E-Brake Loose
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 19,384
Likes: 87
From: Horncastle Lincolnshire, England
2023 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
One member and I think it was either Patches or Bill Curlee posted this advice a while ago. I'm sure someone will have a link to the thread which had pictures:
These are easy to fix and probably one of the most misunderstood pieces of equipment in your car. There are TWO ratchet assemblies in the HANDLE. One for holding the handle in position and a separate one for applying tension to the cable. The only "automatic adjuster" is in the handle and NOT the drum. The star adjuster in the drum is only for initial shoe adjustment when installing your rotor. If the pawl in the handle is lubricated properly, it will automatically adjust as the handle is normally operated, by the internal pawl grabbing the next tooth on the ratchet as the lining on the shoes wears over time.
I had my wife operate the Brake handle while I watched the cables where they hook up to the lever at the outside of the backing plate...there was NO movement at either wheel. So, the problem had to be in the handle. Thanks go to 'Fast one' who pointed out that the handle has a ratchet system FOR THE CABLE tension. It gets dirty and needs to be cleaned and lubed. First remove the console to be able to remove the E-brake boot. Go here to see how to do this: http://www.vetteessentials.com/inst...ezel_howto.html
You only have to go thru stepf 3F to do what is required. It takes about a half hour. After you have the E-brake boot loosened (2 10mm nuts) and pulled up, remove the passenger seat by unscrewing the four 15mm nuts that hold the seat and unplug the power to the seat. Then pull back the carpet from the handle assembly to reveal the 3 mounting screws. (#40 Torx screw) Disconnect the E-brake warning light connector and remove the three mounting screws...they are very tight:
Next, rotate the assembly to see the side where the internal ratchet assy is. You will see the pawl that is most likely frozen open, like mine was.
I used acetone to break the old grease free and clean the pawl and spring assembly. Then I lubed it with some very slick machine oil that I had and worked the pawl back and forth untill it was totally free. The pawl should rest on the ratchet teeth as shown in this picture:
Reassemble and enjoy the difference! Thanks to all who helped me diagnose this problem.
Note: I should add here, that although my original problem was the handle not putting any tension on the cables at all, the car now holds, but still does not hold like it should. It is because of the condition of the shoes, which is a separate issue. On my car, the shoes have plenty of lining and are adjusted properly, but since the handle did not work, the parking brake had not been used for years and as a result, the linings (although thick) look very nasty. I ran the car up the driveway with the E-brake partially applied to try and seat the shoes properly, and it seemed to help a little. Hopefully over the weekend I will see some improvement with further use.
These are easy to fix and probably one of the most misunderstood pieces of equipment in your car. There are TWO ratchet assemblies in the HANDLE. One for holding the handle in position and a separate one for applying tension to the cable. The only "automatic adjuster" is in the handle and NOT the drum. The star adjuster in the drum is only for initial shoe adjustment when installing your rotor. If the pawl in the handle is lubricated properly, it will automatically adjust as the handle is normally operated, by the internal pawl grabbing the next tooth on the ratchet as the lining on the shoes wears over time.
I had my wife operate the Brake handle while I watched the cables where they hook up to the lever at the outside of the backing plate...there was NO movement at either wheel. So, the problem had to be in the handle. Thanks go to 'Fast one' who pointed out that the handle has a ratchet system FOR THE CABLE tension. It gets dirty and needs to be cleaned and lubed. First remove the console to be able to remove the E-brake boot. Go here to see how to do this: http://www.vetteessentials.com/inst...ezel_howto.html
You only have to go thru stepf 3F to do what is required. It takes about a half hour. After you have the E-brake boot loosened (2 10mm nuts) and pulled up, remove the passenger seat by unscrewing the four 15mm nuts that hold the seat and unplug the power to the seat. Then pull back the carpet from the handle assembly to reveal the 3 mounting screws. (#40 Torx screw) Disconnect the E-brake warning light connector and remove the three mounting screws...they are very tight:
Next, rotate the assembly to see the side where the internal ratchet assy is. You will see the pawl that is most likely frozen open, like mine was.
I used acetone to break the old grease free and clean the pawl and spring assembly. Then I lubed it with some very slick machine oil that I had and worked the pawl back and forth untill it was totally free. The pawl should rest on the ratchet teeth as shown in this picture:
Reassemble and enjoy the difference! Thanks to all who helped me diagnose this problem.
Note: I should add here, that although my original problem was the handle not putting any tension on the cables at all, the car now holds, but still does not hold like it should. It is because of the condition of the shoes, which is a separate issue. On my car, the shoes have plenty of lining and are adjusted properly, but since the handle did not work, the parking brake had not been used for years and as a result, the linings (although thick) look very nasty. I ran the car up the driveway with the E-brake partially applied to try and seat the shoes properly, and it seemed to help a little. Hopefully over the weekend I will see some improvement with further use.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 16,795
Likes: 62
From: Lake Havasu City, AZ
for a how to on adjusting both the cable and the drum check this forum members web site
http://www.ronjpics.com/Corvettestuff.htm
http://www.ronjpics.com/Corvettestuff.htm
