handbrake adjustment

[kaz98gt]

looking for handbrake adjustment; it's actually getting to a scary point where it WILL NOT GRAB. For most of the travel, there's nothing (I think that's slack?) and then once the handle finally reaches the bottom of the center bin, it starts to engage. and it's unnerving, especially for someone who's gotten in the habit of testing it everyso often, and always putting it on when parked. yeah...would really want to adjust it, but don't know how; if anyone does thanks in advance!

[rmb2485]

There is a tensioning adjustment at the lever if you pull off some trim pieces, but I'm betting that isn't your problem. The parking brake uses the hat of the rear rotors like a brake drum and has shoes just like a drum brake, and I'm guessing your shoes need some adjusting.

 

I'd start by pulling the rear rotors and inspecting everything to make sure its just an adjustment issue and not something more. If everything is ok, put the rotors back on and then adjust the shoes by turning the little adjuster wheels that you access through a hole in the dust cover. You want it so that the shoes drag eeeeever so slightly.

 

Once you're done there, go to the brake lever in the cab and loosen the adjustment on the cable. Pull the lever up maybe three clicks and then readjust it so that you can still spin the rear wheels by hand but they stop within a second or two.

 

Now test everything again. With the brake lever pulled all the way you shouldn't be able to spin the wheels at all. With it pulled a few clicks you should be able to spin the wheels but they should stop pretty quickly. And without the lever pulled the wheels should spin freely.