Parking Brake Adjustment. Stuck on Caliper Removal (hard line)

[sugarwood]

Trying my first parking brake adjustment.
I could barely see into the rotor view hole with my light.
Didn't see anything that looks like a sprocket.

So, I decided to try removing the rotor to look inside and adjust it and see what's happening.
I got the lower caliper bolt off using 3/8" ratchet with 19mm socket.
Had to use a pipe on the ratchet to break it loose.
Then I just used a ratcheting wrench to spin it off (a few degrees at a time)

It wasn't clear if you need to detach the hard brake line to move the caliper.
Or if you can loosen something and slide it out of the way?
I was able to move the caliper aside without opening the brake lines.
This was done by prying off the retaining clip at the hard/soft coupler.
This allowed me to push the entire brake line back and rest the caliper on the suspension.
I had to remove the brake pad sensor clip in order to have room to pry properly.



I found it almost impossible to adjust the sprocket with the rotor on.
I remove the rotor and got a look at how the mechanism works.
I finally understood that the spring also doubles as a "notch" to keep the adjustment sprocket in place.

[OffCamber00]

Yes, you will need to remove the brake line at the caliper. A set of flare wrenches is your friend here. The picture you provided is where the hard line connects to the flex line. You can remove here, but its harder than doing it at the caliper. For future reference, if you ever replace your soft brake lines, you will need to remove that metal tab so you can get two wrenches on the hard and soft lines to break them loose.

Once you have the caliper off, there is a single phillips screw that holds the rotor on.

Also....since you will be opening the braking system via disconnecting the caliper, you will need to bleed that caliper once you have everything reinstalled.

Good luck

[Oh Haha]

A manual impact screwdriver might come in handy for the rotor retaining screw.

[zippy_gg]

Can you post a picture of where you were looking at to adjust the parking brakes?

[sugarwood]

I used this to get more torque on the rotor screws.

[DRACO A5OG]

You also want to take out the slack in the e brake line in the first pic, leaving about .5-1MM slack at the adjustment nut.

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by DRACO A5OG

You also want to take out the slack in the e brake line in the first pic, leaving about .5-1MM slack at the adjustment nut.

My adjustment nuts looked so frozen solid with grime and I didn't see any slack at all in the parking brake line.
The 2 nuts are fully screwed together.
Not sure what it's supposed to look like, so I didn't bother trying to adjust it there.

[sugarwood]

On a related note, I was struggling with how much to adjust the parking brake shoes so they would not rub even when disengaged.
What I did to test for rubbing was to reset the brake to “zero”. Then I put the rotor on and spun it to see what the baseline should feel/sound like (no rubbing)

It was too difficult for me to adjust the sprocket with the rotor on. (Expand until fully engaged, and then back off 4 clicks) So I had to repeatedly remove/adjust/replace until it felt close. At one point, the rotor would not go back on, then I backed off the parking brake a bit.

In my final config, there was a minor rubbing sound only for like a few degrees of rotational travel. Not sure if this just meant the entire mechanism just needs to shift and settle (since it can be shifted around) I figured if it was too tight, it would be rubbing at all 360* of rotation.

[Oh Haha]

This setup is similar to drum brakes on domestic vehicles. I back off the adjusting wheel until the rotor goes on with little resistance. It sounds like yours will be just fine.

Be sure to do the same to the other side so they are about the same. Keep in mind that you will have to pull up on the brake lever very little to engage them now. Mine engages with about 3 "clicks".

Be sure to test the holding power before relying on them.

[sugarwood]

Yea, I still had to pull up to 6 clicks to get it to freeze, so I don't think my adjustment did much.
I have only done one wheel, so I will do the other today.

[Canada Kev]

Originally Posted by OffCamber00

Yes, you will need to remove the brake line at the caliper.

You do NOT need to remove the brake lines from the caliper to get it out of the way. What the OP did with removing that little clip allows the brake line so slide in enough to just move the caliper out of the way to do any work, and eliminate the requirement of bleeding brakes and stuff. Don't make more work for yourself than you need. Just be aware and careful not to damage or bend the hard line in the process.

A couple years back, I rebuilt my parking brakes when I was experiencing an issue with my brake not staying released. I did a writeup here with some pictures and an explanation of my steps to my work. This info may help you rectify your problem.

Parking brake dragging

[DRACO A5OG]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

Yea, I still had to pull up to 6 clicks to get it to freeze, so I don't think my adjustment did much.
I have only done one wheel, so I will do the other today.

Unfortunately, you must have the rotor on to do the adjustment.

If you have the OEM screw driver, I found it to work the best. Just put enough lube on the star and spring so it can move easily.

Here is what I do:

With the rotor on, use a flash light to locate the star.
Lock the adjuster until it can not move any more.
Loosen 4 clicks on the Star
Repeat on the other side.
Test lever, to insure it lock at 4 tics firmly and at most no more the 5 hard lift of the lever.

The trick is to get the right feel for the star movement, just practice and visualize how it is moving within the rotor.

[sugarwood]

I just removed the rotor and adjusted the star.
A little trial and error to the point where the rotor fits on, but is rubbing,
and then backing it off about 5 turns. I think that's close enough.

Something definitely worked, because now after doing the 2nd wheel, the parking brake only goes 4 clicks, instead of 7 !
Such a silly maintenance item, but one that can prove catastrophic.
I've had the car actually start rolling if I didn't do the 7th click.

Now, if I only had a few of those stupid rotor set screws b/c I hate reinstalling half stripped ones.
I'll just screw them on lightly, and replace next time I have the wheels off.

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by Oh Haha

A manual impact screwdriver might come in handy for the rotor retaining screw.

Yes. This is the only thing that works for me. If you have an impact driver like a cordless Dewalt or something, that might work. But the impact action prevents stripping the screw head.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

I just removed the rotor and adjusted the star.
A little trial and error to the point where the rotor fits on, but is rubbing,
and then backing it off about 5 turns. I think that's close enough.

Not really...

If you want to do it right, put the rotor back on and adjust the star wheel until you can't spin the rotor. Do the other side the same way. Then, pull up the carpet behind the handbrake lever and look through the holes in the tunnel to make sure your parking brake cable equalizer is perpendicular to the car's longitudinal axis. If not, adjust the cables to get the lengths the same, then tighten the start wheels again. When happy, back them off the same number of clicks each side (maybe 5 or 6) and make sure the rotors spin freely. Pull up on the handbrake lever and see if you get full engagement withing about 5 clicks. If so, you're done.

JR

[sugarwood]

Thanks Java. Trust me, I tried.

I simply was unable to do anything with the star while the rotor was on.
This was even after I had been repeatedly with the star with rotor off.
Meaning, I knew exactly how to manipulate it, and to push everything back to center when it would snag against the spring.
But when blind, I simply could not get any traction whatsoever. When I could find the star, it would just snag when turning.

As of now, the parking brake fully engages within 4-5 clicks.
To me, that means it's not rubbing (too few clicks), or too loose (7 clicks like before)

I'm calling it a day.
Next time it's at a garage, I will tell the guy to verify my work, and rectify as needed.

[sugarwood]

This is the 2nd impact screwdriver I've bought that simply does not work.
I see no rotational force when I hammer.
I guess I need to step up and buy an expensive one.

[rusnak]

I think the suggestion to lift the carpet and see if the handbrake pulls are even is a good one, especially if you park on a lot of hills. The reason I say this is to make sure that both rear wheels are locked when you pull up on the lever. Otherwise, if the shoes dont drag, you can engage the brake, then you did good. I see no reason to worry.

[sugarwood]

Is there a picture of what I am looking for?
I'm not even sure how to search for the right image.

Is it in that little flap where the shift coupler stuff is in the back seat?

[rusnak]

IIRC, on my '84 you either have to remove the heater control box, or under the rubber boot for the handbrake. Too many cars, can't remember that exact detail right now.