I just have a few questions that relate to some recurring issues and some that just came up. I think I've found the answers and solutions to some, however I wanted to confirm, along with answer some others that I don't have an answer for. My car is a 2003 Z06. Thank you in advance!

1. Headlights are bad. Have to constantly run with my brights on to see at night. What're the best replacement bulbs/headlight units?

2. Fluid (what I think is water) began leaking from the area under the glove compartment and into the passenger footwell. So far it has stayed away from the BCM, because I took it out and checked for any wet parts, and there were none on the BCM or its immediate wiring. I have also found, through my searches, that this is related to a clogged A/C drainage line, which can be found by the firewall near the passenger side header from underneath the car. I've seen that you're supposed to shoot some compressed air into it to free up the debris clogging it. Is this correct? I've also seen on the sticky "Newbies must read" thread that there are udders under the driver side cowl that are holding the debris. Which one am I supposed to be going for? And does anyone have more details or pictures about what I'm supposed to be looking for when I get under the car? Also, because getting water on the BCM is very bad, can I still drive the car with the A/C off until I get this issue fixed? Or should I just not drive the car at all?

3. When idling and in neutral with the clutch engaged, I hear rattling back by the transmission. As soon as the clutch is pushed in and disengaged, it stops. Is this something I should be worried about, or not? The same "Newbies must read" sticky thread mentions a similar problem when leaving the line. Are they the same cause, or different?

4. My "service steering column lock" and "Pull key for 10 seconds" messages came on a while back while my car was in the shop. The shop just had a local guy come in and change the 2mph cutoff to 255mph so that the car is still drivable since the previous owner had the lock removed so the wheel doesn't actually lock itself. To get rid of the messages, I bought the LMC5 module and installed in 2 days ago. Today, my car wouldn't even turn over when I tried starting it. Acted as if I never even turned the key to start. After a few tries and sitting there for a bit, I tried again and it started as if nothing was even wrong in the first place. I went to grab dinner, and when I came back out, same thing happened. This time, when the door was open and the key was out, the car would beep as me as if the key was in and the door was open. Also, with the car off and key out, the radio would stay on even after the door was opened, which is abnormal to how it is normally. Nothing was working to try turning the engine on, until I heard clicking noises come from the BCM area. When the noises stopped shortly thereafter, the car started normally as if nothing had been wrong; this time with the original "service steering column lock" message displayed. This makes me believe the LMC5 had failed and was causing the BCM to not allow my car to start. Since these two back to back occurrences, my car has started just fine the other 4 times I've started it today. I plan on calling the guys at Compliance Parts to sort the issue out on Monday, but I wanted input from you guys if any of you have experienced this before.

5. The parking brake on my car doesn't work, or is faded. When pulled back all the way, it works on slightly inclined spaces. Ones where the car would normally slowly start to roll away. However on more inclined spaces, like most inclined driveways, the E-brake doesn't hold the car enough to prevent it rolling. Would fixing this require an entirely new parking brake system, or just new pads/grips? Where would be the best place to find whatever I need for a good price?


If you want to know my nice long list of codes, here they are:

28-TCS
C1288 H

40-BCM
B0432 H
B0502 H C -I removed fuse #2 from the box underneath the hood to turn off the DRLs. To my knowledge, this is why this and B0507 are current
B0507 H C
B2482 H C -Is this also related to the removal of fuse #2?
B2587 H
B2592 H
U1096 H

58-SDM
U1096 H

A0-LDCM
B2282 H
U1064 H
U1096 H

A1-RDCM
B2283 H
U1064 H

B0-RFA
U1096 H


I know its a lengthy list, so whatever input you have would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

1) In my opinion the best unit are the Bi-xenon Radioflyer ACA Projector Headlights. They are not cheap but the difference with the stock headlights are startling. They look good too. I understand they are on back order currently. Contact the vendor for more info. He is a CF vendor.

4) There are 3 LMC5 models. You may need a different one. Contact Richard at Compliance Parts. He is very helpful.

As for your other queries, I will let others who are more tech savvy to answer them.

Bi-xenon Radioflyer ACA Projector Headlights:

 

http://www.danielsternlighting.com/

For everything about lighting, Daniel Stern Lighting is THE reference standard. One of the most favored HID light vendors on this forum validates that by referencing him as *the* source for lighting recommendations and practices. Ironically, Stern has very little good to say about the HID and "Bi-Xenon" headlight offerings made on this forum. The choice is yours; plenty of buyers/users on this forum would put my opinion (to follow Stern's recommendations) in the minority by a BIG margin. I don't know if their decision was financial or esthetic -based; I'd guess it's a little of both. E-codes certainly are nothing to merit attention (except for the light they cast). I've had folks slow down at night just to use me as their headlights--and that's no lie; it's rather amazing to see people let off the pedal after passing (when I've regressed from high-beam) just so's I can overtake their 5-10 car lead (at ~75mph) and switch back to high beams.

I chose E-code (European code) GM OEM lights to install as an alternative to factory US GM-OEM lighting. They are just a hair pricier, but they're made in Germany or Sweden depending on the date of manufacture. ALL Corvetteforum HID headlight vendors are sourced through mainland China or Taiwan. "Quality is Job One" will be your choice. Solid metal and heavy glass construction conforming to GM OEM standards vs. plastic through-and-through (with the cheapest Chinese "skilled" labor and materials standards that the aftermarket will tolerate)--that's pretty much the decision to be made.

The best way to see and evaluate photographic examples of HID vs. E-code halogen lighting is to pull up some of the pictures on this forum and view them expanded to your screen's full-size, with all your room's lighting turned off after dark. You'll see that low-beam HID cutoffs are so severe as to render them almost useless in rolling-hills terrain.

Eliminate every illuminated garage-door/white-wall HID photo you find, in favor of "real use photos"--street scenes (without [ambient] street lighting, freeway scenes, etc.). Bright white reflection off a garage door or wall may be impressive at first glance, but they do nothing to prove how well a light is cast for illuminating stopping distances beyond ~70mph. (that would be ideal for the average freeway scenario in the USA) Don't be fooled by scenes on flat ground showing illuminated treetops in the foreground with high beams unless you're gonna hover at tree level. E-code headlights conform to European "DOT" standards--Germany, where the Autobahn allows unlimited speed (requiring obviously great lighting standards), is part of that union. They need to illuminate the road far beyond anything we'd normally encounter here-- in my opinion, that'd make any headlight they'd qualify as "good", good enough for me.

Imagine hunting for pedestrians or large animals (deer, dogs, bear) near the peripherals at driving speeds and appropriate distances--beyond the immediate foreground. If it's in the foreground, it's more than likely at 30mph you won't have time to miss hitting the object anyway, so the critical illuminated distance is beyond the 2 and 3-second mark, at whatever the given speed. What you absolutely don't want is for bright foreground illumination to make you night-blind to things beyond ~60 feet (at any speed).

Here's a couple links to threads on halogen E-code headlights:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...t-upgrade.html

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1588135541

 

Does the p-brake feel tight when you pull it, and ratchet the entire length of the draw? On mine, it never quite held right even when I first bought it (rolling forward when engaged, adjustment never fixed) and in cold months would not engage at all. Easy fix. you don't have to remove the carpet or the mechanism, but I already had both out:

This spring wasn't quite strong enough to engage the lever that catches the gears when pulled, due to the rust/corrosion that had built up in the mechanism.


I removed the spring, and gave it a little kink so it always has some load applied


Here it is back assembled so you can see how the mechanism works:


The carpet should have enough room to fold back out of your way once you get the center console and radio bezel out. The boot folds up and over the handle out of the way.


Like I said, you don't have to remove the mechanism or the spring, just give it a good kink with some pliers and apply some grease.

 

Thank you guys very much! This is all EXCELLENT information!

Regarding number 4, I have called Richard at Compliance Parts, and we are working through it all. I will be cleaning the udders at the end of this week, and if I have time, I'll tackle the E-brake as well.

Thank you all for the help, and I'll add updates as things get fixed, or don't get fixed.

 

I made a copy when I did my e brake,,,cut and past for future use doc.

Corvette
Parking Brake Adjustments and repairs -- 1 of 5
See Also http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/foru...d.php?t=103159
Date Published: 2002-05-01

Submitter's Name: Bill Matera
Email Address: wmatera@snip.net
Corvetteforum.com Member Alias: Evil-Twin

I posted this fix several years ago, but it was lost in the software upgrade. When my C5 was new the emergency brake barely worked. I took it to the dealer and was told that brakes are a wear item and that I would have to pay for new shoes. The car had less than 1000 miles on it. The emergency brake only engages when the car is stopped so how could they be worn. Anyway, I decided to take a look and see if I could do anything. I was not crazy about the dealer touching my car anyway. The emergency brake works similar to the emergency brake on most cars with rear drum brakes. With that in mind, jack up the rear of the car, remove the wheels, then remove the bolts for the calipers and then the calipers and pads. You will see the caliper bracket. It has two bolts that hold this to the brake backing plate. They are very, very tight, but they will come off (they are 125 ft pounds with Loctite).

Once the bracket is off, you can remove the rotor (make sure the emergency brake is not engaged). Next, you will see how the system works. It has a set of shoe brakes and the rotor has an internal drum. In the last few years, I have found that many, many C5s come from the factory with poorly adjusted emergency brakes. Now locate the star adjuster and turn it out to make the shoes grow in diameter (mine were out 33 clicks). I did ten clicks at a time and then slid the rotor back on. I did three sets of ten before I could feel any drag. I then clicked five more and could not get the rotor on. So, I backed off two clicks and got the rotor on. It was tight when I started it on the shoes but when I finally seated it, it was perfect. I then did the other side and it was out exactly the same amount.

I then put everything back. Now for the test. When I engaged the emergency brake, it locked up the brakes at a point about 45 degrees (90 degrees being straight up). The lock up was so positive, I knew I did it right. Next, to check the release, I took the car to a hill, set the emergency brake with the car in neutral and it stayed there. Then to check on the release, I slowly disengaged the emergency brake and found that the shoes were totally retracted after only an inch of lever release. After this fix, I could stop the car using only the emergency brake with the car doing ten miles an hour.

The emergency brake also has an auto adjust feature, but it will only work if your emergency brake lever is between 45 degrees and 55 degrees. If your emergency brake is out further than that, the emergency brake will not auto adjust and instead the car will just roll backwards on a hill. Or, in reverse at 5 mph, pull up on the emergency brake lever. This will slam your car to an abrupt stop. The engagement of the shoes to the drum while the car is moving backwards will cause the shoe assembly to flex. It is the flex that causes the blade to click the adjusting star one click. Do this three or four times and it will expand your shoes. You cannot over tighten the shoes. If it needs two clicks to get to max and you do four clicks, it will only adjust the star two clicks. Also remember to use Loctite on the brackets and caliper bolts. Bill ( Evil-Twin )






Emergency Brake Adjustment

CorvetteForum.com.

Has anyone else experienced a problem with their emergency brake? Every so often when I pull the emergency brake I get a loud crack sound, but when I tried to replicate it, it didn’t happen again. Needless to say a few weeks later the same deal occurred – but it always works after the first time. I brought it into the dealer and he tried the brake a couple of times and it didn’t make a cracking sound. The end of the day I brought it home and it happened again. The only problem is when I tried the brake seven or eight more times the dash light still didn’t recognize the brake was engaged. However, it was. So I turned off the car and turned it back on again. Everything was back to normal. Anyone else experiencing anything like this?

(Evil-Twin): I and many other members had similar problems. Dealers seem not to have a clue about the emergency brake. It is obvious that the emergency brake lever is at full stroke when you apply the brake and at full stroke the automatic adjuster will not automatically adjust the emergency brake. The click you are hearing is over-stroking the ratchet system. The fix is to remove the rear wheels, brake calipers and rotors. There is a set of brake shoes that make up the emergency brake system. There is a star adjuster that needs to be cranked out. For your information, my adjuster was 40 clicks out of adjustment. After making this adjustment, my emergency brake engages fully at 1/3
stroke of the lever and it disengages after relieving the lever by ¾ inch.



Adjust Parking Brake Shoes
It seems many C5's have a poor parking brake. If you are driving a 6 speed, get in the habit of leaving the transmission in gear when you park the car!! Automatics don't have the same problem because the transmission has "PARK". Their may be a couple of reasons for a poor parking brake, one of them being the parking brake shoes themselves are out of adjustment for some reason. Unless you've been driving with the parking brake partially on, the shoe should last the life of the car. They may be out of adjustment because of a faulty self-adjusting pawl which is located on the handle itself. I haven't looked into the handle problem yet, but I did set-up the parking brake shoes seeing as I had the caliper off to paint, it was just a bit more work to adjust the shoes.
1. After the wheel is removed, use a C-clamp to force the caliper pistons back into their bore a bit. This makes it easier to slip the caliper off and on the rotor. You'll need two wrenches to remove the caliper guide pin bolts. One wrench to hold the guide and another to remove the bolt. Once the bolts are out, simply lift the caliper off the rotor and place the caliper up on the A-arms in such a way that it can't fall. You don't have to disconnect the hydraulic line!!!!
2. The caliper support bracket has to be removed next using a 21 mm socket, six point if possible, and a LONG bar. If you don't have a bar long enough to give you the leverage needed, use your shorter bar with a pipe over the handle. If you don't have a 21 mm socket, a slightly worn 13/16" will do the job. These two bolts are tight and have Red Loctite on them. Be careful the support doesn't fall when you take the bolts out. Lift the support off and set it in a safe spot.
3. The rotor maybe difficult to remove because of rust between the rotor hat and axle flange. Several ways to remove a stubborn rotor, first thing I'd try is a three pound hammer and give the rotor hat several good belts between the wheel studs. Watch you don't hit a stud!!! Put the wheel nuts back on the studs if your aim is poor. Very often, the shock from the hammer will break the rust and the rotor will come free from the flange. Use the hammer between different studs and keeping a slight outward pull on the rotor while using the hammer may help too. If the hammer method won't break the rotor free, a slight amount of heat, a good propane torch is enough, applied around the studs may cause the hat to break free of the rust. If the shoes have worn into the drum on the back of the rotor or because of rust build-up on the unworn drum surface, you may have to wiggle the rotor off the parking brake shoe once the rotor is loose.

Note the star wheel adjuster. By turning the adjuster, you can expand or contract the shoe.
4. Use some emery cloth, sand the lining, just enough to remove any glaze, and use some emery cloth to sand the drum friction surface and get the unworn lip on the drum cleaned up so the rotor/drum will slip over the lining easily. When I did my car, I turned the adjuster OUT 5 clicks and tried the rotor/drum over the shoes. No drag. I gave the adjuster another 5 clicks out. No drag. Finally, after 15 clicks out, the drum fit snuggly over the shoe. This snugness eased off a bit when the wheels were put back on and everything was centered up the way it should be.
5. Clean up the mounting surfaces on the caliper support bracket, place a couple of drops of Red Loctite on the bolts, install support bracket and bolts, torque them to 125 lb. ft.. That's tight!!
6. Make sure the caliper guides are nice and free, lube them with some good synthetic caliper lube, such as made by Permatex if necessary. Re-install the caliper and pads, put a drop or two of Red Loctite on the guide bolts, install the bolts and torque to 23 lb. ft..
7. Replace the wheel assembly over the studs, install the wheel nuts and using a torque wrench, tighten the wheel nuts to 100 lb. ft. using three passes (30, 60, 100) in a criss-cross sequence.
If your parking brake handle used to come away up and wouldn't hold on the slightest hill, you will be impressed with the difference. Try the brake on a hill to make sure it works well and that it's releasing completely. The question now is, why was it so far out of adjustment? Another day, I'm going to look into the adjuster pawl on the parking brake lever to make sure it's not hung up.
This stuff about the parking brake adjusting itself if you apply the parking brake while backing up is a crock!! When you were adjusting the parking brake, did you see any mechanism that would adjust the shoe automatically? I sure didn't. I think the only automatic adjustment available is in the parking brake lever. That's a job for another day though!



Adjusting the Emergency Brake /Hand Brake assembly repairs

Submitted by DidntSettle98 (WA) on CorvetteForum.com.

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 is 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 emergency brake boot. Go here to see how to do this: http://www.vetteessentials.com/inst...ezel_howto.html

You only have to go thru step 3F to do what is required. It takes about a half hour. After you have the emergency brake boot loosened (two 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 three mounting screws. (#40 Torx screw) Disconnect the emergency 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 assembly 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 until 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 emergency 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.


Adjusting the C5 Parking Brake

Submitted by mchaney (Maryland) and Evil-Twin (Collingdale, PA) on the CorvetteForum.com.

Take the rear rotors off and adjust the star wheels. Adjust the wheel until the brake pad started to make contact with the rotor and scrape a little as the rotor was put back on. There’s a little lip on the edge of the rotor so if you adjust it until it scrapes that lip, when the rotor is all the way on, it will still have clearance and not scrape.


To adjust the parking brake cable, once a month let your car roll backwards and pull-up hard on the emergency brake enough to slam the car to a stop. You only need to be going 1 or 2 miles per hour… do this three times. You cannot over adjust it. It may only click once or not at all.

To start the procedure, make sure your parking brake is OFF (NOT engaged) and the car is in park or in gear. Just jack up and remove one of the rear wheels. Then remove the two bolts holding the brake caliper on. These are the two larger bolts around back, behind the rotor. Then just slide the caliper with shoes still attached off the rotor and set it on a box or some other object placed under the car. Don’t hang it by the brake line or otherwise it can cause stress to that line. The rotor should then pull right off the hub. If not, give the center of the rotor (near the lug stems) a whack or two with a hammer (don’t bang on the rotor surfaces). I had to tap several times to loosen them up. Once you get the rotor off, you’ll see the little star wheel to the side of the giant brake shoe. You’ll see a small clearance between the star wheel and its “plunger.” The object is to expand this clearance. I used a sharp screwdriver, placed the blade between two of the teeth and tapped lightly with a hammer to turn the wheel (you should only have to tap very lightly). This just seemed to be the easiest method. Don’t use a fat headed screwdriver or tap too far each time because you don’t want the screwdriver to slip out of the notch and dent/strip the teeth on the wheel. If you are careful, this should work fine.

I suspect they are all the same, so you would tap the wheel so that your screwdriver is going from right to left to open it up (increase the gap). As you open it up little by little, put the rotor back on a few times during this process to see when it starts to get tight. When the brake shoe expands to the size of the outer lip on the rotor, it will start to get difficult to get the rotor back on as the shoe will scrape the lip as you put it back on. When you put the rotor back on, you should be feeling some resistance from the shoe as it scrapes the outer lip on the rotor. IF THERE IS A LOT OF RESISTANCE, DON’T FORCE THE ROTOR BACK ON!!! If you do and decide you want to back it off a little, you may not be able to get the rotor back off without pulling that big brake shoe off with it, and that could be a real pain. Just keep testing it with the rotor as you go and as soon as you feel a light resistance when putting the rotor back on, that should be good enough.

As a precaution, you can jiggle the rotor clockwise/counterclockwise on the hub just to make sure that it still turns freely. It should move a few degrees easily both ways as there is a little slack between the rotor and the lug stems, and some more slack in the CV’s. I doubt it is possible to over-adjust the mechanism and still be able to get the rotors back on because there is at least a 1mm lip on the inside of the rotor and that is what scrapes when you put the rotor back on, not the braking surface. Once you clear that lip, there should be plenty of slack so that the shoes don’t scrape the brake surface.

As they say, assembly is the reverse of the above. I would do both sides like this without messing with the parking brake lever in between. During the procedure when doing both sides in the rear, don’t fool with the brake lever (especially when the rotor is off).
Submitted by tstar on CorvetteForum.com. (4/15/09)

Enabling the Park Brake Cable Automatic Adjuster

1. Raise the vehicle and support. Refer to Lifting and Jacking the Vehicle in General Information.
2. Remove the rear tire and wheel assembly. Refer to Tire and Wheel Removal and Installation in Tires and Wheels.
3. Install the park brake cable to the park brake actuator, at both wheels.
4. Install the rear tire and wheel assembly. Refer to Tire and Wheel Removal and Installation in Tires and Wheels.
5. Lower the vehicle.



6. Reposition the carpet away from the parking brake lever.
7. Remove any rivet, drill bit, zip tie or cotter key from the park brake lever.
8. Install the park brake cable to the park brake lever.
9. Install the carpet to its original position.
10. Cycle the park brake lever up and down three times for automatic adjustment.


Submitted by Greg_E (Plainville, CT) on CorvetteForum.com. (12/26/09)




The repair manual doesn't say, but looking at the diagram, you would need to ratchet the star adjuster in a clockwise direction, (bottom to top) to lengthen the adjuster. It's been too long since I've done it to remember, but I can tell you that when I got the car, the emergency brake was useless. I think it took about 40 clicks until I felt it drag, and then backed it off. BTW, this is not the GM approved method, but I didn't have special tool J21177-A.

Park Brake Shoe Adjustment

Tools Required
J 21177-A Drum to Brake Shoe Clearance Gauge

Important
Adjustments are not normally necessary after replacing the park brake lever or cables. The park brake is adjusted automatically by cycling the park brake lever three or four times.

Never operate the park brake lever while the rotor is removed.

Remove the brake rotor. Refer to Brake Rotor Replacement - Rear in Disc Brakes.
Check if the brake drum inner diameter is within specifications.

Important
If the gap between the adjuster nut and screw exceeds 5 mm (0.25 in) during the adjustment procedure, the brake shoe assembly must be replaced.

Adjust the parking brake shoe-to-drum clearance to 0.38 mm (0.015 in) using J 21177-A.
Center the brake shoe.
Measure the brake shoe lining diameter across the horizontal centerline using J 21177-A. The diameter should measure 189.6 mm (7.464 in) to 189.8 mm (7.472 in).
Install the brake rotor.
Install two wheel nuts to retain the rotor.
Tighten the wheel nuts finger tight. Do not over-tighten.

Cycle the park brake lever three times.
Rotate the rotor and check for drag. If drag is present check and adjust the shoe-to-drum clearance.
Install the rotor. Refer to Brake Rotor Replacement - Rear in Disc Brakes.













C5 Parking Brake / Ebrake fix / adjustment
________________________________________
My Parking / Emergency brake was only grabbing with the brake in the full upright position. Then one day it would not work at all.

(Thanks to Chicago1 for supplying the detailed instructions from a former post)

The shop that did the state inspection stated the only way to fix it was to replace the whole brake handle unit at 246.00 for the part and 2 hours labor at 90.00 an hour. (They were WRONG).



I was advised that the part number for the unit is 10323590 and given the following response.

10323590, the part number you requested has been discontinued and is no longer available from GM. You maybe able to locate one from an aftermarket source, or salvage yard.

10323579 is a valid GM part number and is listed as a lever.

I listed the part number just in case others actually have to replace it............but I find it unlikely.

You have to pull the wheel, remove the caliper …





and bracket assy and then the rotor.





Adjust the shoes so there a very slight drag on the drum when you reinstall it. WARNING! If you get the drum too tight, you will NOT get it off again until the brake shoes wear down further!:





Adjustor wheel,........



Park Brake Adjustment
Tools Required
J 21177-A Drum to Brake Shoe Clearance Gauge

Important
Park brake adjustment is not necessary after replacing the park brake lever or park brake cables. The park brake cables are tensioned automatically by cycling the park brake lever three times.

Important
Do not operate the park brake lever with the rear disc brake rotor removed.

Place the inside measurement contacts of the J 21177-A at the widest point of the drum portion of the brake rotor (1).
Tighten the set screw on the tool in order to ensure the proper measurement when removing the tool from the drum.

Position the outside measurement contacts of the J 21177-A over the park brake shoe (1) at the widest point.

Important
If the gap between the adjuster nut and the adjuster screw exceeds 5 mm (0.25 in) during the adjustment procedure, the park brake shoe must be replaced.


Adjust the park brake shoe-to-drum clearance by rotating the adjustment nut on the park brake actuator. Specification
0.38 mm (0.015 in)

Install the rear brake rotors. Refer to Brake Rotor Replacement - Rear in Disc Brakes.
Install the rear tire and wheel assemblies.
Apply and release the park brake lever three times.
Apply the park brake lever. Inspect the rotation of the rear wheels:
The wheels should not rotate forward.
The wheels should drag or not rotate rearward.
If the rear tire and wheel assemblies rotate forward or do not exhibit drag rearward, repeat the adjustment procedure.
Release the parking lever. Verify that the wheels rotate freely lower the vehicle..




Now that the Emergency Brake has been adjusted........ Test for tension (grab of the brakes shoes on the rotor). If there is no tension then the issue may just be the following problem in the brake handle assembly.

Take out the passenger seat and the rear portion of the center console to expose the Emergency Brake handle assembly.




Lubricate all areas near the lever and check for correct movement of the brake lever and ratchet system...........mine was rusty and working intermittently.


Reassemble and test ...mine will now lock up the rear tires with a medium tug.

 

Adjust the parking brake first. They are known to have not been adjusted properly from the factory and only get worse with time. The link below highlights a procedure a GM employee wrote on the CF years ago.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1578483712