How dows it work? Does it actually mechanically pull the rear pads together, or does it grab the driveshaft, or what.

I never use mine because I have driven off with it on before. However, yesterday, we went to a car wash before leaving on a trip. Apparently the guy raised the handle, and both my wife and I simply didn't notice it for about 60 miles a road speed.,

What will this do? I thought I could hear some rotating noise louder than before before my wife spotted the handle. It might be the tires though, because it would go away as we drove over different pavement surfaces.

So what have I screwed up.

Thanks

Jay

 

The emergency brake doesn't use the rear calipers, it actually engages a drum brake which should have the ability to be automatically adjusted. I think I found the instructions for it under Other-->Tech tips at the navigation bar at the top of the forum. Basically it says that you pull the hand brake about halfway up, allow your car to roll backwards (I do this on my inclined driveway) and then pull the brake all the way up. You should feel the drum brakes engage suddenly. I would be hovering my foot over the brake pedal just in case the e-brake REALLY needs adjustment and won't stop the car. Apparently this technique allows the "star" in the drum brake to adjust itself and can be repeated as often as necessary to get the e-brake adjusted. The article also said not to worry about repeating it too many times since the "star" will simply not adjust further. I would look through the Tech Tips just to be sure though.

 

This was a post from way back if it helps

These are easy to fix and probably one of the most misunderstood pieces of equipment in your car. There are TWO ratchet assemblys in the HANDLE. One for holding the handle in position and a seperate 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 seperate 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.

 

So my quesdtion is, other than the e brake probably not working now, I didn't really damage anything, right?

Jay

 

Correct.
You may hav eto replace the parking brake shoes they are under $80 at www.gmpartshouse.com

check out this forum member's site for a how to adjust them first.....

http://www.ronjpics.com/Corvettestuff.htm#parkbrake

 

I'd say if it didn't catch fire you're OK. Try readjusting and see how you go.