How do you tighten the parking brake?

[66CUDA]

Need to tighten the parking brake any repair insight?

66CUDA

[careyk]

I would like to know too....my parking brake has to be yanked up as far as it possibly can to keep the car from rolling....and than its a bugger to release it...especially for the wife

[66CUDA]

Anyone know? Do I have to remove the console and rachet a nut attached to the cable from the lever????

66CUDA

[CREWZIN]

From PT Do-It-Yourself.net:

The parking brake is self -adjusting and only applies to the rear brakes. The parking brake lever automatic-adjusting feature continuously applies minimal tension to the parking brake cables to keep them in adjustment at all times. Therefore, the parking brake cable system does not require adjustment. Proper parking brake system adjustment is obtained by proper drum brake or drum-in-hat brake shoe adjustment. This section of the service manual is extensive and contains numerous illustrations and instructions, therefore we're not able to provide it in its entirety. We recommend that you borrow or purchase a service manual prior to attempting any adjustment to the brake system.

[66CUDA]

I appreciate the insight and concern but I have done this repair before on various vehicles I have owned. It usually is a simple 20 minute repair in which a nut is tightened on a cable under the car or under the center console. Hopefully, someone on this sight has made this quick fix.

66CUDA

[Mal]

Just adjusted the park brake on a Lexus which has the same "non adjustable cable rear drum in the disk", system. It was quite simple. Remove a rubber plug, put the resulting hole a 6 oclock, use a screwdriver to adjust a star screw inside until the drum/disk won't move and back off just a bit. It adjusts just like the old drum brakes did. The slot could just as easily be in the back but I can't imagine it being much different but with DC, who knows....

[dsmturbo]

What about rear disc brakes? My parking handle as well I have to really pull it up to engage the park brake.
there must be some adjustment on cables or ?

[Mal]

I'm sorry, I wasn't very clear. I was referring to rear disks. The parking brake consists of a drum and shoes contained within the rear disk. In effect the rear brake is disk and the parking brake is a drum. Disks are by their nature self adjusting, drums are not. I have only done one brake job on the PT and didn't notice the adjusting hole so I suspect it is on the rear, on the backing plate; not on the disk itself like the Lexus.... I believe the cables are self adjusting.

[mopar_man]

This is from my 2002 FSM regarding adjusting the parking brake shoes on disc brake cars.

1) Verify the parking brake lever is in the released position.
2) Raise the vehicle.
3) Remove the rubber plug from the adjusting hole in the disc brake caliper adapter.
4) Adjust the parking brake cables. Use the first bullet point for the adjustment of the left side parking brake shoes. Use the second bullet point for the adjustment of the right side parking brake shoes.

• Insert a medium size screwdriver through the adjustment hole in the left backing plate. Position the screwdriver against the star wheel on the parking brake shoe adjuster. Using the screwdriver, rotate the star wheel downward until a slight drag is noticed when turning the rear tire and wheel assembly. Then, using the screwdriver, slowly rotate the star wheel upward, backing off the adjuster, just enough to allow the rear tire and wheel assembly to rotate without the parking brake shoes dragging. Do not back off the adjuster star wheel more than two clicks past the point of no drag. The parking brake shoe-to-drum clearance is now set.

• Insert a medium size screwdriver through the adjustment hole in the right backing plate. Position the screwdriver against the star wheel on the parking brake shoe adjuster. Using the screwdriver, rotate the star wheel upward until a slight drag is noticed when turning the rear tire and wheel assembly. Then, using the screwdriver, slowly rotate the star wheel downward, backing off the adjuster, just enough to allow the rear tire and wheel assembly to rotate without the parking brake shoes dragging. Do not back off the adjuster star wheel more than two clicks past the point of no drag. The parking brake shoe-to-drum clearance is now set.

5) Install the rubber plug in the adjusting holes of the disc brake caliper adapter.
6) Lower the vehicle until the rear tires are just clearing the floor.
7) Reach inside the vehicle and fully apply and release the park brakes two times after adjusting the parking brake shoes.
8) With the parking brake lever in the fully applied position, attempt to hand rotate each rear tire and wheel assembly to ensure that the parking brake shoes are working.
9) With the parking brake lever in the released position, hand rotate each rear tire and wheel assembly to ensure that the parking brake shoes are not dragging.


There are no pictures in the manual for this so you'll have to go by what you see under the car when doing it.

[Mal]

Thanks Mopar Man. That's exactly how brakes were adjusted in the old days. Just when you think drum brakes are a thing of the past; like wide ties, they come back. You may be able to see the star adjuster as you look through the hole making the use of a relatively thin screwdriver possible. Otherwise use as wide a device as you can get through the slot. There is a drum brake tool available for this task. It looks like a bent wide slotted screwdriver.

If the adjuster stops moving and the disk is not locked you are adjusting it the wrong way.

The two pulls on the handle, no doubt are the self adjusting feature of the cables.

I just noticed one of your cars is an '89 Caprice Wagon. The C4C I used for the Elantra was an '88 Caprice Wagon also with the Y (olds) motor ..... hated to see it go but the kids are all out of college. I also had a '64 1/2 Barracuda 273 4 spd. It and a '62 Valient 3 spd were fairly good Mopars.