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Has anyone had this happen?
I pull it up as far as it can go and the car still rolls. (Even on a slight incline).
I have a 6-speed.
Can the dealer tighten the break or something?
Did the parking brake just begin to malfunction? (Indicating something recently broke.)
The dealer (or you) can adjust the park brake shoes, but you will need to be able to lift the vehicle and have access to a Drum to Brake shoe Clearance Gauge.
You should have access to a service manual (specific to your year) if you are going to do this yourself.
Basic procedure is to tension the park brake cables, raise the vehicle, remove the rear tire and wheel, remove the rear disc brake rotor, measure the widest point of the inside drum portion of the brake rotor, transfer that measurement and adjust the park brake shoe clearance (0.38mm), install the rear brake rotor, install tire and wheel, cycle park brake lever three times, check operation, repeat adjustment if necessary.
(Park brake cables are tensioned automatically by cycling the park brake lever three times. Apply and fully release the parking brake three times. Verify the parking brake lever releases completely. Turn on ignition. Verify that BRAKE warning indicator lamp is off.)
From: Blacker than the blackest black, times infinity.
Stealthy Puma Member
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Re: Emergency Break Broke!!!! (yellowvette837)
The other day I pulled up on my e-brake (02 vert) and I heard a popping sound that sounded like a snapped cable. I released the e-brake and pulled up again only to find very little resistance. It felt like there had been two cables and only one was left. I finished what I was doing (washing the car) and was resigned to taking it in to the dealer.
However, when I moved the car and set the e-brake again it felt better. A few times later it was back to normal (or so it seems.) So I'm guessing the "pop" was a stuck auto-tensioner. It's been 2 weeks since and all is well. :crazy:
One more thing: I had the console off a few days prior to this happening (working on my Hurst shifter.) Perhaps that had something to do with it.
The break feel the same, but now the car rolls if I do not out it in gear. I always park it in gear. This problem, just began. I will have the dealer do the work.
My emergency brake works perfectly every once in a while. I've had the car roll away on me with the thing pulled up to the stop. It seems to be a real POS. I always leave the car in gear now.
Try this first: My E-Brake wouldn't hold my car in the driveway until I adjusted it. See below:
1.) Find an area (slight incline preferred)
2.) Start the car rolling backward (slowly)
3.) While it's rolling back pull up hard on the E-Brake
4.) Repeat this several times until the brake is adjusted
Try this first: My E-Brake wouldn't hold my car in the driveway until I adjusted it. See below:
1.) Find an area (slight incline preferred)
2.) Start the car rolling backward (slowly)
3.) While it's rolling back pull up hard on the E-Brake
4.) Repeat this several times until the brake is adjusted
Good Luck.
I don't believe that this procedure adjusts the ebrake drum-to-shoe clearance which is usually the cause of poor holding. Like Mapman says above, pulling up on the brake handle 3 times is the service manual procedure to take up any cable slack via the ratchet in the handle. I tried this backup procedure and got no improvement. My brake held ok but the handle was almost at max travel.
I took the rear rotors off and adjusted the star wheel to tighten up the drum-to-shoe clearance following the service manual procedure. Now it works perflectly. The star wheel adjuster has no self adjusting capability - none. There is no mention in the service manual or owners manual about this backup-and-pullup procedure. It would have been very easy for designers to make the star wheel accessible without removing the caliper bracket and rotors. Maybe it was done intentionally as a dealer service revenue bonus.
Go to tech tips... I placed the correct proceedure there.,.,,, once it is done you wont have to do it again...
the brakes do not wear since the Ebrake is placed after the car stops.. the dealer will usually not do aNYTHING ABOUT THIS AS IT IS BRAKES AND ARE NOT Covered under warrantee.. I di this three years ago when I almost lost my car .. the dealer said the balkes needed replacing I laughed and said yeah right the car had 3000 miles on it,.. the ebrake is set after the car is stoped how can they be worn... they to,d me it wouls cost me 150 dollars..
I took it home and fixex it myself in two hours...If I had to do it again I could do it in an hour... its been fixed for three years and 40,000 miles.. I could stop my car with the ebrake doing 30 mph