Parking Brake
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 539
Likes: 1
From: Soddy Daisy (near Chattanooga) TN
Parking Brake
Is there a way to adjust the praking brake on a C5? Mine just doesn't hold very well - especially on a hill. I have a 99 hardtop 6-speed coupe and it just won't hold very well on a hill.
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 3,904
Likes: 29
From: Vancouver Washington
Short answer - yes. The parking brakes have an adjustment system similar to a set of drum brakes. Remove the rear rotor (WITH THE PARKING BRAKE HANDLE OFF) and you can access the adjustment wheel.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 23,283
Likes: 906
From: Lake Elsinore, CA
Gotta' take the caliper, caliper bracket and rotor off but it gives you access to the e-brake adjuster. Be careful not to allow the spring that holds the shoes on to fall off, otherwise you're in for a PITA reinstall of that spring.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 36,836
Likes: 244
From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
When properly set, parking brake handle only needs 11 clicks to fully set the parking brakes. That puts the handle in approx. a 45 degree angle.
Pro
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 654
Likes: 1
From: Prescott Valley Arizona
I adjusted mine by coasting backward slowly and pulling the e-brake handle up stopping the car. Repeated this several times and now the brake holds on a hill. May work for yours-
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 539
Likes: 1
From: Soddy Daisy (near Chattanooga) TN
Thanks!
I will give the coasting backward method a try first and if that doesn't work we'll go to removing the caliper and rotor and rotating the adjuster wheel. Thanks guys.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,332
Likes: 31
From: Silver Spring MD
Parking Brake Adjust
Disconnect the P-Brake cable at the wheel b4 removing the rear rotors.
Adjust star wheels till just a little drag is present installing and removiong the rotors. Reattach the cables at the wheels and THEN try going backwards and using the P-Brake lever.
BTW I DID knock one of the springs off that hold the P-brake shoes on.
Took me about 3 hours to get it back on. Finally used a spring hook thru the hole in the hub after latching it on one side and then gently sliding it over the other latch rasied metal which holds the spring at the end of the spring.
BIGHANK
Adjust star wheels till just a little drag is present installing and removiong the rotors. Reattach the cables at the wheels and THEN try going backwards and using the P-Brake lever.
BTW I DID knock one of the springs off that hold the P-brake shoes on.
Took me about 3 hours to get it back on. Finally used a spring hook thru the hole in the hub after latching it on one side and then gently sliding it over the other latch rasied metal which holds the spring at the end of the spring.
BIGHANK
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Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,890
Likes: 1
From: Indiana
St. Jude Contributor
BTW I DID knock one of the springs off that hold the P-brake shoes on.
Took me about 3 hours to get it back on. Finally used a spring hook thru the hole in the hub after latching it on one side and then gently sliding it over the other latch rasied metal which holds the spring at the end of the spring.
BIGHANK
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,058
Likes: 9,817
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
First thing to do is pull up on the parking brake handle 3 times in succession. Cycling the park brake lever three times is the method used to obtain proper park brake cable tension. If that doesn't work then pull the rotor.
Bill
Bill
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,332
Likes: 31
From: Silver Spring MD
parking brake
I tried pulling my handle for about 4 years. NO CHANGE. When I finally did the rear brakes I clicked the starwheels over 20 clicks till the shoes just rubbed the rotors and NOW the parking brake WORKS. From here maybe backing up and pulling the p b handle will keep them tight? Maybe or maybe not. BIGHANK
BIGHANK