Ebrake stuck after cable and shoe replacement, Right side works fine Options

[skogs]

Hi. I got some really annoying problems after replacing the left cable and ebrake shoes on both sides. My car is a 97`celica t20 with rear disk brakes. I dont know the real name for the disk-piece, so im just going to call it the disk:)

the replacement of the cable and shoes went fine until i when i tried to refit the disks. The right one mounted straight on without problems, but the left wouldnt fit right. It seemed like the parking brake was engaged. I then forced the disk on, using the wheel-bolts, and remounted the wheels. I couldnt move the wheel with my hands, but it did roll when driving, although with a lot resistance. After driving a couple of minutes at low speed, the whole disk was very hot!

I have double checked that the shoes and cables are installed correctly, everything is properly fitted and greased. I've loosened and pulled the cable out towards the brake as much as possible, but it still seems like the parking brake is engaged at all times. I've compared the clearance the clearense between the brake shoes, and the right and left side seems to be identical.

HOWEVER, the right disk easily fits on the left brake. And the left disk, does not fit on the right side. It seems like the left disks inner diameter is smaller then the right!!

Can someone help me please? What can i do? What is wrong?

This post has been edited by skogs: Aug 4, 2011 - 11:46 AM

[Galcobar]

Sounds like the e-brake was originally assembled incorrectly -- the parts may all have been there and connected as they should, but aligned cockeyed. It should not be necessary to use significant force to put the rotor (that would be the disc, note the spelling) onto the brake assembly. At least, that's what it would sound like if the rotors were fitting equally. As they're not, it's a bit confusing since even brand new rotors and shoes should still assemble cleanly.

Worn-out parking brake shoes are going to be very close to new parking brake shoe thickness. Maximum thickness is 2.0 mm, minimum is 1.0 mm. The rotor interior diametre is only 1 mm different as well from old to new, which means a 0.5 mm difference on one side.

As noted above, the appropriate thing to do is adjust the position of the e-brake shoes with the adjuster wheel, located at the bottom of the e-brake assembly. More particularly, it is meant to accessible through a hole in the rotor to allow you to expand the shoe position once the rotor is in place. This requires putting the rotor on so the access hole lines up with the appropriate hole in the hub face. The adjuster should be turned until the shoes lock against the rotor, then returned eight notches.

After re-installation is complete, the new parking brake shoes should be bedded. This is done by driving at 50 km/h and then engaging the parking brake with 20 ft-lb for about 400m. The parking brake release button should be pressed and held down while the parking brake lever is being pulled. Repeat this two or three times, then look at adjusting the cable travel.

The e-brake cable tension is adjusted at the handle, Pull the centre console to access the two nuts. The lock nut must be loosened in order to allow the handle position to be adjusted, then the locknut must be tightened back down. Properly adjusted, the handle will travel 4-7 clicks with moderate force for full engagement (keep in mind these are meant to be operated by everyone, so moderate force does not involve yanking as hard as you can).

Proper e-brake engagement, which will prevent the wheels from turning without a lot of engine pressure, is achieved through adjusting the parking brake shoe position, then the cable position. The self-adjusting nature of the e-brake only comes into play to compensate for wear of the shoe surface -- in other words, it only adjusts wider. Moving the shoes inward requires manual adjustment.

Side question: are the e-brake cables crossed as they should be?

However, reading over what you've described, my best guess is that both sides were not properly adjusted to minimum width, and that the right rotor fit because it has been excessively worn, while the left rotor is still within specifications. My suggestion would be to get both measured at a brake shop for maximum interior diametre, the exact dimensions of which are stamped on the rotor itself.