Parking Brake Adjustment Bolt Frozen

[Ajbent86]

My hand brake has become pretty weak on the car over the past few years. Today i figured i would tighten the adjustment bolt for the hand brake........


Well it WILL NOT SPIN (Loosen or Tighten). It is frozen solid to the balancer bracket.


Any ideas on how to get this to spin? Am i missing something obvious here?

[RAZR]

did u try some penetrating lube and let it sit for awhile?

[poorman212]

I'd clean it well with brake cleaner first, then the penetrating lube...of course be sure not to get it on the shoe(s)....

[Oldblueaccord]

Adjust your rear brakes first. The brake shoes should be right up against the drum just tight enough so you can slide the drum on. I adjust mine every 6 months sometimes more. I never have had to mess with the cable adjustment but I have a relatively rust free car.

wp

[Ajbent86]

Thanks for the suggestion everyone!


I am actually talking about the adjustment bolt that is inside the car in the center console.

[Dr_Snooz]

Adjust your rear brakes first. The brake shoes should be right up against the drum just tight enough so you can slide the drum on. I adjust mine every 6 months sometimes more. I never have had to mess with the cable adjustment but I have a relatively rust free car.

wp

I thought the rear brakes were self-adjusting. How do you adjust them?

OP, adjusting your rear brakes is the starting point for adjusting your parking brake. It's the first thing you want to do as adjustments at the handle will be less effective if the rear brakes are not properly adjusted.

[car6289]

I thought the rear brakes were self-adjusting. How do you adjust them?

OP, adjusting your rear brakes is the starting point for adjusting your parking brake. It's the first thing you want to do as adjustments at the handle will be less effective if the rear brakes are not properly adjusted.

Your rear drum brakes are self adjusting if the self adjusters are working. Self adjusters lengthen as your brake shoes/drums wear to maintain a close distance between your shoes and drums.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/brakes/brake-types/drum-brake2.htm

As Oldblueaccord said set up your rear shoes so that your drum just slides on. The drum should spin freely without any drag from the shoes. This should be the only time when your self adjusters require manual adjustment.
Park brake adjustment: Pull up one click on parking brake handle. Adjust the nut at the cable equalizer until there is a slight drag on the rear drums. Release the park brake handle. There should be no drag on the drums. Once set up, the park brake should be fully engaged with 7 to 11 clicks of the park brake handle.

If everything in the rear drum system works properly there should be no need for subsequent adjustment of the park brake cable as the brake shoes/drums wear.

[Oldblueaccord]

I thought the rear brakes were self-adjusting. How do you adjust them?

OP, adjusting your rear brakes is the starting point for adjusting your parking brake. It's the first thing you want to do as adjustments at the handle will be less effective if the rear brakes are not properly adjusted.

All drum brakes I have worked on are "self adjusting" its practically and oxymoron since I never owned a set that actually does. You also have to be backing up for it to work.

The self adjuster is that screw thing with the star adjuster "nut" on it.

I cant right click anything with this pos laptop but do a google search for a picture.

wp

[Dr_Snooz]

So...

You adjust the parking brake from inside the cabin. Your adjuster shouldn't be seized because it's all covered and warm and snuggly inside the back of the center console. If it's rusted together, I would first off figure out why. You might have a leak and if so, you might also have a seized brake cable that you need to replace. It's relatively easy to do but time-consuming and requires a lengthy stay under the car.

If the adjuster nut is frozen to the balancing bracket, then it's going to be relatively difficult to separate them because the assembly is not anchored and floats wild and free. Start with a generous dowsing of penetrating lube. Then find a way to anchor the bracket while you tackle the nut. I would use a long-handled Crescent wrench to hold the bracket and a flare nut wrench to work the adjuster nut. This may or may not work. If you end up rounding off the nut, you can use a Vise-Grips or just replace the assembly with a junkyard unit. They will be in plentiful abundance at the junkyard and should be in a lot better shape than what you have. While you're at the junkyard, pick up whatever seals you need to fix the leak that froze your parking brake in the first place. Here is a primer on loosening nuts (http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64355) that may or may not be helpful.

@OldBlue - My first car did not have self-adjusting rear brakes. I had to jack up the back of the car and adjust them with a 7mm wrench. The adjustment improved braking and pedal feel for about a week, then it needed to be done again. I think self-adjusters work great myself, because pedal feel and braking remain relatively consistent over time. What are you noticing that I'm not? When you adjust them, do you stick a slotted screwdriver through the backing plate or is it only with the drum off? Do you do it regularly or just when replacing shoes?

Sorry for the third degree.

[TotaledTL]

PB Blaster the adj. nuts if frozen. That stuff works wonders.

[YK86]

First off, like everyone has mentioned, the rear drums should be adjusted first. A lot of the time, I see the self adjusting piece seized (the shaft with forks on each end sandwiched between the 2 shoes, and a "gear" that spins the adjuster) or is too hard to turn so the arm that's supposed to adjust the gear doesn't work. Make sure that spins smoothly by taking it apart, cleaning it, and greasing it up. With the adjuster working properly, the arm should push on the gear turning the nut. Keep pumping the brakes until it's adjusted itself.

Now you can adjust the parking brake. You should feel drum drag after roughly 2 clicks of the lever, and fully applied at 7 to 11 clicks.

That adjustment bolt has an oval end which "locks" it. With lever down, you will need to turn the bolt 180 degrees to set it to the next tightness. If you don't spin it 180 or more, it will just kick back to the original spot making it feel like it's seized.

[Oldblueaccord]

So...

You adjust the parking brake from inside the cabin. Your adjuster shouldn't be seized because it's all covered and warm and snuggly inside the back of the center console. If it's rusted together, I would first off figure out why. You might have a leak and if so, you might also have a seized brake cable that you need to replace. It's relatively easy to do but time-consuming and requires a lengthy stay under the car.

If the adjuster nut is frozen to the balancing bracket, then it's going to be relatively difficult to separate them because the assembly is not anchored and floats wild and free. Start with a generous dowsing of penetrating lube. Then find a way to anchor the bracket while you tackle the nut. I would use a long-handled Crescent wrench to hold the bracket and a flare nut wrench to work the adjuster nut. This may or may not work. If you end up rounding off the nut, you can use a Vise-Grips or just replace the assembly with a junkyard unit. They will be in plentiful abundance at the junkyard and should be in a lot better shape than what you have. While you're at the junkyard, pick up whatever seals you need to fix the leak that froze your parking brake in the first place. Here is a primer on loosening nuts (http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64355) that may or may not be helpful.

@OldBlue - My first car did not have self-adjusting rear brakes. I had to jack up the back of the car and adjust them with a 7mm wrench. The adjustment improved braking and pedal feel for about a week, then it needed to be done again. I think self-adjusters work great myself, because pedal feel and braking remain relatively consistent over time. What are you noticing that I'm not? When you adjust them, do you stick a slotted screwdriver through the backing plate or is it only with the drum off? Do you do it regularly or just when replacing shoes?

Sorry for the third degree.


2 things I notice with my car is the E-brake no longer holds on 3-4 clicks. In fact yesterday when getting the mail I could not get it to hold enough so I had to shut the car off and put it in gear. The other is the brake pedal travel is increase. I like it very high up and this is dictated by the rear drums.

I take the tires off and the drums myself but theres a brake spoon that works. I had one for a while but I hated it and it buggers up the adjuster when it slips.


wp

[poorman212]

Shoe adjusters do work, if you give them a chance. Slightly spirtied braking in reverse every now and then helps. Also, IMO, using the e-brake on a reg basis helps....funny how the youngest (89 LX auto) needs more adjustments on the rear shoes, and yes I use a brake spoon without issues, than the oldest (89 LXi 5 speed). Could be driving habits but I've always found the 5 spd's need less attention than the auto's.......

But to the issue at hand. IMO, adjusting the cable inside the car should be one of the last things you need to do/check.