Parking Brake Adjustment

I just adjusted my parking brake this afternoon - easy one person job. As with any mod/DIY maintenance, you do so at your own risk and reward. If you can change your tires, you can easily adjust your parking brakes. It's probably best to do this adjustment when you're bleeding the brakes since you'll already have the wheels off of the car.

 

I would have taken pics, but my hands were dirty.

 

Why adjust the parking brakes? Well, if your car was like mine, you'd have to pull the parking brake lever up about 7-8 notches before it would engage with any significance. Now that I've adjusted my parking brakes, it engages at around 4-5 notches.

 

Anyway, here are the instructions.

 

Tools needed:

1. Lugnut wrench/torque wrench
   
2. Floor jack (or you can use the scissor jack the car came with
   
3. Jack stands
   
4. Wheel chocks - something to block the front wheels with
   
5. Needle-nose pliers
   
6. Flat-head screw driver (medium-large size)

Put your car in gear/park and put some wheel chocks in front of your front wheels. You don't want your car rolling off of the jack.

 

Break loose the lug nuts of your rear wheels - makes it easier to take off when its in the air.

 

Jack the back of the car up. I used a floor jack so I simply raised the back end of my car at the rear diff lifting both rear tires at the same time. Once my car was up in the air, I put jack stands underneath the rear trailing arm points. I didn't lower the car back down onto these points, but had the jack stands there just in case the jack did release.

 

Once the rear end was in the air, I removed the lug nuts and took off the wheels. If you imagine the back of the brake shield as a clock, there is a little rubber grommet up above the "6 o'clock" position. If you feel back there in that position, you'll find the grommet. It's a long thin grommet, about an inch long, by 1/4" tall. Lie underneath the car looking at the back at the bottom part of the rear discs, and you'll see it. I had to use pliers to pull the rubber grommet out. Open up your front door and release the parking brake!

 

Once the grommet is out, put a flat blade screw driver into the hole. Use a fairly large screw driver - one whose blade is about the size of the hole. Too small, and you won't get a good "feel" for the cogged wheel that is inside the hole.

 

Put the screw driver into the hole and lever it down so that the tip that is inside the hole goes up. It should rotate the adjustment gimbal inside the parking brake housing. It'll take a while to get the feel for it, but it's in there. It does have a slight "click" feel to it. Keep on rotating the gimbal up until it gets tighter and the parking brake mechanism engages. Once you hit that point, "undo" the wheel 3-4 times to disengage the parking brake mechanism. Pop the rubber grommet back on, and then repeat the procedure for the other side.

 

While you've got the wheel off, you might as well do an inspection on your suspension bits, brake lines, axles and CV boots, and brakes!

 

Pull the parking brake up and it should engage with less clicks!

 

Put your wheels back on, tighten up the lug nuts, remove the jack stands and lower your car.

 

LaterZ!

Darren!!

Uh oh, I adjusted my parking brake buy just removing the center console and turned the nut a few times. Am I doing something wrong? I mean it works just fine for me, my parking brake handle locks in 4-5 clicks.

^^^ that's the other way

 

 

 

Adjusting the cog is for wear of the pads

 

Adjusting the nut under the center console is for taking out cable stretch.

 

 

 

That cog is supposed to index itself through regular driving.

^^^ that's the other way

 

 

 

Adjusting the cog is for wear of the pads

 

Adjusting the nut under the center console is for taking out cable stretch.

 

 

 

That cog is supposed to index itself through regular driving.

 

Does the parking brake draw down the brake pads or is there a second set of pads for the park brake only?

The parking brake is a seperate set of drum brakes on the rear wheels.

 

 

After double checking with some other car guys...you really shouldn't mess with those cogs except as a last resort. To index the cox manually, you simply set the parking brake lightly, and then drive forward and backward a few times. Each change in direction indexes the cog one turn...starting with the backing.

In my last car I pulled lots of e-brakes ( I was young and restless). After a while the brake stopped engaging. Can someone explain what was happening? I kind of have an understanding of whats going on reading this tread but not completely.

sorry for the hijack... anyone? ^^

you wore the pads out

Good, I thought I ruined something. Thanks for the reply.

You did, you ruined your parking brake pads.

You did, you used your parking brake pads aggressively.

And that's not the greatest thing to do w/ an AWD subaru, remember only the STi disengages the rear end when you yank the e-brake.

After double checking with some other car guys...you really shouldn't mess with those cogs except as a last resort. To index the cox manually, you simply set the parking brake lightly, and then drive forward and backward a few times. Each change in direction indexes the cog one turn...starting with the backing.

 

can you be more specific? depending whether we go forwards or backwards we can loosen or tighten the e-brake?

works similar regular drum brakes... the cog turns one click when you use the brakes in reverse.

 

The cog is there is make up for brake pad wear....which your e-brake pads should not be wearing at all unless you do stupid human tricks or forget to dis-engage it all the time.

 

The cable does stretch though, especially in the first year. That's where you want to take out the slack. Don't mess with the cog.

The parking brake is a seperate set of drum brakes on the rear wheels.

 

 

After double checking with some other car guys...you really shouldn't mess with those cogs except as a last resort. To index the cox manually, you simply set the parking brake lightly, and then drive forward and backward a few times. Each change in direction indexes the cog one turn...starting with the backing.

 

 

I have disks on back, will this work as well? Very curious so any feedback would be appreciated.

You have disc/drums

 

we all do

Where is this fabled adjustment nut under the center console? Am I blind?

here

01 - General Description.pdf

nice diagram. I must stop using my ebrake to initiate oversteer at slower speeds... I must watch too many rally vids.

nice diagram. I must stop using my ebrake to initiate oversteer at slower speeds... I must watch too many rally vids.

 

for me that only works on snow.....

Thank, MWiener. I figured that out after a while.

 

At first I gave it (number 3) one full turn and didn't notice any difference, figured that wasn't it. I thought it would be near the number 4 peice.

here

 

where did that come from? service manual?

yes

And that's not the greatest thing to do w/ an AWD subaru, remember only the STi disengages the rear end when you yank the e-brake.

 

subscribing, mine is about shot have been having to leave it in gear even on relatively flat surfaces...

 

so I should go into under the ebrake boot to do it?

Edited October 22, 2008 by CTATV