Adjusting the Emeregency Brake

[PBFlash]

Has anyone had to adjust their e-brake yet? Mine was fine until a few days ago. Now I have to pull the handle until I can't pull it anymore to keep it from rolling on slight inclines. Not a big deal but if it gets any worse it won't be holing anymore. I am going to look at it over the weekend but if anyone has already done it, it can save me some time.

[Vibe Rater]

This is definitely covered under your bumper to bumper warranty. Rather than trying to do it yourself, take it straight to the dealer. This is a safety issue and should be dealt with immediately. The dealer should be tripping all over themselves to make you happy and fix this. Anything and everything that goes wrong with your VIBE in the first 3 years, besides normal maintenance, is the dealer's responsibility. GM pays them handsomely to repair defects. Don't mess with your brakes, especially if it's a 5 speed you're driving. If your car rolls back and crashes into a big rock, the damage to your car (and the rock) is not covered under your warranty, but the parking brake adjustment is.

[PBFlash]

I understand that but unfortunately I don't want to wait for an appointment and lose a half days work for something I could do myself. From other cars I have had it was a fairly easy adjustment. My previous vehicles all had rear drums and my Vibe has discs but it should be similar. Just wanted to see if anyone has done it yet to save me a little time.

[LocDog]

I had the same problem, except mine was because i kinda drove with the e-brake on...When i went to that conference in NY State i told them about it and they said that the e-brake has some spring in it that makes it self adjusting, so if u want to tighten it. Just pull it up and bring it down a bunch of times.... See if that works.

[NovaResource]

Self-adjusting rear brakes are on drums only, not discs. He has rear discs on his GT.To self adjust rear drums, put the car in reverse and pump the brakes with your foot while backing up.

[PBFlash]

Scott,Did you mean to self adjust rear discs, bump the brakes while backing up?

[NovaResource]

quote:Did you mean to self adjust rear discs, bump the brakes while backing up? I thought my post was obvious. I wrote:quote:Self-adjusting rear brakes are on drums only, not discs. To self adjust rear drums, put the car in reverse and pump the brakes with your foot while backing up.I'll check the service manual tonight to see what it says about adjusting the rear discs.

[d_m_kolb]

The way Nova said to do this is how you adjust your rear brakes but you need to hit the gas and then hit the brakes hard. Slowly slowing down in reverse probably wont adjust anything. You need to put some force on the rear brakes for them to adjust themselfs.If you all most lock up the front brakes while braking in reverse then this is perfect for tightening up the rear drums. If you have rear disk like on the GT you don't ever need to do this.I think the main question was how do you adjust the E brake. I found this info that is a more of a manual way to adjust everything but you'll be sure it done and done right. I do it this way but this info explains much better than I could.quote:Take the flashlight with you on this exploratory mission. I want you to locate a small plug, usually orange. This is usually on the bottom of the brake drum. If you can't find a plug, find the hole the plug used to go in, it should look like a long stretched oval, about the size of a quarter slot.7. Once you've found this, spin the tire, this is where you're friend comes in. With the screw driver, click the tiny gears inside of the adjustment up or down. Go about fifteen clicks, and if there is no difference with the tire, go the other way. Once you figure out which way to go, the tire should suddenly seize as the boots have gripped the drum.8. Back the adjustment off Two clicks.9. Replace plug, if applicable. If not, you should get one, Napa or Autozone should have them for less than $1.0010. Repeat on other side.This should improve the performance of your emergency brake, braking in general and responsiveness.Note-Should you hear grinding after this procedure, stop driving as soon as possible. Your brake boots are worn and need to be replaced.Note2-After adjusting brakes, you may notice that there is a gently rubbing sound on one side of the tire as it spins. This is normal, the boots were not worn consistently, this should soon go away.

[PBFlash]

sorry Scott. I was half asleep when reading your reply and posting mine. I'm gonna check it out this weekend and see if I can find an adjustment. If you can find something in the manual that would be great. I don't have the time to take it to a dealer. If I have to I will but don't want to lose a half days work to get it done.

[NovaResource]

After reading the service manual, the rear disc brakes DO self adjust. Most older GM vehicles with rear disc brakes use the disc caliper as the emergency/parking brake however the Vibe uses the Toyota rear dics system where there is a mini-drum brake system inside the rear rotors. This is only for the emergency/parking brake.To self-adjust them, put the car in reverse and back up but instead if using the foot pedal like Vibes with rear drum brakes, use the hand brake instead. Place your right hand on the handle and your thumb on the release button holding it down. Goose the throttle and pull up hard on the handle and then let off real quick. Do this 3 or 4 times and it should be ok. If not, take it to the dealer. There are adjustments to be made inside the rotor and possibly at the handle inside the console.

[PBFlash]

Scott,Thanks, I'll try that over the weekend and see how it goes. Paul

[NovaResource]

BTW, the service manual says the allowable range for the parking brake is 5 (min) to 7 (max) clicks on the handle. If your car still rolls with 7 or more clicks of the parking brake then it needs to be adjusted.

[Stang2Vibe]

In my girlfriend's driveway (which is pretty steep) my car rolls with the parking brake pulled all the way up. I was doing a little exploring myself one day (not while parked in her driveway ) and noticed that the parking brake cables went into the center part of the rear discs. This tipped me off as to the mini drums inside the rear rotors. I absolutely hate this setup. Ford does this on many of the Explorer models. When you service the rear brakes, changing a rotor in particular, the whole darn thing has to be taken apart to do the work. You then have to put it back together like you normally would a disc and then do the procedures for a drum which include the stupid setting up the springs, backing off the shoes with the adjuster then going back through the inspection/adjustment hole like someone was describing above to snug the shoes back up. What a pain! I wish they would have used a system similar to the cable attached to a spring on the rear calipers like GM typically uses. I had that type on my 94 Grand Prix with the 4 wheel discs and I never had to adjust my parking brake once in the 6 1/2 years I owned it. Only problem with it was that in the winter sometimes it would freeze the parking brake slightly on for a while until it heated up enough to thaw out and completely release the brake.I guess I'll have to try the self adjusting procedure you guys are describing here to see if I can tighten up the parking brake on my Vibe.