w124 parking brake shoes
 

About to do this job....got the parts and manual ready to go, looks easy, but just a quick question --

Since my PB shoes have been broken since I bought the car, what sort of performance should I be looking for when it comes to the parking brake engaged?
Should the rear wheels be difficult to drive on when the parking brake is engaged? Like I said, I've never experienced the correct setup, so what should I expect?

Thanks

Stop on a steep incline and put the car in neutral and set the brakes. With about 4 to 6 "clicks" of parking brake the car should stay put, if all is adjusted properly.

with the parking brake fully engaged (as if it were on a very steel hill) it should be very difficult for the car to move with it on.

I adjusted mine today thinking they were causing a rattle and they were just worn and a bit loose. Now when I step on the parking brake, it is is stiff and tight, 4-7 clicks down. Before, it almost went to the floor.

Nice!

As mentioned.... the parking brake is designed to hold the car on an incline in neutral with no problems.

...also, when adjusting after you put on the rotor, the driver side adjustment goes one way and the passenger side another (when you stick the screwdrive through the lug nut hole) to tighten them. It is the last thing they tell you on the parking brake install .pdf I got off your website (which I love BTW)!!! ;)

I did the parking brake shoe adjustment job according to the factory service manual, but found that the parking brake still wasnt really working that well, especially on inclines.
After adjusting the parking brake cable, all was well. The fsm has the procedure, however it is not very specific(bolt/screw89 in the diagram adjusts the parking brake cable).

tip: about a 1ft+ long socket extension will make getting to the adjuster bolt a piece of cake.


good luck

fyi - if you don't have the special tool to install the little retainer springs (not the return springs) on the hand brake shoes it can be a difficult job. the tool is something you can make an improvised version of, but without something close to the original tool it's very hard to get the springs installed.