Park Brake Self-Adjust Problem
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,150
Likes: 6
From: NS
Park Brake Self-Adjust Problem
Has anyone had problems with their parking brake self-adjuster?
I find when I use my park brake I need to pull it 3 or 4 times to get it to tighten up and hold the car. The problem is the adjustment does not stay. I drive and when I go to set the brake again I have to pull 3 or 4 times again. I believe the self-adjuster on the lever has a problem. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.
I find when I use my park brake I need to pull it 3 or 4 times to get it to tighten up and hold the car. The problem is the adjustment does not stay. I drive and when I go to set the brake again I have to pull 3 or 4 times again. I believe the self-adjuster on the lever has a problem. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,062
Likes: 2
From: Minnesota City MN
My parking brake sux as well. I took the rear apart and adjusted it. Still sux. I have read that I might have to clean and lube the hand brake itself. I was also reading in my service manuals pulling on the handbrake several times will adjust the parking brake.
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 51
Likes: 0
From: Draper, UT
I have had the same problem. Is there a fix to keep the emergency brake from requiring continual adjustment with the hand lever??? I have too adjusted the brake linning at the rear wheels numerous times, but still I have the same problem. Ideas????
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,226
Likes: 45
From: Castleton VA
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
Mine works exactly as advertised, and will hold the car on any hill (actooly, the parking brakes on both my C5 and C6 work well). Just because there's some low percentage of brakes which are out of adjustment or may have a failed component, doesn't warrant jumping so quickly on the mindless "they're all crap! GM doesn't have a clue how to engineer a vehicle!" bandwagon.On to something more constructive -- I don't have a definite answer, but if it were my car, I'd pull the rear wheels and rotors to eye-ball the components, and verify that the self-adjuster is functioning (e.g., compare the function of the left vs. right adjusters). The fact that you can eventually get the brake to engage after a few pulls sez to me that the problem isn't in the ratchet at the handlever -- that's why I'd head to the wheels first.
HTH,
Mark
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,150
Likes: 6
From: NS
From the responses here it appears there is some common issue with the self adjusting mechanism. I assume something is worn out.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 6,993
Likes: 25
The adjustment from the handle only takes the slack out of the EM cable to the back. Remove the rear rotors and adjust the star-adjuster. Just did mine a couple of weeks ago and now you barely have to pull up the handle for them to engage.
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Instructor
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 142
Likes: 11
Mine seems not too snug when I pull the hand brake, but when I reach the top and last "click" it locks the wheels tight and doesnt let them move 9/10 times I need to hit the very top of the pull in order to keep it from rolling.....Im guessing this is common? or are they supposed to be tighter i.e. pull halfway up and full PB lock....
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,150
Likes: 6
From: NS
I think I have a different problem from what some others are describing.
First pull level come all the way up with no resistance and brakes don't hold.
Second pull the level doesn't go all the way up and I get some holding.
Third pull it comes up about 1/2 way and holds the car.
Fourth pull is comes up a few clicks and holds very well.
Then when I drive around for a day or two and go to set the brake again I go through the same routine.
First pull level come all the way up with no resistance and brakes don't hold.
Second pull the level doesn't go all the way up and I get some holding.
Third pull it comes up about 1/2 way and holds the car.
Fourth pull is comes up a few clicks and holds very well.
Then when I drive around for a day or two and go to set the brake again I go through the same routine.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 983
Likes: 36
From: Middle Of Kali CA
I think I have a different problem from what some others are describing.
First pull level come all the way up with no resistance and brakes don't hold.
Second pull the level doesn't go all the way up and I get some holding.
Third pull it comes up about 1/2 way and holds the car.
Fourth pull is comes up a few clicks and holds very well.
Then when I drive around for a day or two and go to set the brake again I go through the same routine.
First pull level come all the way up with no resistance and brakes don't hold.
Second pull the level doesn't go all the way up and I get some holding.
Third pull it comes up about 1/2 way and holds the car.
Fourth pull is comes up a few clicks and holds very well.
Then when I drive around for a day or two and go to set the brake again I go through the same routine.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,150
Likes: 890
From: South Western Ontario
I've read the grease on the racket mechanism can dry up and make it not work and I've also read that a spring breaks and it doesn't work right. Either case, I don't think it's a wheel problem and you'll have to pull the lever and clean the grease up, relube it and see if it works better.
Peter
Peter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 764
Likes: 0
From: felton de
Crap
Maybe to strong ????? I just have been in several C5's and guess what they all have had problems with the E brake .... but maybe I was just unlucky??
Let me see what qualifies as crap ??? The gas gauge issue??? I guess I just need to understand when the word crap is appropriate. Anyway it is all good!! The C5 is designed for the do it yourself owner and with support on the forum it is always fun. Would not trade it for the world
Let me see what qualifies as crap ??? The gas gauge issue??? I guess I just need to understand when the word crap is appropriate. Anyway it is all good!! The C5 is designed for the do it yourself owner and with support on the forum it is always fun. Would not trade it for the world
Last edited by brian vette; Apr 10, 2009 at 10:19 PM.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 2,150
Likes: 6
From: NS
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 6,903
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From: Long Valley NJ
St. Jude Donor '03-'05-'06-'07-'08,'11 thru '17, '21
I've read the grease on the racket mechanism can dry up and make it not work and I've also read that a spring breaks and it doesn't work right. Either case, I don't think it's a wheel problem and you'll have to pull the lever and clean the grease up, relube it and see if it works better.
Peter
Peter
That's the problem I think I'm having. I started yesterday by pulling the rear wheels & finding that the parking brake shoes were adjusted properly. Then I pulled the carpet aside near the brake lever & was able to see that for the first couple of inches of brake lever upward movement, it doesn't even begin to pull the cable. The "self adjuster" in the lever assembly seems to be a pre-tensioning mechanism, i.e., it keeps the slack out of the system so that the first bit of lever motion should engage & begin to pulll the cable. This is apparently not working in my case.I had this same problem about 6-8 years ago, and some WD-40 sprayed down into the lever mechanism fixed it. No luck this time though. I looked in the manuals, and it's a bit of a job to get the lever assembly out to clean, replace, or whatever. I guess I'll find out how bad it is.
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 167
Likes: 0
From: AZLE TX
When you first move the handle you are not going to see the cable move due to a tab that holds the spur back, during that period the spur isn't contacting the teeth in the mechanism.
When I took my car apart I had to physically clean the spur and re grease it with white lithium grease.
To do this it makes it a lot easier to remove the passenger seat and the center console, once you do this you can pull the carpet back and remove the torx headed screws that hold the handle to the transmission tunnel.
Once you do this you can clean the back and regrease the assembly and reinstall everything and the handbrake should work like new, however if it still doesn't hold you can adjust the brake shoes underneath the rotors.
I have never seen a C5 that had a true emergency brake that was capable of stopping the car from speed quickly, but they work great as a parking brake.
I believe this is because the shoe is about an inch wide and very small in diameter.
When I took my car apart I had to physically clean the spur and re grease it with white lithium grease.
To do this it makes it a lot easier to remove the passenger seat and the center console, once you do this you can pull the carpet back and remove the torx headed screws that hold the handle to the transmission tunnel.
Once you do this you can clean the back and regrease the assembly and reinstall everything and the handbrake should work like new, however if it still doesn't hold you can adjust the brake shoes underneath the rotors.
I have never seen a C5 that had a true emergency brake that was capable of stopping the car from speed quickly, but they work great as a parking brake.
I believe this is because the shoe is about an inch wide and very small in diameter.
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 28,753
Likes: 9
From: San Jose/Bear Valley CA
CA Events Coordinator
In the past some guys have drilled a 9/16 hole in the rotor so you can allign it with the star wheel and have access to the adjustment without having to remove the wheel and disc assembly.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 6,993
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I'd put a plug in the hole if I drilled one.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2001
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From: Dear Karma, I have a list of people you missed.
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16
BTW, this has been a problem that has been asked about for years. Most commonly it is solved by taking the time to manually adjust the adjusters on each rear wheel. I did this on mine. Once. That was several years ago and it is still holding fine to this day. Note: According to GM, the parking brake handle should be "all in" by 11 clicks when you pull up on it. That puts it approx halfway in it's range of motion from bottom to top.
HTH