Just going thru and trying to knock off a few nagging things before the real driving season starts. As many know the emergency brake on our cars is well, marginal at best. It can be fixed and it's not too bad of a job. The worst part of course is getting the bolts out of the caliper bracket. These are 13/16 with loc-tite torqued to 125 ft./lbs and a bear to budge. Once you get these off, the rest of the job goes by in about 10-15 minutes per wheel. I found my brake out about 20 clicks per wheel. When all was said and done the e-brake engages firmly at about half way up and when engaged the brake will now hold back the car in first gear with a little throttle applied. If you're on the fence about this one and have a little mechanical ability, go for it. You'll be thrilled with the results.

Paul

 

You can keep it in adjustment by going backwards (down a slight hill works best) and pulling / releasing the e-brake handle several times. Try not to exceed 50 degrees with the handle, or don't fully engage the e-brake. Two or three passes with five or six good pulls (18 total pulls) works great. I do this about once or twice a month to keep from pulling the wheels again.

 

Congrats on the fix. I need to do the same!

 

Talon 90 , now go try it on the boat ramp of Long pond !
I did mine when I changed rotors , big difference.

 

So, you know the area do you. I'll give it a try.

Paul

 

Very common. On my '98, I found the shoe retainer spring was sprung.

My Z is due for a few clicks also...

 

Bridgewater ,I use the Nip boat ramp !
JIm

 

Jim

Paul

 

Stealer wants $400 to fix mine. I get nothing when I apply e-brake. Can you please post the fix procedure, please. Thanks.....

 

This old wives tale keeps surfacing. Pulling the hand brake while backing up will do squat for you.

There is no self adjusting feature in the parking brake wheel mechanism!!!

RonJ ...

 

This is not true.... sorry you know not what you speak...
that procedure only works for taking slack out of the cable. it does nothing to adjust the engagement of the shoes to rotor.. If the cable has some slack its is only because someone was pulling up too hard on the lever with the shoes fully engaged.. this would never happen because if you pull up on the lever to engage the shoes you would pull it up to vertical and the shoes still wouldn't engage...
Once you take the slack out of the cable you should never have to do it again... there are two separate issues the cable slack and the shoe to rotor adjustment... most ebrakes are around 30 to 40 clicks out...
Mine was 43 clicks out and my ebrake engagement is exactly at 45 degrees from straight up... my ebrake is fully disengaged at 30 degrees...Talon you probably could have gone 5 more clicks...when I teach this adjustment I tell everyone to put the rotor back on with the shoes adjusted as far out as possible and still be able to force the rotors on my hand... once the rotor sits on the backing plate and hub boss the rotor diameter get slightly bigger..
Talon you should never have to adjust this again..
I did mine right from the factory and that was 6 years ago, and its been fine ever since with 6o,000 miles on it

MY original tech tip eluded to a self asjusting mechanism, which there is but only in taking out the cable slack..I have tried several times to edit that tech tip or have it removed but with no success, Ive even had the aDMINISTRATION SAY THEY WOULD HANDLE IT BUT TO NO AVAIL AND i HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIX THIS FOR THREE YEARS.

 

Evil Twin-So the e brake is NOT self adjusting? I ask cause just this last week I was at the dealership and complained to the tech about the ebrake not engaging until handle is pull all the way up, and even then if I am on a steep enough incline the car wants to move. He tells me there is NO adjustment, it is self adjusting. When I go back I want to know what I am talking about. Thanks

 

here's the link to E-T's tech tip on adjusting the parking brake. I did it this winter

https://www.corvetteforum.com/techti...=158&TopicID=1

 

Thank you for the insight, I'll have to try and adjust my brake this weekend.

 

When my car had 1000 miles on it, I adjusted the interface between the shoes and the drum... it was out 43 clicks... I did that one time 6 years ago and have never had an issue.. the Ebake handle is tight at 45 degrees when fully locked up...and fully disengages at 30 degrees.

I could use my ebrake to bring me to a stop from 60 mph.

adjusting the cable slick should be done no more than once a year... slow backward movement and five quick pull ups stopping the car. I have never adjusted my cable.

 

Thanks .....great instruction as always.

 

Glad you got it adjusted. Sure is comforting to know that when you park on a hill and set the e-brake, that the car doesn't just start rolling away.

 

Having been a mechanic for many years, its good to see someone knows what they are talking about.