Parking brake adjustment (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

reviving this one from the dead, but has anyone else tried to do this and the hole through the rotor doesn't line up with the crank? I have to take the rotor off to adjust
The crank is a little gear on a short round shaft. If you stick your screw driver, find the shaft then slide til you bump into where the gear is, it's pretty easy to move the crank up or down by feel with a skinny flat head. The adjuster gear is slightly above the hole in the rotor, maybe a half inch or quarter inch up.
 
Last edited:
This rear disc brake with shoe park brake design does not hold the vehicle as strong as a rear drum brake design. May be one must use oem shoes each at $20 ($80 total). No matter how much I adjust the park brake on the LC, it's bit loose. Compare that to rear shoe brakes on a 90 hilux LN 106 , 97 4runner and 92 corolla. These 3 vehicles won't budge when park brake is engaged!
 
I found the attached document very helpful the first time I worked on the parking brakes (not specific to the 100 series).

(It is also very helpful to know that the Toyota parking brake shoes have a slot for a reason: you can pre-assemble the nail, spring and retaining clip and then just slide the shoe underneath it. )
 

Attachments

  • parking-brake-toyota-truck-repair.pdf
    2.3 MB · Views: 383
This rear disc brake with shoe park brake design does not hold the vehicle as strong as a rear drum brake design. May be one must use oem shoes each at $20 ($80 total). No matter how much I adjust the park brake on the LC, it's bit loose. Compare that to rear shoe brakes on a 90 hilux LN 106 , 97 4runner and 92 corolla. These 3 vehicles won't budge when park brake is engaged!
I feel the same, I used aftermarket shoes when I did mine. Next time i'll try the oem shoes. Aftermarket shoes held great for a few months then went back to the way they felt before replacement. Maybe we need to adjust these yearly? I'm running centric premium rotors, powerstop shoes, oem pads, oem bell crank/springs and a raybestos parking brake hardware kit.
 
I feel the same, I used aftermarket shoes when I did mine. Next time i'll try the oem shoes. Aftermarket shoes held great for a few months then went back to the way they felt before replacement. Maybe we need to adjust these yearly? I'm running centric premium rotors, powerstop shoes, oem pads, oem bell crank/springs and a raybestos parking brake hardware kit.
I believe using a longer dogbone fixes this issue. I've seen some threads where a longer one was used, spreading the upper axis the shoes swivel on, applying more force when applied, but returning at rest to a state that does not cause the shoe to drag on the drum. I intend to do this at some point, but I need to replace cable number one as mine seems to have frozen, bell cranks are are good, so I've cable issues to sort out.
 
I believe using a longer dogbone fixes this issue. I've seen some threads where a longer one was used, spreading the upper axis the shoes swivel on, applying more force when applied, but returning at rest to a state that does not cause the shoe to drag on the drum. I intend to do this at some point, but I need to replace cable number one as mine seems to have frozen, bell cranks are are good, so I've cable issues to sort out.

Forgot to mention, I do have the longer dogbone. I've read the $$$ OEM shoes are the way to go.
 
Reviving this thread as I just replaced the rear pads and rotors on my '99 LX 470. The job itself was pretty simple, but now I have no parking brake. That is, I don't notice any difference when pulling the e-brake up. I've tried this in neutral and in drive and the car rolls/moves despite the parking brake being engaged.

I figure, I just need to adjust the star e-brake adjuster screw. I tried this a couple days ago. I pulled off the rear wheels and tightened the adjuster screw (through the adjustment hole in the drum/rotor) until it stopped spinning. I then loosened the screw 8 times. I put the wheels back on and there is no difference in the parking brake. I wonder if I should re-tighten it all the way and loosen it only 4-5 times? Thoughts?

Also, I've watched a few YouTube videos of this being done and in them the person is able to spin the rotor rather easily until the e-brake adjuster is tightened to the point that it stops this. I have been unable to replicate this on my truck. With both rear wheels on jacks, e-brake released, and transmission in park, I can't spin either rear rotor by hand. I have to do so by putting the wheel/tire back on the opposite side of the vehicle to get the leverage necessary to spin the wheel, which turns the rotor on the opposite side. When doing this, I can hear what sounds like the brake making contact in the rotor/drum. Is this why I can't move the rotor by hand, because the parking brake is too tight? If so, I find it odd that the rotor slides off the drum without much effort and without having to loosen the e-brake adjuster. Also, when driving around it doesn't sound or smell as if the parking brake is engaged.

Thoughts?

TY in advance!

DJG
 
Ok, so I followed the directions in the pdfs posted by brownfox and white_lx to both adjust the e-brake adjuster inside the rotor, as well as the cable and adjusting bolt on the outside of the bellcrank. Still no e-brake. My wife says the e-brake worked prior to the brake job, although I'm not sure how well.

The cable seems good, because when I pull the e-brake lever I can hear and see it engage at the bell crank. It just doesn't do anything to stop the car from moving.

:bang:
 
PROBLEM SOLVED!!!

In a last ditch effort I decided to reverse the direction I was going to tighten the e-brake adjustment screw. Per the YouTube videos, I was moving the adjuster UPWARDS to tighten, and apparently, this was the wrong direction. I moved the adjuster screw in the downwards direction until it stopped. Then I moved it up 8 clicks and that did the trick. My e-brake is back, and although it isn't terrific, it works and stops the truck on its own.

I'm cracking up, because this was my first impression. I guess, sometimes, the easiest solution is the correct one.

DJG
 
has this happened to anyone? I adjusted the shoes through the hole in the rotor. Everything feels solid and tight now. After using the parking brake a few times it seems to loosen back up.
This happened to me, rebuilt my rear parking brakes with oem everything except shoes/rotors/dogbone. They were good for a while but eventually loosened back up. I thought the modified dog bone would prevent the loosening but didn't. Reading here on the forums, the rare time I didn't use OEM parts for something it was this. I have a new set of OEM shoes in the garage but haven't had time to installl them.
 
is the culprit non oem shoes? or what could happen to the dogbone piece?
I believe it is, reading here on mud sorta confirms it. OEM shoes have crazy friction compared to aftermarket, maybe that's why they cost an arm and a leg? The dogbone is an upgraded one, so that you can pull on the handle up a little less to set the parking brake.

Here's the thread about the dogbone:

 
Newsflash .... with 2K miles on brand new OEM brake shoes and careful adjustment with the help of Mauser, my parking brake system is getting loose again. Perhaps the whole system OEM system is junk (will I get struck by lightning for saying that in here?) ....
 
Newsflash .... with 2K miles on brand new OEM brake shoes and careful adjustment with the help of Mauser, my parking brake system is getting loose again. Perhaps the whole system OEM system is junk (will I get struck by lightning for saying that in here?) ....
that's disappointing to hear .... i've tightened mine twice and it's come loose after a short period of time ... wonder if the cables are just stretching out??
 
reviving this one from the dead, but has anyone else tried to do this and the hole through the rotor doesn't line up with the crank? I have to take the rotor off to adjust
I recently replaced the bell cranks and cleaned up the other parts as I had to take them all off to replace the crank. The hole did not exactly line up on my 2000, I had to move the screwdriver around a little to get it to adjust. Once I had seen the gear it was much easier to adjust through the hole.
 
I recently replaced the bellcrank on both sides and adjusted the shoes so that my parking brake is now tight. The cable itself is a little loose but I will be using the service manual's instructions on tightening shortly. Message me or reply to this if you need any tips. Cheers and thank you for this thread!
Screen Shot 2022-08-11 at 10.48.49 PM.png
Screen Shot 2022-08-11 at 10.49.51 PM.png
 
I recently replaced the bellcrank on both sides and adjusted the shoes so that my parking brake is now tight. The cable itself is a little loose but I will be using the service manual's instructions on tightening shortly. Message me or reply to this if you need any tips. Cheers and thank you for this thread!View attachment 3084519View attachment 3084520
How tough was the bellcrank replacement? Mine are both seized and was hoping to get them changed prior to winter. THanks
 
My parking brake was getting very loose, almost zero engagement. I installed a 1/2" body lift last month and now it works great!
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom