Anyone know how to adjust the ebrake on the tC to be tighter and engage much faster?

pop off the center console piece around the ebrake. the adjusting screws are down there

Thanks.

Take off the rear wheels (Jack the car up, do NOT pull the ebrake) - on the brake rotors and drums themselves you will see a little rubber grommet. Pull that off, and using a flathead screwdriver feel inside there - there should be a little latch that you can flick up and down. Flick it upwards until you cannot turn the wheel anymore. then flick it down 2 clicks - that should be tighter as you want it to be.

haha, trying to do some mad tyte doriftos yo?

i probably want to do this too... do we adjust the rotor flicker or the screws inside the console!?

Bump with pics!!! I'd like to know which also. on the console or on the rotor...

Take off the rear wheels (Jack the car up, do NOT pull the ebrake) - on the brake rotors and drums themselves you will see a little rubber grommet. Pull that off, and using a flathead screwdriver feel inside there - there should be a little latch that you can flick up and down. Flick it upwards until you cannot turn the wheel anymore. then flick it down 2 clicks - that should be tighter as you want it to be.

Am I missing something??, we have disc brakes in the rear. I know wat u mean about adjusting the flicker though, but still just wondering....:question:

no, we have disc brakes in the rear

with drums inside the hub

check it out, pretty interesting.

and the question has been answered, pull up on the center console where the gear shift is (take off the shift knob first) then pull up on the center cupholder console where the e-brake lever is (they both just pull up) and you'll see a cable with a bolt attatched to it. tighten the top bolt and pull the e-brake and count the clicks, if it goes down, you're going the correct direction, keep at it until the desired clicks are acheived (to a degree, it will only tighten so much, then you have to expand the pads for the drum brake in the rear)

I like 4 clicks to full lock, I'm picky like that.

so this probably makes for easy ebrake sliding if 4 clicks (a few inches up) is full pressure, haha, sweet

ok cool, awesome info.....

Ok, I'm going to check out the center console. I know how to adjust drums since they have the adjustment screw in the rear, and I know disc brakes have shoes on the inside of the rotor on the back; but I really doubted that there was an exterior adjustment for disc brakes.

Thanks for the info.

if you tighten the screw, doesnt that bring the pads closer to the rotor? so like, you are pretty much making the lowest point of the ebrake be where it would be normally at halfway....

isnt this terrible for your brakes/rotors?!?!?!

if you tighten the screw, doesnt that bring the pads closer to the rotor? so like, you are pretty much making the lowest point of the ebrake be where it would be normally at halfway....

isnt this terrible for your brakes/rotors?!?!?!

^^ That's why I haven't done that yet. I'm gonna adjust it at the drum itself.

if you tighten the screw, doesnt that bring the pads closer to the rotor? so like, you are pretty much making the lowest point of the ebrake be where it would be normally at halfway....

isnt this terrible for your brakes/rotors?!?!?!

^^ That's why I haven't done that yet. I'm gonna adjust it at the drum itself.

exactly :clap:

please do a DIY for those of us who have never dealt with calipers/brakes before!! :)

umm no, first off, the e-brake has nothing to do with the pads/rotors, when you are talking about drum brakes, you are referring to the "shoe" and the "drum" or "hub" - the only thing you are doing when you tighten the cable, is just that, tightening the cable, it's still connected to the same pivot point on the drum brake, but the cable is tighter. The cable will stretch over time, so when you pull the e-brake, you are pulling up "slack" before you are pulling the shoes closer to the drum.

It is best to adjust both, starting first at the drum. Tighten the bolt in the drum (WITH THE E-BRAKE PULLED) and spin the rotor by hand, when it's noticeably "dragging" or "stopping" it from free-spinning, the pads are contacting the hub, so back it off ever so slightly. Repeat for the other side.

Then adjust the cable on the inside last. The reason you don't want to *only* adjust the cable inside, is because you're not combating the problem, you are only bandaid'ing it by pulling the cable tight.

^^ Good info.

Yes, with disc brakes, it's very difficult to damage your rotors. Adjusting the emergency brake shoe will only consist of tightening the cable as mentioned. The pivot point remains the same. Drums on the other hand, can be adjust to catch earlier on the top end of the shoe, bottom end or in the middle depending on how "badly" you center the shoe...haha.


I'm going to check it all out this weekend and see what I come up with.

so if we tighten the cable on the inside alot, when the ebrake is down, there is no difference?

but when you pull up the ebrake, it engages much faster and tighter?!

if so, im going to do that.

Tightened my cable. Love it. 4 clicks the car doesn't move and 6 I'm locked completely. Check out my other site where I posted the DIY.

http://www.clubsciontc.com/forum_thread_8012-E-brake-adjustment.html

does it move the pad closer to the rotor though? so it's like driving with your ebrake up when its really down :|

NO.

You're tightening the cable just a bit to remove any slack in it. Metal stretches with use so you can tighten it a bit. It's not going to pull the shoes against the inside of the rotor unless you over tighten it. Basically, leave about 6-7 clicks to full lock and you'll be fine.

so you can theoretically cause damage by over tightening... ill pass!

if the brakes are engaged, that would require pressure exerted from the brake fluid - this means that the BRAKE light should come on. This should also apply to engaging just a little bit, I believe... try it. Put your brake up just a little bit. The brake light will come on.

i dont know what you are saying... but the BRAKE light comes on when you pull up the ebrake because there is a little switch on the ebrake that is activated when the lever is pulled past a certain point, not because of the pressure on the brake fluid... infact, the ebrake has nothing to do with brake fluid... that's the point of an emergency brake, if your other brakes fail, you can still use the ebrake

no no, the brake light comes on when brake fluid drops below a certain point - which is what happens when you engage your handbrake, or your pads are worn beyond a certain level, or you have a major leak, etc etc

no no, the brake light comes on when brake fluid drops below a certain point - which is what happens when you engage your handbrake

what?

handbrake is a separate system, has nothing to do with fluid of anykind...

and the light comes on because of an electrical switch...

so you can theoretically cause damage by over tightening... ill pass!

If you have very basic car knowledge, no. If you're picking up tools for the first time, yes. It's not rocket science.

Sorry, not trying to sound like a dick. If you think you've overtightened it, you can loosen it as well. It's not a one way type thing. You can loosen and tighten the bottom nut to relieve slack or add slack to the cable. It's really not that hard and I'm sure everyone here with some knowledge can judge if it's too tight or just right. Just keep testing the handle. When you pull it up and you see that fully locked is now about 1/2 the distance it was stock, then you're fine. All you did was relieve the excess slack in the line under the center of the chassis.

no no, the brake light comes on when brake fluid drops below a certain point - which is what happens when you engage your handbrake, or your pads are worn beyond a certain level, or you have a major leak, etc etc

No, as mike6789k said, your brake lights comes on due to a switch that is pulled. We do not have a brake fluid level sensor in our car. Your 4 calipers run off the hydrolic brake system which forces fluid into the lines compressing the calipers. The emergency brake system works stricktly mechanically. That is why it's considered an "emergency brake." If all pressure is lost in your normal brake system or your booster blows for some reason, what would a liquid fueled brake system do? Nothing.

Emergency brakes are just 2 "shoes" that sit inside the back end of rotors and have a spring in between them. The spring is connected to the brake cable which runs up to the e-brake handle. When the handle is engaged, the cable tigthens, putting tention on the spring in the back of the rotor and then engaging the shoes to push against the inside of the rotor. NO FLUID INVOLVED.


About the light, when your handle is up, look into the area where the ebrake is. You'll see a little black switch/button. Push it and watch your brake light on your dash. It goes out.

whoops, sorry guys

so you can theoretically cause damage by over tightening... ill pass!

If you have very basic car knowledge, no. If you're picking up tools for the first time, yes. It's not rocket science.

Sorry, not trying to sound like a dick. If you think you've overtightened it, you can loosen it as well. It's not a one way type thing. You can loosen and tighten the bottom nut to relieve slack or add slack to the cable. It's really not that hard and I'm sure everyone here with some knowledge can judge if it's too tight or just right. Just keep testing the handle. When you pull it up and you see that fully locked is now about 1/2 the distance it was stock, then you're fine. All you did was relieve the excess slack in the line under the center of the chassis.

Ok, so if I tighten it down to 1/2 of what it is stock, everything should still be okay? there isnt added friction anywhere?

Does adjusting the shoes make the brake hold stronger? I've noticed the brake in our tCs are concerningly weak... on major inclines the car will actually struggle and roll back a few inches before finally stopping. It freaks me out.

I do leave it parked in gear all of the time, of course, but still... its very concerning.

paul, yes it will, seeing as how you can pull even tighter now

paul...The only way the brakes will hold stronger is if you engage the parking brake. This adjustment will have nothing to do with normal, everyday pedal braking. I hope that's what was meant. If not, then, yes....tightening the cable will allow you to tighten the brake shoes for the e-brake much easier and stronger. Just rememeber, the harder you pull on the tightened cable, the more you'll stretch it in the long run. Just pull it up until you feel it's nice and tight. Don't crank it back up to stock height after you tighten it.

mike.....there will not be any added friction if you just tighten it to about 1/2 the distance. When you are doing it, like i said, just keep testing it until you feel it's tight enough for you. If you hear it click 6-9 times fully locked, that's fine. Just don't make it fully locked at 2 clicks. Don't make the change too drastic or else you will slowly be compressing the spring in the rear to push the shoes closer to the rotor. Like I said, 4 clicks for me is a really good hold on a gradual hill. 6-8 clicks is fully locked. I think stock it was about 13-15 or something like that. When you loosen the top bolt, tighten the bottom bolt a bit and retighten the top bolt. The thread showing from the cable should be about 1-1.25 inches to be like mine.

omgggg web, this is so damn awesome, right now im like 8 clicks to lock (12 was stock for me) and omggg, ebrake turns like you wouldnt belive! hehehe :)

only problem is that when im moving in a straight line and a decent speed and i lift up the ebrake to slow down (no i dont do this normally) i hear a CLANK...

is that normal?

thanks for all your help man :)

You're gonna kill your brakes fast like that. If you're worried about brake pedal feel, get new brake pads and re-bleed your brake lines.

You're gonna kill your brakes fast like that. If you're worried about brake pedal feel, get new brake pads and re-bleed your brake lines.

the ebrake doesnt even move the pads... there is a drum inside the rotor that the ebrake engages... this does nothing for brake pedal feel :no:

You're gonna kill your brakes fast like that. If you're worried about brake pedal feel, get new brake pads and re-bleed your brake lines.

the ebrake doesnt even move the pads... there is a drum inside the rotor that the ebrake engages... this does nothing for brake pedal feel :no:


Not sure why people think it's driven by fluid. Wouldn't be an "EMERGENCY BRAKE" if the fluid ran dry for some reason would it? Oh well.


No, that clank isn't supposed to happen. It didn't to mine at least. Yours seems less tight then mine too. Might want to loosen the bolts a bit and see if it does it.

You're gonna kill your brakes fast like that. If you're worried about brake pedal feel, get new brake pads and re-bleed your brake lines.


Emergency brakes are not driven by fluid or by any hydrolic system at all. They are mechanical and driven by the handle, metal cables and springs located in the rear brakes. That's all.

4 wheel disc brakes have the e-brake shoes located inside the back side of the rotor.

Drum brakes use the same brakes/shoes that they use for normal braking as their e-brake. There is a metal arm that connects the shoes to a metal brake line running to the ebrake handle. When pulled, the line tightens, then the metal arm tightens and then the shoes are pushed against the drum housing.

I hope this helps everyone understand how the ebrake works for both brake setups.

Here's a visual to clarify:

Drums:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/drum-brake3.htm

4 wheel disc:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/disc-brake3.htm
This drum brake is only for the emergency brake system, and it is actuated only by the cable; it has no hydraulics.

Our disc brakes don't have the spring on the calipers like this picture, but have the brake cable running into the back of the rotor hub. This is where you will find the brake shoes for the e-brake.

I'm not saying you're gonna kill the fluid... I KNOW the ebrake is cable operated. I'm saying you're gonna heat up and wear out the ebrake fast...

Paul34's post made it sound like he wanted to pull the ebrake all the time while braking.

whoa wait, sorry for the ambiguity in my post! When I said stronger brakes, I was referring to the drum parking brake, not the foot brake.

The handbrake system was what I wanted to be stronger, so that it wouldn't just barely hold the car on inclines.

seems my post has caused much confusion :relief:

I'm not saying you're gonna kill the fluid... I KNOW the ebrake is cable operated. I'm saying you're gonna heat up and wear out the ebrake fast...

Paul34's post made it sound like he wanted to pull the ebrake all the time while braking.

not if you dont tighten it TOOO much... if you just tighten it a little bit, but enough for a noticable difference, you arent causing any more friction.

Well, I hope this post helped people find out how to do it.

Good luck. PM me any questions if you have them.

So what have we decided with this thread? Is it okay to adjust the parking brake from the cable inside the car or better to adjust it at the drum?

If it's best to do it at the drum, does anybody have any pictures to clarify exactly where we are talking about tightening? (i'm a visual learner :D)

Both ends will attain the exact same result and both are safe. There wouldn't be an ability to adjust it from both ends if they insisted that it only be done at the rear. I've had mine adjusted from the handle for 20K+ and it stills feels just as tight as when I first did it and I use my ebrake EVERY day for parking. 6 clicks and it's fully locked.

Here's my DIY:

Very easy... http://www.clubsciontc.com/forum_thread_8012-E-brake-adjustment.html

Thanks. You're the man!

is it normal for one side to have a bit more resistance than the other? maybe due to some rust on the rotors or something?

i'm doing this right now and the passenger side has more resistance than the drivers side. even when fully loose it has some resistance, unlike the drivers side.

i have fully loosened each side, then fully tightened both sides and lastly backed each side off 3 - 5 clicks.

full lock on the ebrake is around 9 - 10 clicks. i would like to make it a little more tight tho, around 7 - 8 clicks.

just don't want to create any drag so wondering if this is normal, thanks

def looking into doing this

is it normal for one side to have a bit more resistance than the other? maybe due to some rust on the rotors or something?

i'm doing this right now and the passenger side has more resistance than the drivers side. even when fully loose it has some resistance, unlike the drivers side.

i have fully loosened each side, then fully tightened both sides and lastly backed each side off 3 - 5 clicks.

full lock on the ebrake is around 9 - 10 clicks. i would like to make it a little more tight tho, around 7 - 8 clicks.

just don't want to create any drag so wondering if this is normal, thanks

drag you can hear as a WHOOSH sound as you rotate the brakes around. you could apply 1 more click to each side, and that should get you to 7-8 clicks.

the resistance could be rust on the adjuster, depends on where you park, if one side gets more weather, etc. if it gets bad enough where it wont move, the adjuster can come out and be cleaned/lubed up. are you talking the adjuster has resistance? or the brake doesn't move freely when loosened up all the way? might need to be loosened more maybe at the factory they didn't set both to the same amount of clicks?