Handbrake adjustment at rear wheels

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by jdstrickland

4 clicks is the adjustment spec. If the car holds on 8 clicks then leave well enough alone. You only need to adjust when the parking brake does not hold the car when the brake is set and the handle cannot be pulled up any more.

The goal of 4 clicks is to be sure the brake shoes release while still giving ample ability to continue working over time. You want the brakes to fully release, and if it takes at least 4 clicks of the ratchet to set the brake well enough to hold the car, then the brake will be released when the handle is put down. If you yank the handle to the top and the car still rolls, then you adjust according to the procedure. And, the parking brake only has to hold the car with engine off, it might not hold the car in D or R with the engine running.

I'm right on the cusp of that though, I literally have to crank that handle all the way up otherwise I will feel some rolling. I'm sure a slight tightening of the star adjuster would help, I would like to have the brake locked on and the vehicle being held, with 4-5 clicks. This vehicle has the most amount of E-brake travel out of all the cars I've owned, and even on that last click of the lever it is JUST holding the car.

[jdstrickland]

Originally Posted by TiAgX5

Same here, load the vehicle weight on the parking brake (trans in N, footbrake released), then into P.

Trans in D while setting the brake works just as well. The weight of the vehicle is loaded onto the parking brake, then the transmission is set to P.

This is more important depending on how steep the grade is. On flat ground, it makes no difference. On a typical residential driveway -- built to current codes -- it makes slight difference. On a steep hill it is all but required. On a steep hill, a tire should be set against the curb too, just to add an extra measure of holding the car in place without binding up the drivetrain.

[TiAgX5]

Originally Posted by jdstrickland

I know nothing about Texas, but the purpose of a parking brake is to hold the car in place while parked, so any test that has you leave the engine running and in gear exceeds the stated design of the parking brake. Surely the brake may hold the car but it should not be surprising if it does not, especially if the car is on a hill and the gear selected moves the vehicle down the hill.

Nobody would reasonably set the brake and leave the car in gear with the engine running, why would the presiding authority demand such a thing? It's nonsensical to have that standard.

I agree on this being a nonsensical test.

I watch the Dekra inspection tech do it every time I'm there. When I asked,I was told if the car moves, it fails.

[kvc]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

OK so basically tighten the shoes via the adjuster until there is a modest amount of resistance (i.e. just touching the wheel when spinning, but can still spin by hand), E-brake down, car in Neutral? If there is a bit of rubbing when the handle is down however would that be negative effect (i.e. rubbing the shoes when driving?)

That's pretty much it. I found it far easier to remove the wheels, once up on jack stands. I put two wheel lugs back in the hub on opposite sides so I could use them to rotate the hub with a long screwdriver, pinch-bar or similar. Once you've located the adjusting wheel/star (or whatever it's called) turn it a couple of clicks at a time until the shoes are just touching and you 'feel' some resistance but can still turn the wheel with reasonable ease. Once you've done both sides, jump in the car and try the hand-brake lever to see how much movement it has. If there's excessive lift on the handle (say more than 8-10 clicks) you may need to adjust the cable within the console, but as I said, this wasn't required when I did mine.

This principle applies to all cars fitted with brake drums/shoes that are not self-adjusting, as is the case with most older cars (I have 4 cars with 4-wheel drum brakes, and yes, they still pull the vehicles up quite well). The hardest part of the whole process is turning the adjuster - sometimes they're a bit seized, but persistence usually pays. If all else fails, you may have to remove the hub completely to inspect the adjuster and condition of the shoes, clean area with compressed air (wear a mask) and clean threads on adjusting wheel/star so it moves freely.

[Blademan007]

I replaced my brakes pads, rotors, and shoes all around, and noticed that the parking brake seems out of adjustment. New Pagid shoes seemed about the same as 18 yr old factory shoes.
Great info on this thread and:
https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...djustment.html
https://xoutpost.com/bmw-sav-forums/...djustment.html
Adjusted the parking brake with a turn star wheel until I couldn't move the wheel, then backing off 2-3 clicks. Now parking brake is solid at 4-5 clicks. Didn't touch the hand brake cable even though LT was 2 threads tighter than the RT. There was no exposed cable visible to test tension on the cables on an e53.