Parking Brake Not Working Correctly

[Embalmer]

Basically I'm on a grade of not more than 5% (my driveway) car is in neutral (6-spd) and the parking brake must be pulled ALL they way up to the last couple of clicks before it works. Otherwise...pulling it up as normal, the brake doesn't hold the car and it rolls back.

Wanted to give you guys a heads up since this can cause major problems. Going to take mine in to get adjusted.

[Supermans]

Originally Posted by Embalmer

Basically I'm on a grade of not more than 5% (my driveway) car is in neutral (6-spd) and the parking brake must be pulled ALL they way up to the last couple of clicks before it works. Otherwise...pulling it up as normal, the brake doesn't hold the car and it rolls back.

Wanted to give you guys a heads up since this can cause major problems. Going to take mine in to get adjusted.

Same thing with mine.. You have to put it in first gear and use the PB when you turn off the car so it doesn't roll back.. I will take mine in though to see what they can do as well since it is annoying.

[PolishMike]

It needs to be adjusted. Take it to the dealer.

[SS4PK]

Nope it doesn't need adjusted, just poor engineering. If the e-brake is up just 4-6 clicks it doesn't hold on a very slight uncline. Oh listen to this. We took it in. They checked it, said it is adjusted correctly, and the way the e-brake works is there is a small drum, yes drum brake that pivots foward when the car is pointed down hill and grips the rotor. I thought it was a poor design, I know I didn't explain it correctly, but he did say drum and piviot. I think it is such a poor design I didn't understand it because I could engineer something better. So I said you mean it grab better if it is pointed nose downhill than nose uphill, yes he said. So I said I guess I can't go to San Francisco. He also said it is the same design as the vettes and it is crap. I think it is f'in retarded and the e-brake is useless, unforntuately we M6 guys need it,

[Show-Me-SS]

I stopped at a ATM one night and wasn't on a very big incline at all. I started to get out to get some cash and my friend said we're rolling. At that point I just shut the car off and got out. I had the brake up almost all the way but there was another 2 clicks left. I just make sure that it's all the way up. It is an uncomfortable feeling not trusting the e-brake. I'm curious to know if the dealer is able to fix the problem.

[JohnnyBfromPeoria]

To make an e-brake on a car with four wheel discs, there is usually a drum inside the rotor housing that uses little shoes to engage the inner surface. It would be pretty expensive to make the rotor's pads activate when pulling the handle. It's not a new design.

Why not just crawl under the car and adjust the cable where it splits into two? It is usually just under the transmission tunnel and there should be a nut attached to a long threaded bolt that allows for slack to be taken up. You have to adjust it when the parking brake is not engaged. Just tighten it up a few turns, check the brake and repeat if necessary. Make sure the brake has at least a few clicks until it engages, though, otherwise you may inadvertently drive around dragging the inner brake shoes in the back, heating the holy snot out of them.

John B.

[Gentry78]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBfromPeoria

To make an e-brake on a car with four wheel discs, there is usually a drum inside the rotor housing that uses little shoes to engage the inner surface. It would be pretty expensive to make the rotor's pads activate when pulling the handle. It's not a new design.

Why not just crawl under the car and adjust the cable where it splits into two? It is usually just under the transmission tunnel and there should be a nut attached to a long threaded bolt that allows for slack to be taken up. You have to adjust it when the parking brake is not engaged. Just tighten it up a few turns, check the brake and repeat if necessary. Make sure the brake has at least a few clicks until it engages, though, otherwise you may inadvertently drive around dragging the inner brake shoes in the back, heating the holy snot out of them.

John B.

+1

[patriotpa]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBfromPeoria

To make an e-brake on a car with four wheel discs, there is usually a drum inside the rotor housing that uses little shoes to engage the inner surface. It would be pretty expensive to make the rotor's pads activate when pulling the handle. It's not a new design.

Why not just crawl under the car and adjust the cable where it splits into two? It is usually just under the transmission tunnel and there should be a nut attached to a long threaded bolt that allows for slack to be taken up. You have to adjust it when the parking brake is not engaged. Just tighten it up a few turns, check the brake and repeat if necessary. Make sure the brake has at least a few clicks until it engages, though, otherwise you may inadvertently drive around dragging the inner brake shoes in the back, heating the holy snot out of them.

John B.

That's it! Normal adjustment for hand brake. Probably not necessary if you give it a good tug when you put the brake on. YMMV

[MajikMD]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBfromPeoria

To make an e-brake on a car with four wheel discs, there is usually a drum inside the rotor housing that uses little shoes to engage the inner surface. It would be pretty expensive to make the rotor's pads activate when pulling the handle. It's not a new design.

Why not just crawl under the car and adjust the cable where it splits into two? It is usually just under the transmission tunnel and there should be a nut attached to a long threaded bolt that allows for slack to be taken up. You have to adjust it when the parking brake is not engaged. Just tighten it up a few turns, check the brake and repeat if necessary. Make sure the brake has at least a few clicks until it engages, though, otherwise you may inadvertently drive around dragging the inner brake shoes in the back, heating the holy snot out of them.

John B.

+2

little stuff like that I would rather do myself, anyways. E-brake cable adjustment is about as simple a car service as it gets. And the whole "little drum brake" inside the rotor is how most E-brakes have worked for years. Settle down.

I swear I think sometimes people are just looking for a reason to bash GM. It's not a design flaw or a defect. Snug the cable adjuster a tiny bit and be done with it.

[MajikMD]

It frustrates me so much about certain people's attitudes that I just have to post it again. Educate yourself on how a parking brake works, then post. Geez...

[SS4PK]

well it's not bashing GM maybe just the idiot service manager who says it is adjusted correctly

[obe1]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBfromPeoria

To make an e-brake on a car with four wheel discs, there is usually a drum inside the rotor housing that uses little shoes to engage the inner surface. It would be pretty expensive to make the rotor's pads activate when pulling the handle. It's not a new design.

Why not just crawl under the car and adjust the cable where it splits into two? It is usually just under the transmission tunnel and there should be a nut attached to a long threaded bolt that allows for slack to be taken up. You have to adjust it when the parking brake is not engaged. Just tighten it up a few turns, check the brake and repeat if necessary. Make sure the brake has at least a few clicks until it engages, though, otherwise you may inadvertently drive around dragging the inner brake shoes in the back, heating the holy snot out of them.

John B.

My 1995 Z28 has a simple system that utilizes the rotor pad as the e-brake.

[Mayhem Matt]

Mine does the same thing almost rolled back into my fiances truck parking on a hill the first week having it... going to take it in asap!

[RickF]

Not GM bashing, love my Camaro... but the parking brake issue could have killed my daughter.

Our driveway is on an incline, and we were washing the car with ebrake pulled up pretty good (but car not in gear)... she was washing the back of the car and I was washing the drivers side.... all of a sudden the brake gives out and the car starts rolling backward down the drive way, almost knocked her down... but she managed to get out of the way, and I was able to jump in the drivers door and step on the brake.

Man, if she would have been in the 3-9 age group, it could have been really bad!