e brake adjustment

[jsteezy129]

ok i just bought a new e brake assembly because i thought it went bad, you pull up on it and nothing happens the light comes on the dash but doesnt stop the car. i was wondering if you guys think the cable needs adjusted and how do you do it? 95 corvette by the way

 

[-=Iron Mike=-]

If it's never or rarely been used they are very prone to "seizing" or more simply "don't work". If your car is a manual trani you should use the brake everyday to keep the brakes adjusted properly. These brakes are self adjusting. The e-brake on 88-96 cars use the rear calipers and adjusting can be done by actually using it. Try pulling the brake about 40-50 times, but make sure your foot is NOT on the brake pedal while your doing this. If this doesn't work your problem is most likely at the calipers themselves and will require moving the pistons into position. It sounds like the hand brake mechanism is working properly so I'm fairly confident that it just needs to be USED.

 

[jsteezy129]

if it was gonna adjust you would think it would of already done it

 

[garycr14]

You can adjust it at the handle by ratcheting the handle about three times, pull it tight, release, tighten, release, tighten, release. See if that helps.

 

[jsteezy129]

no sure didnt

 

[KOPBET]

Does the "brake" light stay on after you pull the handle up?

Have you changed the rear pads or disassembled the calipers lately?

Have you removed the rear wheels and observed the actuators while a helper pulls the brake lever?

Will the p. brake keep the car from rolling forward when applied?

 

[-=Iron Mike=-]

When you were ratcheting it your foot was OFF the brake, right?

If ratcheting it a whole bunch of times didn't work, check to see that the cable is conected at the mechanism. These cables are not prone to stretching very much. Otherwise you'll be looking at taking the caliper apart and repositioning the pistons as I stated above.