Hello,

Can anyone please tell me how to adjust the Parking Brake on my car? What's the factory spec? 3 clicks?

Thanks.

E.Lee,

You have two location where you can adjust the parking brake.

One location is at the parking brake shoes inside the rear disc/drums. The other is at the compensating lever adjusting bracket, using either a 10 or 12mm wrench. Second option is probably easiest if the parking brake cable hasn't been adjusted too many times. A couple turns should pull enough slack out of the cable and the brake should feel snug within 5-6 clicks.

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Mike Tangas
73 280 SEL 4.5

[This message has been edited by MikeTangas (edited 06-14-2000).]

Since you've got an '88 300E, You might consider adjusting the shoes. Although Mike's advice is good, you should really find out how much you've got left in the parking brake shoes. To adjust, remove rear wheels, use a flat bladed screwdriver in one of the lug bolt holes (use a flashlight to line the hole up with the adjusting wheel), turn the wheel until the shoes just start to contact the inside of the rotor hub and back off until they rotate freely. Then the brakes should cinch up solid within 7-8 clicks. If not, then..adjust the slack in the cables. if the shoes are worn enough, there may not be enough adjustment in the cables to get the brake to set properly.

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Jeff Lawrence
1987 300e
1989 300e
1987 BMW 325

I admit guilt Jeff. I made the quantum leap to the cable, assuming (there's that word) 12 years of cable stretch was the culprit. I kinda glossed over the shoes a bit, thanks for the cover.

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Mike Tangas
73 280 SEL 4.5

My owners manual says to adjust the parking brake between maintenance checks by applying the parking brake for about 10 seconds while driving at 30 MPH and holding the brake relase handle out. Is this in addition to the cable adjustment above, or what exactly does this procedure do? Thanks for the insight.

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JCE
87 300E, 65k miles
Smoke Silver

I have never found in all of cardom a brake self adjuster that actually worked more than once or twice. I guess that's why they put those holes in the brake hardware to make the adjustments. BTW Mike, no guilt man.. I just didn't want this fellow to make the same mistake I made on my 87 300E. Kept taking up the slack on the cables 'till they were like piano wires. Then I got smart.. :D :D :D

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Jeff Lawrence
1987 300e
1989 300e
1987 BMW 325

[This message has been edited by jeffsr (edited 06-15-2000).]

I've peered thru the lug nut holes around the entire circle using a flashlight and I can't seem to locate this adjusting "wheel" anywhere.

My car is a '91 300E. Where on the clock is this adjuster located, and what does it look like?!

Thanks!

~~Paul

At about 11 o`clock you`ll see a toothed cogg, use a flash light it`s very easy to miss.

can you do it with just one wheel jacked up?
 

am trying to figure out how to adjust the parking brakeon my 1987 560sl, can this adjusting star be located by rotating the rotor around with the right-rear wheel jacked up and removed?

Unless you are otherwise doing brake work, I would suggest adjusting the cable.

Quick and easy!

Adjust the parking brake at the shoes, you should never adjust with the cable. You will eventually run out of cable, and the parking brake will not work.

It is only neccessary to remove one lug bolt to adjust, a brake tool or large screwdriver will fit nicely through the hole, and the adjuster is in exactly the correct place to do this. Only takes a minute or two.

Peter

adjusted at the parking brake
 

well, ended up adjusting it at the parking brake. It was pretty easy once you read the instructions provided by previous posters....thanks.

unfortunately, it was all for nought. I had been adjusting the parking brake because I thought one of the parking brake pads/shoes had been rubbing against the drum when it got hot after a long enough drive.

this is apparently not the case. I adjusted the brakes to the extreme turn limit of the star adjusted, both ways, with same rubbing noise being manifested when the wheel assembly got hot enough by driving.

I am going to take it to my mechanic next week, have them tear down the drum/wheel assembly to see what is really causing that metallic rubbing noise. It's a low metallic rubbing noise, not a squeal and quite annoying after about 20mins of driving which is when it starts happening.

I have never, never used the parking brake on my car.
Why would someone use a parking brake on an automatic transmission car? Unless you want to park on a wall?
JackD

Even though the parking brake shoes don't really see any wear (if properly adjusted), they tend to loose friction coefficent over time, and this manifests as a lack of parking brake holding power even though the lever (center pull lever on my 190E) is snug after a few clicks.

Not sure why this happens, but performing the procedure you mentioned will burnish the shoes and disk hat section a bit and return the normal effectiveness to the parking brake so it will hold a moderate grade when the lever is pulled up with normal force and about six clicks.

If your parking brake lacks holding power, but there is not excess lever or pedal travel, this procedure should result in a signficant improvement in holding power.

On designs were the parking brake function is a cable that actuates the rear drum or disk service brakes , this problem will not occur, but on the Merc design were a dedicated set of shoes bear against the disk hat section (same as the 65-82 Corvette) this loss of parking brake effectiveness is common, but the fix is easy.

Duke

Domchang:

Probably a dragging caliper or bad wheel bearing. Parking brake shoes can come apart, too, since no one ever wears them out! Or just crud piling up in there. The rotor must come off to see.

Jack:

I use the parking brake all the time. Any time I'm parked on a steep incline, I set the parking brake, just to make it easier to shift in and out of Park. Set the parking brake in the manual tranny car I drive for work every time I park it.

Not terribly unlikely that the tranny will pop out of Park if someone "nudges" the car while parking in front or behind.

Peter