Parking brake adjustment question

[Red Rider]

So, while doing my fuel pump, i had noticed the parking brake cable adjustment that seems odd to me. See picture. The adjustment bolt seems to have about 30 washers on it that function as spacers. This does not seem normal.

Parking brake is not as tight as I would like it and with brake lines failing on these trucks, I want to make sure my e-brake is fully operational.

 

[mizzouguy]

The washers are someone's way of trying to tighten it up. My truck has the nut threaded all the way on the stud with no washers and it still feels like it could be tighter.

 

[Junior_22g]

Correct. The washers are to take up space for adjustment.
The poop design of the rear brakes on these trucks requires removing the rear rotors from the truck to adjust the ebrake. Total pain in the ass. I just replaced everything in the rear brakes including the backing plates on my 01 Yukon.
You are supposed to adjust the ebrake at the wheels, then use the adjustment where all those washers are as a short of fine tune adjustment.
Hope this helps you. Any other questions just ask!

 

[Larryjb]

I've got new parking shoes on order (parking brake holds when pointing down hill, but not when pointing uphill, and that's after adjusting the parking brake at the drum). Perhaps if I were to adjust that bolt I would get it to work. I suspect I could use the new parking shoes anyway, but I'll keep this adjustment in mind as well.

Larry

 

[SLCHOE]

I've got new parking shoes on order (parking brake holds when pointing down hill, but not when pointing uphill, and that's after adjusting the parking brake at the drum). Perhaps if I were to adjust that bolt I would get it to work. I suspect I could use the new parking shoes anyway, but I'll keep this adjustment in mind as well.

Larry

I suspect you don't have much as far as parking brake shoes left at all with that rigging. Time to do the parking brake shoes and if your rear brake pads are low, just do it all like the guy above. New rotors, new shoes and hardware kit, new backing plate and new pads and hardware.

 

[Larryjb]

It's Red Rider that has all that rigging installed. The rear brakes had been done on my Tahoe just before I bought it, so shoes and rotors are new in the back. Strangely, the parking brake shoes had been done a couple of years ago. Do these trucks eat parking brake shoes? Or did the previous owner ride the parking brake? Or perhaps the previous mechanic used a low quality parking shoe?

I do need to replace the backing plates though.

 

[SLCHOE]

Gotcha. In your case, yes you could adjust the cable at the 1 to 2 splitter.

As for wear, they may have been adjusted too tight when they were replaced or likely not adjusted at all (which would make them tight).

 

[Red Rider]

I got the OEM manual for parking brake. I guess i will study it. I did not realize there were separate shoes for E-brake.

 

[Red Rider]

BTW, I am not a big fan of how these OEM manuals are written. They are kind of annoying. It constantly takes you to other sections and you need to bounce all over the place.

 

[Red Rider]

Correct. The washers are to take up space for adjustment.
The poor design of the rear brakes on these trucks requires removing the rear rotors from the truck to adjust the ebrake. Total pain in the ass. I just replaced everything in the rear brakes including the backing plates on my 01 Yukon.
You are supposed to adjust the ebrake at the wheels, then use the adjustment where all those washers are as a short of fine tune adjustment.

Do you remember how long it took you to do? I think the brakes are new on the truck. They must have been lazy and did not bother with the e-brakes. I think they are shot. I wonder how long it would take to just replace e-brakes.