[lunchbox660]

my parking brake is practically useless right now. i pull it all the way and i can still push the car myself....i looked in the manual for ways to remedy this problem and in the service manual i have, it says how to do a parking brake adjustment, but when i got under my car, NONE of the things they showed in the pictures in the manual exist on the SRT-4, so i am thinking it is only for the plain Neon. I set the adjuster thingee on the actual brake lever like the manual set, and that did not help at all.....has anyone else had this problem and if so, how can i fix it? any brake gurus have any idea what may be wrong? is it something i will be able to fix myself, or is it time to excersize my warranty? thanks

 

[posthondaremoval]

Get the car lifted and look at the bottom inside side of the rear brake - there is a rubber Oval shaped gromett. Remove it and roll the cam in there (using a flat head screwdrive to turn it) until the brake grabs the wheel with the e-brake in the down position, then back it off two clicks. - repeat for the other side - voilia - you have e-brakes again (and at 6 clicks instead of the old 9-14). It is a standard drum in hat assembly. It isn't self-adjusting, so if you use the e-brake for spins... plan on doing it occassionally.:thumbsup:

Note - On the pass. side roll the cam upwards.

 

[posthondaremoval]

oh, and test it to make sure it works before you drive it away - Of course.:thumbsup:

 

[lunchbox660]

sweet....the pic didnt look like that. ill check it out right now. so does this mean that the shoes are getting worn out or is it just the cable getting stretched? im wondering how long it will be b4 i have to actually buy new shoes instead of just tightening this thingee like you said....he he he....gotta budget ahead of time for broken stuff...

 

[posthondaremoval]

generally - worn shoes - but its the first time so cable could do a bit(even though they are real thick).

plus dcx has it so loose from the factory that it losses functionality quickly. Once you adj. it right it will last a lot longer.:thumbsup:

 

[Midnight Turbo]

thanx - mine need adjusting too
not self-adjusting ehh? That really blows. 1 more fu%*in thing to upkeep.

 

[lunchbox660]

yay! well, i adjusted it now and it works fantastic. i pulled the rotors off to take a peek at the shoes and they are totally fine, so i guess it was just the cable getting streched and broken in. makes sense. i ride bikes alot and i know it takes a while for cables to stretch so i guess this is normal. this is my first new car, so i have never had to deal with stretching cables until now. also just one note...in the SRT service manual, it says to turn the brake adjusting nut downward.....this only applies to the driver side. if you turn the passenger side downward, it will be loosening the cable...you must turn it upward. just a little hint to those of you who run into the same problem as me....have fun guys and thanks for your help!

 

[posthondaremoval]

glad to hear you have a brake again:thumbsup:

 

[NIVO88T]

are we talking SRT4 here? brake shoes? do you guys mean brake pads?

I need to adjust jeans ebrake soon before saturday.

 

[posthondaremoval]

Since we're talking drum brakes for the ebrake - shoes describes the pad well. On the pad - braking surface is like the sole of a shoe. I vote we start calling them soles:jester: .

 

[NIVO88T]

I have the srt4 service manual and I can't find where it states about the adjustment of the parking brake.

 

[posthondaremoval]

I have the manual and I couldn't either. That thing is real tough to read - 1700 pages of info. is a lot to peruse.

I posted a while ago with the problem and got a great explanation. I'll see if it was here or on Dodgeforum and post a link if I can find the thread.

 

[lunchbox660]

are we talking SRT4 here? brake shoes? do you guys mean brake pads?

I need to adjust jeans ebrake soon before saturday.

no nivo, definitely talking about the shoes, not the pads. and yes, its the srt4. the rear brakes utilize a hydraulic disc for the normal stopping power, however a cable operated drum brake is located INSIDE the hat of the rear disc to allow for an e-brake/parking brake system. after finding out that my parking brake was virtually useless, i found out that it is indeed quite simple to fix, and noone should ever be duped into paying a shop to do it for you. all you need is a flat head screwdriver. its EASY.

 

[lunchbox660]

o, by the way NIVO, i do not have my manual here in front of me, but it is in the section realting to service and repairs listed under brakes. it doesnt say much, but there IS something wrong with the way they present the info. in the manual it will tell you to turn the star nut down, but it does not say what they define "down" as....put it this way, when you remove the plug on the driver side brake, stick your screw driver in and pull the star nut TOWARDS you, so that it rotates the FRONT side of the nut down towards you. on the PASSENEGER side, you need to turn the nut up and AWAY from you....they do not say that in the manual. both nuts must turn the same direction, otherwise you will be loosening the passenger side and tightening the driver side, it will NOT balance itself out with the "auto adjuster" you have to do it yourself, but its super easy. good lucka nd if you have any other questions, just ask!

 

[posthondaremoval]

easiest way to describe it is as a cam on a threaded stud. you roll the cam up or down to pull the stud (connected to the cable) forward or back. :thumbsup:


Very easy to do, though.

 

[posthondaremoval]

I do wonder why they didn't use an auto adjuster in there.

I had a 2000 celica gts with a similar drum in hat system in the rear and it auto adjusted.

 

[Bleeding_Rust]

auxillary rear shoes... the drum assembly is inside the rotor.. so it's like a drum/rotor rear brakes.. only used when ebrake is engaged... probly just think it wouldn't b use much... cus u r suppose to only engage them wen the car is complete stop..... :frogtongu ... silly engineers..

 

[NIVO88T]

we adjusted the ebrake and now it's nice at 6-7 clicks.

 

[jaymzx]

Vote for sticky/FAQ!

 

[NIVO88T]

I should take pics of the area.