Parking Brake issues on a '97

[HiImSeth]

Hey guys I just found this place recently and have learned a ton of info from the threads and info here. Looks like an awesome community of folks willing to help out!

We just bought a 97 XLT for my wife to drive. Her parents have a driveway that is on a hill so we generally put the parking brake on when we park there just to be safe and also so our vehicles don't make that awful noise when you put them in reverse after parking on said hill. This is what we've done for years in our Honda Accord and when you set the parking brake and let off of the standard brake the car stays put.

Now, we pull up, put it in park and then push the parking brake on (all while holding the standard brake pedal down) and upon releasing the standard brake after the parking brake has been set it still rolls back a couple inches. Then of course when you start it to leave and put it in reverse it's not nearly as smooth as it would be if putting it in reverse on a flat driveway or other surface. Also, if you put it leave the parking brake on and put it in reverse there appears to be no resistance whatsoever. I've not tried going forward w/ the parking brake on yet so I'm not sure if that'll yield a different result or not.

Anyways, I've not really inspected anything at all yet as I don't know exactly where to begin. I'm guessing maybe a cable issue? Or maybe someone will tell me that it's acting 100% normal and that's just how it works.

I hope all of that makes sense, it's a little hard to put into words so if it doesn't make sense just let me know and I'll try to help make sense of it. =]

 

[mcpherson]

I'm curious also, signing up.

 

[budwich]

Your parking brake (emergency brake) is probably not working at all and the system is just locking on the transmission lock. You need to check your emergency brake shoes inside rear rotors.... they can be manually adjust but it is more than likely that they are "done" and need replacing... they aren't that big and it doesn't take much for them to disintegrate.

 

[HiImSeth]

Thanks bud, that makes sense. I suppose I can take the wheel off and should be able to see right away that that's the case?

 

[budwich]

Actually "just taking the wheel off" probably isn't as you also need to take off the rotor to see how things are.... not much more but it can be tough depending on "if it wants to or not" come off...

 

[HiImSeth]

Ahh.. gotcha. Well I'll report back here with my findings. I may be able to dig into it this weekend and see what's up. Thanks again.

 

[saewoody]

I find it fairly normal when I put the truck in park on a slight incline/decline that it rolls a couple inches before it catches. My truck also goes into gear hard from a decline/incline without the ebrake on. But if you are putting your ebrake on an you are still rolling, it sounds like it is not grabbing. I doubt it is a cable issue, they probably need to be adjusted. If you slide under the truck and look on the back side of the hub assemble there should be a little oval rubber plug below the axle. Pry it out and you should be able to see a gear. That is the adjustment gear. The manual basically says to put the rear wheels in the air, tighten the gear until the wheel will not rotate and then back off 8 notches on the adjustment wheel. Just by adjusting it you will figure out if it is a cable issue or not. I would suggest, though, that before you try to turn the adjustment gears spray them heavily with some sort of penetrant because they may not want to move. I simply use a flat head screwdriver to adjust the gear. Good luck.