[TO90LEGEND]

My parking brake does nothing anymore. When i stop to pick my mail up at the super-box my car very slowly rolls down the street and i have to chase it. I have adjusted the brake as far as it will go from the adjuster inside the center console hidden behind a little panel there. But it now needs a more serious adjustment.

I searched through the forum but haven't found any threads on this so far. I doubt this will be very difficult but I figured I would ask here first to be beneficial to me and others as well. Plus I'm lazy! This forum has spoiled me.

 

[xpressive]

I'm not sure if its different on the first gen Legend but there are instructions for 2nd gen which I used to guide me and it worked flawlessly, I'm at abut 5-6 clicks.

Basically park on a level surface. Loosen the adjuster inside the car all the way. Then put the rear of the car on jack stands. Take the wheels off and look at the hub, there's a hole thats plugged by a rubber grommet. Just pull it out. From there you take a flat head and turn the gear looking mechanism one gear/click at a time. (I believe its righty-tighty lefty-loosey)It takes a lot of force to turn it. You will want to turn it until its stuck (clamped onto the rotor). You will then want to loosen it 6 clicks. Then test the e-break. If it's still loose, use the interior adjustment to fine tighten the e-brake. Thats all there is to it!

 

[pnoye2]

My parking brake does nothing anymore. I have adjusted the brake as far as it will go from the adjuster inside the center console hidden behind a little panel there.

I've adjusted my parking brake numerous times as per my Chilton repair manual and it works like a charm :headscrat ...are we missing something here TO?!?

Did you check and made sure the lever is touching the pin on the caliper(s) before making the adjustment?!?

I'm not sure if its different on the first gen Legend.

Yea, unfortunately x ...totally different set up, your adjustment procedures DNA to G1!

 

[l4zy415]

Stupid question, did you check the rear brake pads?

 

[DrDave]

It might be fun to check the parking brake shoes that are integral to the rear rotor. If you only use the parking brake to hold the car after it's stopped they should never wear out. If, however, you use it for e-brake turns and slides it may see some extra duty. Pull the rear rotor and look inside. It will be a great time to do some spring cleaning in there. You owe it to yourself and the other drivers to have good brakes.

Dave

 

[awelliott]

I believe that G2s have a different parking brake design. My 87 coupe has no dedicated shoes for the parking brake - the parking brake and pedal brakes both engage the same piston. I suspect all G1s are the same, but I could be mistaken.

In any event, I'm not aware of any additional parking brake adjustment, other then the one under the console.

I had a parking brake problem about 10 or 12 years ago in which the car would creep on a hill with the brake engaged. It turned out that the parking brake arm on one of my rear calipers was frozen. The pedal brakes worked fine, but the parking brake wouldn't engage on one side. I wound up having to replace the caliper, and it has worked fine since.

I suppose it is possible that the lever/cable mechanism could be corroded at the equalizer or elsewhere. I would raise the car, disconnect the parking brake cable on both calipers, then engage the brakes. The cables should retract sharply. If not, then the problem is in your caliper; one or both of the parking brake arms are frozen, or else you may have a frozen caliper. However, if it were a frozen caliper, my bet is that you'd notice the difference when applying the brakes while driving. Good luck....

 

[telafonic]

Yeah, all the G1's should be the same design. The area where the cable attaches is extremely vulnerable to corrosion even though it has two metal covers around it.
Make sure the cables are attached to both calipers and that the lever works and that your pads are good.
It might not hurt to put a good lubricating oil or grease once you get it working.

The instructions on the right are the complete instructions for adjustment.

 

[eekazum]

i had a similar problem on my 5-speed. i'd tighten the e-brake all the way and yank it up til it hit the plastic on the center console and i barely got the car to hold on a hill. eventually, i tightened it so much, the bolt itself broke. that wasn't an easy fix and i ended up making myself a little part to bolt on the bolt.

anyhoo, my e-brake issue turned out to be a rear caliper. do you have any braking issues? the way our e-brakes work, a single cable extends from the e-brake lever to underneath the car (above the cat converter) and connects to the center of a balance-type bar that evens out the tension between the 2 rear calipers. the thing is, if one side is stuck or disengaged, the balance will try to compensate and you end up with double the e-brake travel to engage only one brake.

i'd jack up your car and see if any of your cables are snapped or disengaged. the cable's just above that heat guard for the catalytic converter. then snap yer ebrake up one notch at a time, manually turn both wheels to see which locks up first if either, and go from there. check for irregular brake pad wear. etc, etc.

hope this helps...

 

[DrDave]

I didn't even realize I was in the G1 section when I wrote that. Wow, what a mess.

Dave

 

[TO90LEGEND]

I've adjusted my parking brake numerous times as per my Chilton repair manual and it works like a charm :headscrat ...are we missing something here TO?!?

Did you check and made sure the lever is touching the pin on the caliper(s) before making the adjustment?!?

Yea, unfortunately x ...totally different set up, your adjustment procedures DNA to G1!

P^^^^
No your not missing anything - very astute. I truly hadn't even looked at it yet. It's worked fine for almost 250,000kms and one pad change between. Just the last month or so it has become weak. I just figured i would get some tips from the members before i put the car up and went at this. Thanks everyone. I guess i can avoid looking under the car for a threaded rod and nut now.

 

[pnoye2]

Please keep us posted on your findings TO... thanks!