Parking brake star wheel adjustment
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 4,762
Likes: 0
Parking brake star wheel adjustment
OK, I'm in the middle of a rotor swap and am having issues getting the rear rotors on, they are way too tight. I thought I might loosen the parking brake so the new rotor can slid on. The issue I'm having is I can't get the star wheel to turn. I see a clip behind the wheel holding it in place. Do I just need to push in on this clip to allow the wheel to turn or is there a tool I need to do this with? This is my first time at this so I'm not real familiar with it.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 892
Likes: 166
From: Oswego IL
A special tool is not needed. I used a flat blade screw driver and used it as a lever to move the star wheel a few teeth at a time. If it does not move at all, maybe spray a little PB Blaster or WD40 and let penetrate for a while. The star wheel should move pretty easily.
Advanced
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
From: St. Louis MO
I just replaced my rotors and the star wheel is a little tough to move, but will rotate. Using a small screwdriver angled just right against the edges next to the wheel for leverage allowed me to click it a couple of notches at a time... no clip touched.
With the right rotor, I found that once the star wheel had turned to it's limit, to make the diameter of the shoes as small as possible, that I could just barely fit the rotor over it. The left side was not adjusted to the same limit point. I adjusted that one so the rotor slid on just a little bit easier than the right one. This actually worked out great in the end. The E-brake works quite well and there's no drag evident. Good luck!
With the right rotor, I found that once the star wheel had turned to it's limit, to make the diameter of the shoes as small as possible, that I could just barely fit the rotor over it. The left side was not adjusted to the same limit point. I adjusted that one so the rotor slid on just a little bit easier than the right one. This actually worked out great in the end. The E-brake works quite well and there's no drag evident. Good luck!
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 4,762
Likes: 0
Alright, I'm able to adjust the star wheel. I got it to the point that the rotor slips on with just a little effort and makes very light contact with the parking brake shoe but am still able to turn the rotor with very little effort. If I push up manually on the locking mechanism I can no longer turn the rotor. Sound like I've got it adjusted right? I know it's not rocket science but I want to be sure before I bolt everything back together.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,432
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From: KcMo.
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