Stretched e-brake cable?

[COS80]

How can I tell if I have a stretched e-brake cable? I tried adjusting it twice, but it still only engages at the very last click, practically into the back seat. It's entirely possible I'm doing something wrong, so I don't want to just order one to find out. Shoes appear to have been replaced at some point - they're good and thick.

 

[CharlieS]

Sorry, I don't know the answer.

Maybe a silly question, but are you adjusting at the wheels first, not just the inside handle nut? I find the fsm procedure to be a bit of a hassle, and as a result, my ebrake isn't adjusted right and isn't very effective.

 

[COS80]

I followed the procedure, beginning at the wheels.

 

[Outsane]

This is how I fixed it.

Watch out for that guy

 

[Mat Jadamec]

I'd check the shoes and disks/drums again to make sure their the right ones for the axle. Then check the cable equalizer arm to make sure it's not seized.

 

[landtank]

Start at the shoes and work towards the handle.

Adjust the shoes so they drag when rotating the drum. Not to the point that you can’t turn the drum but more that just hearing some noise.

Then adjust each bell crank so when tensioned against the shoes the rubber stop is just touching the backing plate.

You want to make sure both bellcranks are touching on both sides at rest. I usually back off the adjustment at the handle completely before stating.

Than adjust the handle so there is no free play when you first start to pull up on it.

Lastly , go for a drive and use the e-brake a couple of times to set the shoes.

 

[COS80]

If i got it wrong somewhere, it'd be the bellcrank adjustment. I remember I had to do that twice, because the first crack was all wrong.

 

[landtank]

check the cable routing from the bellcrank to the actuating lever. It should sit in the rotating assemble with the bead captured in place.

 

[BTLSHP]

Do not ignore the shim between the shoe and the lever. Missing this makes getting the star wheel setting tough and unreliable.

 

[Broski]

If the shoes are not OEM its hard to get the
E-brake to work correctly.

 

[COS80]

If the shoes are not OEM its hard to get the
E-brake to work correctly.

I could see that being the case for grip level, but also for handle height? If that's true, that's probably the issue. I'll look again to be sure, but I'm pretty sure they're aftermarket.

 

[BTLSHP]

I could see that being the case for grip level, but also for handle height? If that's true, that's probably the issue. I'll look again to be sure, but I'm pretty sure they're aftermarket.

It is a remarkably sensitive system - the ratio of lever movement to shoe movement is huge. What I found was the wrong shim meant the shoe was not parallel to the drum and rubbing slightly but constantly. It took me more than a long time to figure out and I am not 100% confident it is correct.

I used Bosch shoes and I am sensitive to @Broski's comment above.

 

[Broski]

I used Bosch shoes and I am sensitive to @Broski's comment above.

Meaning what ?

I don’t recall what brand they were but I installed after market shoes in a pinch and I could never get the hand brake to work properly.
So I ordered OEM shoes and found that the friction part was wider, thicker and cover more of the metal part of the shoe.
It also fit the inside of the disk better!
In short it solved my hand/ parking brake issue.

 

[BTLSHP]

Meaning what ?

I don’t recall what brand they were but I installed after market shoes in a pinch and I could never get the hand brake to work properly.
So I ordered OEM shoes and found that the friction part was wider, thicker and cover more of the metal part of the shoe.
It also fit the inside of the disk better!
In short it solved my hand/ parking brake issue.

I still had one of the original shoes (another story). When I figured out that I had ignored that step in the manual, I took it apart and reassembled the lever on the original. There was almost no lateral play between the lever and the shoe. On the Bosch there was a lot of play (an inch?). Fortunately, Toyota offers 3 different washers. I got the other two and used the one that came closest to the the original fit. I am still not convinced it is ideal, I hear a squeak now and then at low speed but the hat does not heat up anymore. The parking brake is good enough as a parking brake, as an emergency brake it is not there.

 

[COS80]

I was messing with this again today, and I found that the rotor feels like its out of round - when I turn it by hand, it gets tighter and looser through a whole revolution. Then I recalled that when I set the brake, I always have to "bump" it to get two more clicks to actually hold it parked, so this is nothing new - I just never noticed it before. These rotors are new - probably not even 5kmi on them - and the actual brakes work fine, no vibrations.

What could this be? Cheap, ill-adjusted shoes?

 

[BTLSHP]

Mine does similar, but far worse in one direction. I put it to springs and shoes expanding and do not fret over it.

 

[COS80]

Well, I'm getting ready to order a cable, shoes, and shims, so I'd like to fix this, too, if I can.

 

[BTLSHP]

Well, I'm getting ready to order a cable, shoes, and shims, so I'd like to fix this, too, if I can.

Can’t comment on cable, mine was not the issue. I got Bosch shoes and eventually got them to work. Among my issues was understanding that the shim gap in the manual of 0.35mm was not 0.358. A different shim got me under 0.35mm and that helped with the heat problem I had.

 

[High Lander]

2 major points of failure are the bell cranks - steel part in an alloy casing gets all metallurgical and seize:




Also, the equaliser can seize which means you're only getting braking to one wheel

I rebuilt my entire hand brake / ebrake with all new genuine parts, adjusted as per manual, and my brakes still sucked. So I modified. Upgrades I have done is install the longer modified dog bones, such as these:

And the Superior Engineering hand brake mod:




Hand brake is now excellent

 

[BTLSHP]

2 major points of failure are the bell cranks - steel part in an alloy casing gets all metallurgical and seize:




Also, the equaliser can seize which means you're only getting braking to one wheel

I rebuilt my entire hand brake / ebrake with all new genuine parts, adjusted as per manual, and my brakes still sucked. So I modified. Upgrades I have done is install the longer modified dog bones, such as these:

View attachment 3877921


And the Superior Engineering hand brake mod:




Hand brake is now excellent

I was just having enough trouble getting back to mediocre…. The idea of fitting a new dog one was beyond my patience the first time through