need help with parking brake adjustment
- Thread starter Jeff C.
- Start date
- Location
- Torrance, CA
Okay, time to get dirty!
Put the parking brake handle down. Jack up the rear wheels. Crawl under the Jeep, above the driveshaft you'll see the parking brake cables (one to each rear wheel). Follow them forward until you come to a T attachment, where the two cables go to a metal bar, and attached to that bar is one cable (which goes to the handle) If you look closely you'll notice that there is a threaded shaft on this single cable, behind the T bar are two nuts, a lock nut and an adjusting nut. Just back the lock nut off and then tighten the adjusting nut. Every now and again get out from under the jeep and pull the handle, how's it feel? Also, when you have the brake set to where you like it make sure that the wheels turn freely when the parking brake is off.
Personally I like to adjust it to where the handle will only go up halfway, that way you can pull the brake in an emergency and it'll stop you (if you ever do this be very careful as it will lock up your rear wheels quickly.
Sequoia
Put the parking brake handle down. Jack up the rear wheels. Crawl under the Jeep, above the driveshaft you'll see the parking brake cables (one to each rear wheel). Follow them forward until you come to a T attachment, where the two cables go to a metal bar, and attached to that bar is one cable (which goes to the handle) If you look closely you'll notice that there is a threaded shaft on this single cable, behind the T bar are two nuts, a lock nut and an adjusting nut. Just back the lock nut off and then tighten the adjusting nut. Every now and again get out from under the jeep and pull the handle, how's it feel? Also, when you have the brake set to where you like it make sure that the wheels turn freely when the parking brake is off.
Personally I like to adjust it to where the handle will only go up halfway, that way you can pull the brake in an emergency and it'll stop you (if you ever do this be very careful as it will lock up your rear wheels quickly.
Sequoia
RaiderXJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Middletown, PA
This is just my 0.02, but my parking brake did the same thing and my rear shoes were shot. After I replaced my rear brakes, the parking brake worked good as new:thumbup:
HossHoffer
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Aurora, CO
Make sure you adjust the rear brakes first. Even self adjusting brakes need a tweak now and then. My van has no adjustment for the e-brake and has self adjusting brakes. About once a year I have to crawl under and put the tool in the slot so that my e-brake handle doesn't come up too far.
this is the way I was tought to do it. Adjust the rear brakes first then pull the handle up half the amount of clicks it is supposed to be at ( mine was six to eight so I pulled it up 4 clicks) then jack the rear tires off the ground, adjust the nut until you cant spin the tires by hand. With the handle half way up and you cant move the tires by hand that will insure that with it pulled 8 clicks it (and the wonderful self energization of servo drum brakes) will hold the vehicle on an incline.
Matthew Currie
NAXJA Member #760
- Location
- Vermont, land of big clay
Follow Ben's and Hosshoffer's advice, because the XJ self-adjusters are pretty lousy, and if your rear brakes are very far out of adjustment, it will take a lot of cable adjusting to make them work if they work at all, and then if the brakes do get adjusted later, the cable will be too tight and you'll have to back off again. If the brakes are far off, there's a good chance that you won't need to do the cable at all.
