Parking Brake Adjustment

Hello,

There are two adjustments for this system one is back where the cable split off to each side and the others are at the parking brake shoes themselves.

Here are diagrams of the parking brake system so you can see how it works you probably need to replace the shoes which this guide will help you with.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/parking-brake-shoe-replacement

Check out the diagrams (Below)

Let us know what happens and please upload pictures or videos of the problem.

Cheers, Ken

You were right the parking brake shoes are shot so I replaced them using the guide you gave and the emergency brake has never worked better cost me 45.00 for shoes :) this site is great.

parking brake won't stop car from drifting

Does the pedal go all the way to the floor? If so, one of the parking brake cables may be broken. If the pedal feels normal, the two rear cables could be rusted tight and not applying. That is very common on Fords.

The shoes could also have the linings rusted off the steel frames. The pedal will usually still feel normal. It's also possible the shoes are just glazed. That can happen if they are over-adjusted or if someone drove with the parking brake partially applied. That will heat the linings and melt the glue that holds the material together. Often sanding the shoes and machining the drums will solve that.

Yes, the pedal floors! can i adjust that myself? if possible, could you also tell me if i can repair a broken speed sensor line and an axle vent hose i broke when i installed springs to replace my rear air suspension? thanks, for all of your help! you guys are great!

There's two possibilities if the parking brake pedal goes to the floor but the regular brakes are fine. Most likely one of the cables is broken or is disconnected from the lever on one of the shoes. You'll have to watch the cables move underneath while a helper works the pedal. A less likely problem can occur on some vehicles that use an automatic-adjusting parking brake. They use a row of teeth on top of the pedal, and the cable is attached to a toothed lever that drops down to mesh with the pedal as soon as you push the pedal about an inch. If that lever doesn't drop down, the pedal won't pull the cable. That typically happens in real cold weather when the grease gets hard. One way you can identify that problem is to push the pedal just a couple of inches, then wait about five seconds to give that gummed-up spring-loaded lever time to drop down, then push the pedal the rest of the way down. If that works, you'll need to wash out the old grease and relube the lever.

By speed sensor line, do you mean a wire got cut? If so, that's just a normal splice job. Solder the wires together and seal the joint with a piece of heat-shrink tubing. Electrical tape will unravel, and it will let moisture in that will corrode the splice.

If a terminal got pulled out of a connector, you might be able to push it back in but since it's likely the clip or finger that retains it got broken or bent, use a little dab of silicone sealer to "glue" the wire in place so it won't pull out again. If the connector is damaged, most of them are available now from the auto parts stores, otherwise you can snip one off from a car at any salvage yard, and splice it in.

The vent hose on the axle isn't critical. What to fix depends on what's broken. The goal is simply to prevent water from entering when you drive in rain or through puddles. For a torn rubber hose, just use a plastic hose connector to splice it together, or you can use a piece of metal tubing if you can find some the right size. If it fits tight enough, you won't even need clamps. If a metal fitting is broken, you'll find that too at a salvage yard.