i agree it sucks that i have to peep inside that tiny hole just see where the star wheels are and i think when you do a brake job on the rears u have to clean and inspect both linings then still have to adjust the parking brake
I NEVER understood why the engineers keep designing a drum type emergency brake on new vehicles - they are excessively "labor intensive". Brake shoes are so... 20th century.
Oh my God! Did you take the center console apart for any particular reason? Most of the garages I went to in the past adjusted the hand brake by simply accessing the cable right behind the handle.... As for the adjustment at the drum end, that is typically done when they replace the drum cylinders.
:twisted: The adjustment at the handle is the improper way of adjusting the slack the proper way is to adjust the star wheel in the drum.This not only for cylinder replacement it is the way and only the way a qualified tech will adjust the rears.If you where to do it by the handle you would be fired in any shop ive ever worked at.Once again this is a great write up and it should be a sticky that way people know the proper way of adjusting the shoes and they also know the improper way once this thread goes away you will have people asking how to do it and if they should have the dealer do this instead of maybe being able to do it themselfs.
BTW, I have never seen a self adjusting drum type emergency brake. Is the Honda a caliper type or drum? I much prefer a caliper type - one black mark for Toyota! Drum brakes suck.
You must run the adjusters in tight until the drum/ rotor can't be rotated with gentle hand pressure. You can use a pry bar or tire iron in the wheel studs to move the drum around... or you may not be able to move it back to where the hole lines up otherwise.
Then back off the adjusters about 10 clicks to provide correct clearance. You do NOT want the shoes to drag while driving or you will burn them up in a few weeks.
The adjusters are right and left side specific, with opposite threads, so be aware of this. Going the wrong way just wastes time and makes you swear.
+1. Great thread and something that people will and should use. Mods, please can you post as a sticky. It will hopefully prevent people from adjusting at the lever.
I don't recall, but the way to tell is to start adjusting - if the star wheel gets harder to turn in 10 or 20 clicks, you are going the right direction. If it starts to get looser, you are going the wrong way.
You "may" be able to shine a strong light into the adjuster hole and see the threads. It kinda depends on how much rust and gunk is on the part.
OTH you can always remove the drums completely, hose the gunk and glop and dust off all the parts with tap water (don't use compressed air) and inspect all the parts, lubing if needed. This takes a while since you have to remove the calipers, but hey, you have all weekend, so go for it.
Great thread and something that people will and should use. Mods, please can you post as a sticky. It will hopefully prevent people from adjusting at the lever.
While I agree it is a great thread, I think that the Search function will make it sufficiently available for those who search for parking brake. However some old timer might search for "emergency brake" and now he will find this thread also. :lol:
You must run the adjusters in tight until the drum/ rotor can't be rotated with gentle hand pressure. You can use a pry bar or tire iron in the wheel studs to move the drum around... or you may not be able to move it back to where the hole lines up otherwise.
Then back off the adjusters about 10 clicks to provide correct clearance. You do NOT want the shoes to drag while driving or you will burn them up in a few weeks.
The adjusters are right and left side specific, with opposite threads, so be aware of this. Going the wrong way just wastes time and makes you swear.
i was just wondering about how to take out the so-called pocket/window adjuster. would it be that easy just to pull out? it seems so from these pictures.
RAVABOY said:
Hello to everyone!! hope my post would be very helpful to anybody who likes to work and mod their ravs especially to those who would like to maintain their precious ones,.
First of. since we bought our first suv, i've complained about the parking brake being too weak. my mom drives an 06 corolla ce and i have compared both brakes. At the first scheduled maintenance i told my service advisor about it. after picking it up, he told me that they cannot adjust it and the brakes are new and made up of ceramics and other stuff, you guys know how some service advisor be like if they are too lazy or to busy doing some other repairs other than adjusting brakes, well heck
me too! and after about one year later i decided to adjust it myself since i cannot find any posts here:
its relatively quite simple
First Take out the coin pocket/window adjuster (sorry i dont know the term and i'm calling it by the name of its purpose)
carefully lift the assembly, notice that wire harness underneath, unplug it
Just wanted to say thanks for the write-up. The pictures helped to show access to tighten the shoes is in the front, and not in the back like some other vehicles.[/img]
Just wanted to say thanks for the write-up. The pictures helped to show access to tighten the shoes is in the front, and not in the back like some other vehicles.
Why aren't there a TSB for the parking brake issue. I brought my rav4 sports < a month ago and the car rolls forward in incline when I apply the parking brake, put it to park and let go of the brake pedal. This should not happen.
I know this is a little late on this thread, but I think people enjoy having additional information available. This is a quote from a general information website regarding the use of parking brake with auto transmission in PARK. Once you read this you'll understand the importance of using the parking brake.
In the Park position, the output shaft of the automatic transmission is locked in place by means of a pin inside the transmission. In other words, in 'Park' the transmission is locked up and the wheels can't turn. This is why people can get away with not engaging the parking brake. But the pin is relatively tiny and the transmission and output shaft are massive, and relying on this pin (called the prawl) places the entire transmission mechanism under stress. In park, a car can gently be rocked forward and back, evidencing the placement of stress and torsion on the transmission.
The parking brake (it is not typically called the emergency brake, at least not on european auto-transmission cars) engages the brake enough to keep the car immobilized.
Recommended proper stopping procedure:
Stop, with foot on brake.
Emergency (or parking) brake.
Put transmission in 'park'.
Take foot of regular brake. - Car should not move.
I think this is the wrong way to park if the goal is to eliminate stress on the transmission parking pawl. The proper way would be to:
Stop, with foot of brake.
Engage the parking brake.
Let go of foot brake and let the vehicle settle against the parking brake
Put the transmission in park.
I think this is the wrong way to park if the goal is to eliminate stress on the transmission parking pawl. The proper way would be to:
Stop, with foot of brake.
Engage the parking brake.
Let go of foot brake and let the vehicle settle against the parking brake
Put the transmission in park.
I think both ways work fine. I was only trying to reinforce the reason you should use the parking brake and not rely on the transmission alone to hold the car in place. I know for one, I don't always set it in the same order. But I ALWAYS use the parking brake.... :!:
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