Parking b rake....how do I adjust?
09-12-03, 07:42 AM
#2
OK, I'll give this a try...
The parking brake is actually a drum brake inside the rear rotor. To adjust it you have to take off the rear wheels. On the outside of the rotor hat there are two rubber grommets plugging the adjustment holes. Remove one of the grommets. With the parking brake off and the car in neutral, rotate the rotor so that the unplugged hole is at the bottom. Use a brake adjusting tool (a flathead screwdriver works as well) to turn the internal adjustment wheel. Use the tool like a lever. The adjustment wheel has "teeth" and you use the tool to turn them by levering up/down against the hole in the rotor. I don't recall off the top of my head which way is tight and which is loose, but it doesn't take much experimenting to find out. With the parking brake off, adjust them to where they just stop the rotor from turning, then back them off until you can turn the rotor by hand. Check the movement of the parking brake handle and adjust the brakes to get the movement where you like it.
It sounds a lot more complicated than it really is, but it's hard to explain in words. It should become obvious when you actually do it. It usually takes me about 15 minutes once you have the wheels off.
Hope this helps!
The parking brake is actually a drum brake inside the rear rotor. To adjust it you have to take off the rear wheels. On the outside of the rotor hat there are two rubber grommets plugging the adjustment holes. Remove one of the grommets. With the parking brake off and the car in neutral, rotate the rotor so that the unplugged hole is at the bottom. Use a brake adjusting tool (a flathead screwdriver works as well) to turn the internal adjustment wheel. Use the tool like a lever. The adjustment wheel has "teeth" and you use the tool to turn them by levering up/down against the hole in the rotor. I don't recall off the top of my head which way is tight and which is loose, but it doesn't take much experimenting to find out. With the parking brake off, adjust them to where they just stop the rotor from turning, then back them off until you can turn the rotor by hand. Check the movement of the parking brake handle and adjust the brakes to get the movement where you like it.
It sounds a lot more complicated than it really is, but it's hard to explain in words. It should become obvious when you actually do it. It usually takes me about 15 minutes once you have the wheels off.
Hope this helps!
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