut off switch too, having one in my TD and one
> >in my MGB-GT. Not only for the reduction in the chance of electrical
> >misfortune, but simply for the convienience, are they great.
> > A week ago Friday, I got a call from a club member whose '76 is her
> >daily driver. She took it from work to get lunch for the staff, returned
> >to the office and parked it. Later, some of the staff were laughing about
> >her parking her B in a snowbank. Seems that she left the car in gear,
> >starter chose to engage, and powered the car across a parking lot, up a
> >curbing, and into the bank where it stopped and the starter turned the
> >drivetrain until battery and starter died.
> > They still haven't figured out exactly why this happened. As I
> >understand it, the wires running up from solenoid to relay and to the
> >distribution junction were both fried. Who knows--could have been
> >ice/snow abrasion or build up, something run over on the road--just no
> >real way to tell.
> > However, had a $25 switch been in the car, this could not have happened
> >to an unattended vehicle, and a minor problem could have been much more
> >serious.
> >Bob
> >
> >
> >On Sat, 05 Feb 2000 11:53:22 +0000 Dave Houser <mgs4dave@warwick.net>
> >writes:
> >> With all this talk about batteries and box sizes, I hope everyone
> >> replacing their batteries also installs a battery cut-off switch
> >> there
> >> too! For safety's sake, it's a lot easier to throw a switch than
> >> trying
> >> to unscrew those five dzus fasteners or watch the flames go ever
> >> higher.
> >> I put em on all my MGs and I'm resting a little easier.
> >> Cheers,
> >> Dave Houser
> >
>
> ******************************************
> Allen H. Bachelder =iii=<
> Sinking Creek Home for Wayward MGs
> 49 YT, 57 ZB, 58 ZB, 65 B, 67 BGT, 73 B, 73BGT, 76 B, &...
> New Castle, VA 24127
> USA
> 540/544-7333
> ******************************************
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