Emergency brake

[ToQuick]

can anyone help, when i pull my e-brake i have to pull it alll the way up till it slitly engages, is there an easy way or anyway to adjust the e-brake cable. thanks

[lyncoo]

jack it up and adjust it whith a flat head screwdriver

[jnathan68]

^^^^ He is correct. Jack up the rear of the car and get in behind the brakes (crawl under and look at the back of the backing plate). You should see a rubber plug (kinda of rectangular with rounded corners). Pull out the plug and behind it is a star wheel which you should be able to turn with a screwdriver. Don't remember which way you turn it but you just want to do some trial and error to get it to the point where when the brake is off, the wheel turns freely but locks the wheel down when you pull the brake up. You will need to do both sides if you want them to both work.

[Amoeba]

Quote: Originally Posted by ToQuick

can anyone help, when i pull my e-brake i have to pull it alll the way up till it slitly engages, is there an easy way or anyway to adjust the e-brake cable. thanks

Here you go...

Vehicle wheel must be off the ground to do the job.

Parking lever should be down(not on)

1) Insert a medium size screwdriver through 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 properly set.

2) Insert a medium size screwdriver through 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 that two clicks past the point of no drag. The parking brake shoe-to-drum clearance is now properly set.

Remember to put the plugs back in !

[chocolate_ninja]

i was able to fully adjust the left side. but the right side wont adjust anymore. the star wont turn anymore. and when i look at the cables by the shifter, the right side cable is too slack. so do i have to repalce that brake cable?

[fivetoez]

Quote: Originally Posted by chocolate_ninja

i was able to fully adjust the left side. but the right side wont adjust anymore. the star wont turn anymore. and when i look at the cables by the shifter, the right side cable is too slack. so do i have to repalce that brake cable?

You went the WRONG direction when you moved the star wheel.
Try again!

[chocolate_ninja]

no. i went the proper direction. i remember i checked it on the ALLDATA cd. i was able to adjust the left side going in the proper direction. i forget right now if its up or down. but when i did it to the right side, the wheel still spins freely

[porksword]

Quote: Originally Posted by chocolate_ninja

no. i went the proper direction. i remember i checked it on the ALLDATA cd. i was able to adjust the left side going in the proper direction. i forget right now if its up or down. but when i did it to the right side, the wheel still spins freely

Just for the hell of it I would try going the other direction all the way and see if it gets tighter or looser.

[chocolate_ninja]

ok, ill try that

[ATaylorRacing]

You can do that and still not have enough e-brake handle....these things end up stretching the cables....I am going through that problem now....I can't even hold it in the water for a burnout at the drag strip. We are jerry-rigging a junk of metal into the handle to take up cable slack at that point since the rears are adjusted all the way.