Proper adjusting of e- brake question

westend wrote:
You are talking about the parking brake? The foot actuated brake cable that is used for parking? My suggestion is to never use it, not even when parked. There is all kind of likelihood that using it will result in problems.

That is a very foolish answer.

Yes, you called it a "parking" brake and that is correct (they no longer call it a EMERGENCY BRAKE) but telling folks that they should "NEVER USE IT EVEN WHEN PARKED" is not a wise thing to say.

That brake is there to relieve any pressure off the entire drive line from the axles to the rear end to the drive shaft and finally the transmission parking "pawl" or parking pin as some folks would call it.

This is especially important when parking on hills which presents considerable strain on those components and especially the parking pawl..

So much pressure in some cases getting the transmission out of "park" may require having another vehicle push or pull on your vehicle to get enough slack to allow the pawl to release..

But, worst of all is allowing your vehicle to DRIFT and BOUNCE when putting into park which can SNAP the parking pawl causing a huge expensive tow and repair bill.

ALWAYS SET THE PARKING BRAKE BEFORE TAKING YOUR FOOT OFF THE SERVICE BRAKES WHEN PARKING. Doing so every time stops the vehicle from drifting and bouncing several inches when put into park.

Making it a habit to set the parking brake every time PREVENTS the parking brake cables and components from RUSTING IN PLACE.

I do it with ALL my vehicles, taught my DW and DD to do that also..

In 35yrs of driving I have only had ONE TIME that I have ever had a issue with my parking brake sticking on and that was in -10 degree weather with heavy snow and ice for 2 weeks straight.. I simply had to engage and disengage the brake pedal several times to jar it loose.

As far as the OPs question, on the Ford, you simply adjust the brake shoes so the combo drum/rotor (inside drum portion is the parking brake and outside rotor portion is the service brakes) slides on with slight resistance. There should not be any slack in the cables when not engaged and the parking brake pedal should not hit the floor when engaged.

You do not want the parking brakes too tight or they will drag and wear out early.. Parking brakes on combo rotor/drum when used properly technically should last the entire life of the vehicle and never need to be changed unless it was dragging due to over tightening or stuck cable..

While you could possibly use the parking brake in an emergency it is not something I would want to try since you would have to have one hand on the release lever and one hand on the steering wheel and one foot on the parking brake pedal!

westend wrote:
You are talking about the parking brake? The foot actuated brake cable that is used for parking? My suggestion is to never use it, not even when parked. There is all kind of likelihood that using it will result in problems.

I disagree. Parking pawl is not designed to keep the vehicle from rolling.
Parking brake should be used anytime the car would roll in neutral.
If you don't trust it then it needs to be fixed.

To the OP: I think you are on the correct track. Keep watch for a bit after any adjustment as the mechanical connection can change a bit after proper forces are applied.

There's often a very specific set of instructions for adjustment. Maybe you can find a manual on-line? As you know, the most important thing is that they dont rub constantly.
As for using the parking brake, I would never trust a heavy MH against the little parking pawl in the tranny. Also, it's best to use the brake all the time, otherwise, when you finally do use it it may stick in the activated position and then you have real problems.

You are talking about the parking brake? The foot actuated brake cable that is used for parking? My suggestion is to never use it, not even when parked. There is all kind of likelihood that using it will result in problems.