Ebrake don't work
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 732
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From: OHIO
Ebrake don't work My handbrake doesn't seem to be operating. We have to check it out while on lift for 12 bolt. The cables going back to the shoes seem to work but the handle doesn't seem to work...is there a common thing that can happen with these, like a cable issue where it attaches to the handle?
Yes. The ebrake pads need to be adjusted every time the rotors in the rear are replaced. If the bore of the new rotors are just a little larger, there will be too much play in the brake for it to do anything.
The adjustment is a real PITA, because you have to have the brakes and rotors off to get to the adjusting wheel and you have to make the same adjustment on both sides of the car.
The adjustment is a real PITA, because you have to have the brakes and rotors off to get to the adjusting wheel and you have to make the same adjustment on both sides of the car.
Thread Starter
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 732
Likes: 0
From: OHIO
I didn't replace the rotors. One day i went to the store and after I parked I pulled the handbrake and I noticed the pull was very light feeling, then I realised the e-brake wasn't actually working; so, either the cable came off the handbrake or it's broke under the handbrake. The cables are working in the back when you pull the single cable where the two rears come off at the junction.
The "feel" comes from the springs at the point where the cables go in to the back plate. That's the next place to look. If nothing there, you'll have to take the rotors off to see what's happening inside. If the retaining plate in the back is bent and the actuating lever is disengaged, that could be a culprit, but you'll still need to re-build the e-brake completely if that's the case.
