Stevo

Basically the title says it all. How do you? I feel like mine is wicked loose and I have to crak it wayy up

Tazmanian_Dvl

Gotta adjust them in the drums in the rear (Pull the rear rotor off ant there's a little drum for the emergency brake and there should be an adjustment in there)

Stevo

Is it hard? I have no idea where your talking of haha.

Tazmanian_Dvl

never done it myself but I was told from a buddy of mine that the adjustment is in there. if you can take the brakes off your car without breaking anything you should be able to handle this...

Stevo

Hmm any idea of what the adjustment thing actually looks like?

big_stu

You can adjust the adjuster without taking your brakes apart and taking the rim&tire off. Its better to have the wheel your adjusting just off the ground. On the backing plate for the drum brakes, there is a rubber plug. Remove the plug. If you shine a flashlight inside the drum, you will see the adjuster. Its just a star wheel. Turn it up to tighten the shoes against the drum. You want the rim and tire to spin 1 to 1 1/2 times and then stop by itself. Reinsert the rubber plug. Do the same to the other side. Lower the car back down and try the e-brake. Remember that doing this will inprove your regular brakes aswell as you are adjusting the shoes.

Stu

Stevo

Nice write up, thanks! you dont have a pic of the area its in do you? haha im a visual learner =)

Btw I love your rims

Tazmanian_Dvl

Dude he has an SS/SC which has the disc rears. He doesn't have drum rears (there is a tiny drum but only for the emergency brake and it does ZERO braking unless the emergency brake lever is pulled). I've looked on the backing plate on my car for the hole to access the adjuster for it but I've never seen one. I've also asked my buddy who is a mechanic and he said the caliper and rotor have to come off the back to adjust the rears on these cars. I think the dealership also told e the same thing when i asked about it shortly after i bough my car but I can't remember for sure...

Stevo

hmm ok nvm haha. Maybe ill jsut bring it to my mechanic they will prob do it for free, ive known them for forever. I just wanted to learn how to do it

all4glh

You sure there isn't a nut and bolt under the e-brake lever that does the adjustment?

Stevo

Thats what I was thinking...I honestly dont know

chevy cobalt 08

yep under the back cup holders

boostedss26

i know alot of cars have an adjustment on the handle side where the 1 cable meets the 2 and splits off

Sharkey

iTrader: (1)

we DO NOT, i repeat DO NOT have a drum brake setup for the parking brake in our cars. the parking brake on the ss cars is the linkage on the back of the caliper. the cable pulls on the linkage and it moves the piston in the caliper and puts pressure on the pads. this setup is notoriously weak, gm has been doing it this way since the late 80s and it didnt work well then.

to adjust it you need to take the cover off the top of the parking brake and you will see a 10mm nut on the cable that attatches to the handle, this is were you tighten it. dont go too much, it will tend to drag a bit. i found that when i had mine tight enough to hold the car on a hill it would drag so i had to back it off.

Cherry GT

YEAHHHHHHH !
Someone that actually knows what they are talking about.
THIS MAN IS CORRECT IN EVERYTHING HE SAID.....

Stevo

How exactly do you get the cover off? Which way to tighten right im assuming? How much should I go?

Cherry GT

LIFT E-BRAKE UP
look under it and
see little slot.....
Press in there with
screwdriver and pull
e-brake cover off....
cable comes thru the slot
in the red circle.......
Tighten that nut, but should
have the wheels off the ground
to make sure there is no drag
on the brake. Hope this helps you.

Stevo

Thats excellent!!! Thank you sooooooooooooooo much!

big_stu

I know the SS\SC and Sports do not have drum brakes. The emerg brake on these cars are part of the caliper. I didn't not see that he has a SS\SC. I assumed he had a 2.2L. Thats what I did a write up on.

theneelster

Mine tightened itself.

CHARGDSS

So is there another way to tighten the emergency brake on the SS S/C? I tightened mine at the handle a couple months ago and within days it was loose again. Took the e-brake cover off and the nut was still where i left it. So i tightened it all the way and by the end of the day it was shitty again. Where else can these damn things be adjusted?

I already went to the dealership and they want $50 bucks to tighten it. Bunch of bullshit. I guarantee they would have tried to tighten the same nut i already did. Any one?


edit~and no i don't go around pulling the e-brake everywhere. car is always in gear too

383_Stroker

iTrader: (3)

I have the exact same symptoms

Maven

iTrader: (1)

Take the wheels off. Safely support car.

Loosen that nut on the park brake until there is obvious slack in the cables, and the caliper arms are touching the calipers.

Attempt to move the cables in their jackets by hadn, do they move? if so good. if not you need new.

If cables are good use a pair of channel locks or screwdriver , whatever is handly to operate the park brake levers. do they work?(you should only feel spring tension, and they should spring back into place....not just eventually go back) if so good. if not you need a caliper.

Once the above checks are done, and are okay, and youre sure your rear pads and rotors are okay do the following.

Tighten the cable until all slack is removed from the cables and the park brake levers just start to move, then slowly back off just enough to make the levers go back to resting position.

With the brakes adjusted in this way it should take 3-5 clicks to hold the car place(you wont be able to push it by hand) If it doesnt, recheck the items listed here. If it does hold, thats as good as it gets, this is actually TIGHTER than GM wants it to be, its my own personal recipe.

If you want a good park brake....switch to drums.

CHARGDSS

**** IT....mine just broke tonight lol

Brenticus

iTrader: (2)

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