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C5 Parking Brake / Ebrake fix / adjustment
08-22-2011, 11:49 AM
#21
Pro
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My problem is that the ratcheting mechanism to keep the parking brake up is no longer working. Today I took a look at the mechanism and it seems that the retaining pawl is just flapping around loosely. If I put pressure against the pawl with my thumb as I pull up the brake, it will make the ratcheting noise and will bite into the gear. To be clear, I am NOT talking about the easily visible ratchet that is for the cable tension. Do I need a new parking brake assembly? Any Corvette junkyards that might have them?
08-22-2011, 12:39 PM
#23
Team Owner
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St. Jude Donor '03-'04
However this may serve further interests, found it on another website...
Two issues here:
1) adjusting the slack in the cable can be done by rolling backward and pumping the e brake handle 5 or 6 times, this is designed in to adjust only the cable slack.
2 adjusting the shoe (ONE SHOE)... there is only "one'"shoe -- it's a Mono-shoe with a split.... this is the usual culprit. Before I left GM I tried to address this issue, but red tape made it impossible to get an adjustment check "On the line" at BG.
Adjusting the "Shoe is a simple matter of removing the wheel, caliper, caliper bracket, and rotor. (Note be sure the Ebrake is disengaged)
Once the rotor is off you can "click the star adjuster," rotating it in such a manner as to spread the Mono-shoe and increase the outside diameter.
The usual adjustment is around 20 to 40 clicks:
Adjust the star ten click and try to put the rotor back on.
It may be tight but if it goes on, it is not adjusted properly.
Adjust the star again ten more clicks, see if it goes on....
Do this at ten click and no more per each try.... somewhere between 20 and 40 clicks, the rotor will be impossible to put on.
Once you find this point, you then back off on the star 3 or 4 click until your can force the rotor over the shoe.
If you can force the rotor on by hand you are doing good...here is where most people fail in their attempt to adjust properly..,
Once the rotor sits flush on the hub boss, there will be alittle more clearance for the shoe, so forcing it on will not be a "too tight" issue.
You can not force the rotor over the shoe and have it too tight, it just wont happen.
Once you make this adjustment to both rear wheels, you should see that your e brake lever locks up the ebrake at about 45 degrees, 90 degrees being straight up...
Disengaging the ebrake will occur at about 35 degrees...
Once this is done properly, you will be able to stop your car with the ebrake doing 20 miles an hour and you will never feel the ebrake is inadequate.
Two issues here:
1) adjusting the slack in the cable can be done by rolling backward and pumping the e brake handle 5 or 6 times, this is designed in to adjust only the cable slack.
2 adjusting the shoe (ONE SHOE)... there is only "one'"shoe -- it's a Mono-shoe with a split.... this is the usual culprit. Before I left GM I tried to address this issue, but red tape made it impossible to get an adjustment check "On the line" at BG.
Adjusting the "Shoe is a simple matter of removing the wheel, caliper, caliper bracket, and rotor. (Note be sure the Ebrake is disengaged)
Once the rotor is off you can "click the star adjuster," rotating it in such a manner as to spread the Mono-shoe and increase the outside diameter.
The usual adjustment is around 20 to 40 clicks:
Adjust the star ten click and try to put the rotor back on.
It may be tight but if it goes on, it is not adjusted properly.
Adjust the star again ten more clicks, see if it goes on....
Do this at ten click and no more per each try.... somewhere between 20 and 40 clicks, the rotor will be impossible to put on.
Once you find this point, you then back off on the star 3 or 4 click until your can force the rotor over the shoe.
If you can force the rotor on by hand you are doing good...here is where most people fail in their attempt to adjust properly..,
Once the rotor sits flush on the hub boss, there will be alittle more clearance for the shoe, so forcing it on will not be a "too tight" issue.
You can not force the rotor over the shoe and have it too tight, it just wont happen.
Once you make this adjustment to both rear wheels, you should see that your e brake lever locks up the ebrake at about 45 degrees, 90 degrees being straight up...
Disengaging the ebrake will occur at about 35 degrees...
Once this is done properly, you will be able to stop your car with the ebrake doing 20 miles an hour and you will never feel the ebrake is inadequate.
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08-22-2011, 08:43 PM
#25
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Indeed, a sensible write-up I thought that was worth repeating to benefit others interested in this aspect of the Corvette brake system. Many thanks.
Last edited by QwikC; 08-22-2011 at 11:21 PM.
08-22-2011, 09:30 PM
#26
Burning Brakes
Member Since: Oct 2003
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I did this up a few years ago, guess it's one of several "service hints" that have been posted on the topic.
http://www.ronjpics.com/Corvettestuff.htm#parkbrake
RonJ ...
http://www.ronjpics.com/Corvettestuff.htm#parkbrake
RonJ ...
09-08-2012, 02:24 PM
#32
Le Mans Master
I have this same brake setup on my Silverado pickup with 4 wheel disc brakes . It is pretty much worthless for stopping a truck in an emergency , let alone a high performance car. Corvettes have always had a lousy emergency brake system.
09-08-2012, 02:47 PM
#33
Team Owner
It is a Parking Brake, not an "Emergency" Brake.
09-09-2012, 10:33 AM
#35
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St. Jude Donor '09-'10, '14
I know this thread is a year old but I want to add something.
When you make this repair go exactly by the write up Evil Twin gave us. He is correct that you cannot make the thing too tight. I thought I was getting mine too tight so I stopped turning the dial.
Well it works now, but only all the way up so I need to redo it and make it a little tighter so it grabs in a lower position.
When you make this repair go exactly by the write up Evil Twin gave us. He is correct that you cannot make the thing too tight. I thought I was getting mine too tight so I stopped turning the dial.
Well it works now, but only all the way up so I need to redo it and make it a little tighter so it grabs in a lower position.
09-09-2012, 10:57 AM
#36
Team Owner
09-09-2012, 12:55 PM
#37
Le Mans Master
That depends if you are as old as me or younger. Years ago it was called a emergency brake because the brakes in vehicles weren't reliable mostly because of the cars using a single master cylinder and prone to failure ( ask me how I know ) It even said emergency brake on the handles. That was it's primary use , but was also used as a parking brake. Today with all cars having dual master cylinders it is not considered an emergency brake as it's first purpose , but still supposed to be capable of stopping the car in an emergency , which they are not doing a very good job. With a standard shift today it is a parking brake which is needed and with an automatic it is useless anyway because you have park.
09-09-2012, 09:50 PM
#38
Team Owner
That depends if you are as old as me or younger. Years ago it was called a emergency brake because the brakes in vehicles weren't reliable mostly because of the cars using a single master cylinder and prone to failure ( ask me how I know ) It even said emergency brake on the handles. That was it's primary use , but was also used as a parking brake. Today with all cars having dual master cylinders it is not considered an emergency brake as it's first purpose , but still supposed to be capable of stopping the car in an emergency , which they are not doing a very good job. With a standard shift today it is a parking brake which is needed and with an automatic it is useless anyway because you have park.
Like I said, it's one of those things that just gets repeated and picked up by word of mouth, even if not true. Kinda like "sway" bars. The suspension pieces commonly being incorrectly referred to as "sway" bars are actually anti-roll bars, not "sway" bars. They have nothing to do with "sway" (side-to-side motion/movement) and everything to do with "roll" (rotation about a longitudinal axis), but yet in the common vernacular, they still get called something they are not. Likely because it's just easier, if not lazier, to refer to them as "sway" bars in day-to-day conversation.
You're right it's an old, and no longer correct term.
09-09-2012, 10:13 PM
#39
Burning Brakes
Member Since: Apr 2009
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I had the same experience with my EBrake, pulling it up only pointed it to the sky.. Vette would roll, even in gear it would move, then stop, move again if the hill was steep enough (I work in SF, hills, hills and more hills). The vette would stay home on trips to SF for sure.
I ended up pulling both rear tires and doing a complete rear E-drum brake adjustment, parking brake wasn't even worn, it looked to never have been touching the drum portion of the rotor. I adjusted the braks to drag with the same amount of resistance on both side, re-installed wheels and wow now 6 clicks and the rear locks up.
And do the backing up hard and pull up the E-Brake handle a few times, it does take up the slack.. Good luck..
Note: I put some grease in the star wheel threads, they were bone dry, I think that was my main reason it didn't move..
I ended up pulling both rear tires and doing a complete rear E-drum brake adjustment, parking brake wasn't even worn, it looked to never have been touching the drum portion of the rotor. I adjusted the braks to drag with the same amount of resistance on both side, re-installed wheels and wow now 6 clicks and the rear locks up.
And do the backing up hard and pull up the E-Brake handle a few times, it does take up the slack.. Good luck..
Note: I put some grease in the star wheel threads, they were bone dry, I think that was my main reason it didn't move..
12-23-2012, 04:05 PM
#40
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Parking brake, E brake, Emergency brake,..........all I know is it is convenient to have when parking a vehicle with a manual transmission and you need it to pass inspection (for both state and most types of motorsports)
