Parking brake adjustment

[TN-SOL man]

Can someone tell me how to adjust the parking brake? I just bought my car used and noticed that there is a lot of play in the parking brake handle.

I am wondering if this is adjusted at the lever or at the rear wheel.

[Small Dealer]

From a February thread:

Just to do an owner's manual review.

Here is the procedure the owner Parking Brake inspection:

Part B: Owner Checks and Services

These owner checks and services should be performed at the intervals specified to help ensure vehicle safety, dependability, and emission control performance.

Be sure any necessary repairs are completed at once. Whenever any fluids or lubricants are added to the vehicle, make sure they are the proper ones, as shown in Part D.

At Least Once a Year

Parking Brake and Automatic Transmission Park (P) Mechanism Check

Caution: When you are doing this check, the vehicle could begin to move. You or others could be injured and property could be damaged. Make sure there is room in front of the vehicle in case it begins to roll. Be ready to apply the regular brake at once should the vehicle begin to move.

Park on a fairly steep hill, with the vehicle facing downhill. Keeping your foot on the regular brake, set the parking brake.

• To check the parking brake's holding ability: With the engine running and transmission in NEUTRAL (N), slowly remove foot pressure from the regular brake pedal. Do this until the vehicle is held by the parking brake only.

• To check the PARK (P) mechanism's holding ability: With the engine running, shift to PARK (P). Then release the parking brake followed by the regular brake.

Contact your dealer/retailer if service is required


There is also this information in the manual:


Manual Transmission

Before leaving your manual transmission vehicle, fully press the clutch pedal in, move the shift lever in either FIRST (1) gear or REVERSE (R), and firmly apply the parking brake.


As posted by others, Reverse is the better choice.



For those playing the home version of our game, from the service manual:



Park Brake Adjustment

Preliminary Procedures

1) Remove the front floor console.

2) Cycle the park lever several times. Verify the lever releases fully.

3) Turn the ignition ON. Verify the red BRAKE warning lamp is not illuminated. If the warning lamp is illuminated, verify the following:
3.1. The lever is fully released and against the stop.

3.2. There is not excessive slack in the cables.

3.3. If the warning lamp remained illuminated and there were no visible causes, refer to Symptoms - Hydraulic Brakes .

4) Turn the ignition OFF.

5) Raise and support the vehicle enough to raise the rear tire and wheel assemblies off the ground.


Procedure

1) Ensure the park brake lever is fully released.

2) Loosen the cable tension adjusting nut just enough to back the nut away from the lever cam.

3) Tighten the adjusting nut just until slack in the front cable is removed and the nut rests against the lever cam. The park brake cable adjusting nut is a nylon lock type. Use ONLY HAND TOOLS whenever tightening or loosening the adjusting nut.

4) Cycle the park brake lever several times.

5) With the lever fully released, tighten the adjusting nut just enough to remove slack in the front cable.

6) Raise the lever 1 detent position, then attempt to rotate the rear wheels.
Both sides should require high effort to rotate.

7) Raise the lever 1 more detent, to the second position, then attempt to rotate the rear wheels.
One side should be locked, the other side should require high effort to rotate.

8) Raise the lever 1 more detent, to the third detent position, then attempt to rotate the rear wheels.
Both sides should be locked.

9) Release the park brake lever, then rotate the rear wheels to inspect for drag.
There should not be any drag from the park brake system.

10) Inspect the brake caliper park brake levers to ensure that they are resting against the stops.