Help, E BRAKE DOESNT WORK
TECH Regular
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 427
Likes: 0
From: Ellicott City MD
join the club. I have messed around with mine time and time again and i cant get it to work. If you take the disks off the back and look at the ebreak assembly there is a lilttle wheel with notches on it that can be spun. It changes the pad hight. I dont know which way to move it someone here will better be able to help you. But just so you know your not alone
On the tree
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 643
Likes: 0
Ok here is what you do, maybe someone can make a sticky of this...
Chaulk the front wheels and jack the rear end of the car up and remove both wheels. Make sure the E-brake is off when you do this so you can remove the rotors.
Remove the whole caliper and bracket so that you can remove the rotor.
There is a small adjuster on the bottom of both sides of the cars hubs, this is what you have to adjust.
Take a flat blade screw driver and on the drivers side rotate the adjuster from top to bottom. this should make the adjuster push out. Only do a few rotations then fit the rotor back on and with 1 lug nut holding the rotor on engage the E-brake. You should have to pull the e-brake maybe 5-7 clicks until it holds the rotor from moving. If it is still able to be spin by hand then release the E-brake and remove the lug nut and rotor and roll the adjuster a couple more times and repeat the above steps until the rotor is held at 5-7 clicks of the parking brake handle.
once you are done with the drivers side go over to the passanger side and repeat the steps on that side. I think the adjuster on the passanger side rolls from bottom to top to push it out. Adjust it a couple of rolls and then replace the rotor and use 1 lug not to hold it and see if when the E-brake is at 5-7 click that it holds. If not repeat the steps just like you did on the drivers side.
When you are done both side should be held to where you can move them at 5-7 clicks. Make sure to check the E-brake shoes and make sure they are not worn out, they should not be unless you accidently drove with the E-brake on.
If the shoes look fine then this should get it to where the E-brake holds. Make sure with the E-brake handle disengaged that there is no resistance on the rotor and that the rotor/wheel spins freely with the adjustments you made. Try to make the same amount of adjustments per side..ie if you had to rotate one side 5 times make sure the other side is close to the same amount of adjustments on the adjusters.
Put the car back together and get the rear back on the ground. Remove the front wheel chaulks and start the car and put into gear, engage the E-brake and make sure of you ease the clutch out or put in gear and release the brake that the E-brake holds the car when it is idling on the transmission or when you release the clutch. Make sure to check forward and reverse to insure the E-brake holds.
That should be it. I have to do mine every 3-6 months or so as it seems either the adjusters dont hold the adjustment or the cable is stretching.
Chaulk the front wheels and jack the rear end of the car up and remove both wheels. Make sure the E-brake is off when you do this so you can remove the rotors.
Remove the whole caliper and bracket so that you can remove the rotor.
There is a small adjuster on the bottom of both sides of the cars hubs, this is what you have to adjust.
Take a flat blade screw driver and on the drivers side rotate the adjuster from top to bottom. this should make the adjuster push out. Only do a few rotations then fit the rotor back on and with 1 lug nut holding the rotor on engage the E-brake. You should have to pull the e-brake maybe 5-7 clicks until it holds the rotor from moving. If it is still able to be spin by hand then release the E-brake and remove the lug nut and rotor and roll the adjuster a couple more times and repeat the above steps until the rotor is held at 5-7 clicks of the parking brake handle.
once you are done with the drivers side go over to the passanger side and repeat the steps on that side. I think the adjuster on the passanger side rolls from bottom to top to push it out. Adjust it a couple of rolls and then replace the rotor and use 1 lug not to hold it and see if when the E-brake is at 5-7 click that it holds. If not repeat the steps just like you did on the drivers side.
When you are done both side should be held to where you can move them at 5-7 clicks. Make sure to check the E-brake shoes and make sure they are not worn out, they should not be unless you accidently drove with the E-brake on.
If the shoes look fine then this should get it to where the E-brake holds. Make sure with the E-brake handle disengaged that there is no resistance on the rotor and that the rotor/wheel spins freely with the adjustments you made. Try to make the same amount of adjustments per side..ie if you had to rotate one side 5 times make sure the other side is close to the same amount of adjustments on the adjusters.
Put the car back together and get the rear back on the ground. Remove the front wheel chaulks and start the car and put into gear, engage the E-brake and make sure of you ease the clutch out or put in gear and release the brake that the E-brake holds the car when it is idling on the transmission or when you release the clutch. Make sure to check forward and reverse to insure the E-brake holds.
That should be it. I have to do mine every 3-6 months or so as it seems either the adjusters dont hold the adjustment or the cable is stretching.
