Parking brake adjustment
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 1,055
Likes: 0
From: Simi Valley CA
Originally Posted by Allen N. Schmidt
My brake is pretty worthless. Anyone know how to adjust it?
They are a funny design in that they are little drum brakes inside the calipers.
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 30,045
Likes: 4
From: Danville Virginia
The parking uses reverse to self-adjust. Put the car in reverse and drive the car about 3 to 5 m/hr and then pull up the brake with a firm motion. This will cause the brakes to adjust. You may have to do this a number of times if it is out of adjustment really bad. Hope this helps!
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
Likes: 2,402
From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
I just adjusted the e-brakes in my 98. Boy what a royal PITA!! 
There is a "V" shaped spring that holds the shoes against the basking plate that "WILL" pop out and when it does it will drive you to drink getting it back in the proper place. All done now and it is 100%!! 
I had to adjust the shoe adjuster inside the drum. Mine were way out!
Bill C
There is a "V" shaped spring that holds the shoes against the basking plate that "WILL" pop out and when it does it will drive you to drink getting it back in the proper place. All done now and it is 100%!! I had to adjust the shoe adjuster inside the drum. Mine were way out!
Bill C
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 21,325
Likes: 3,841
From: small town in S.E Pa. PA
St. Jude Donor '03-'04
First of all , rolling the car backwards will only take out any slack in the cable.. it will not adjust the shoes.. and after three pulls of the cable, you can do it all day and it will not further adjust..
You need to remove the rotors from the rear wheels.. and click the star adjuster untill you can not put the rotor back .. mine were out 43 clicks... I did ten at a time.. then put the rotr on.. then ten more, etc.. at forty clicks I coul still slide on the rotor.. then I clicked ten more and could not get the rotor on.. so I backed off five and then five more..and it slid on so I added three more and it was hard to get on.. .. I did that 50,000 miles ago one time... and now four years and 50,000 miles later I can stop my car on a dime just using the ebrake while doing 20 miles an hour.. my lever now only goes up about 4 inches to a tight position as oppose to going verticle ... the lever sits at 45 degrees when its locked and it is fully release after dropping the lever by one inch..
You need to remove the rotors from the rear wheels.. and click the star adjuster untill you can not put the rotor back .. mine were out 43 clicks... I did ten at a time.. then put the rotr on.. then ten more, etc.. at forty clicks I coul still slide on the rotor.. then I clicked ten more and could not get the rotor on.. so I backed off five and then five more..and it slid on so I added three more and it was hard to get on.. .. I did that 50,000 miles ago one time... and now four years and 50,000 miles later I can stop my car on a dime just using the ebrake while doing 20 miles an hour.. my lever now only goes up about 4 inches to a tight position as oppose to going verticle ... the lever sits at 45 degrees when its locked and it is fully release after dropping the lever by one inch..
