Parking brake won't stop TJ on a slight incline

Eddie Greenlee

TJ Addict
Supporting Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2016
Messages
2,613
Location
Mississippi
So today, I changed my rear brakes , everything except the calipers. Im talking hardware kits for E-Brakes and shoes. Man those SPRINGS ! Rotors , pads, even adjusted the e-Brake. Which brings me to my question. I adjusted my E brakes at the wheel. I tightened them till I could not get my rotor on and then backed off a little so the rotor would go on. So when I test drove it the E brake would not stop the Jeep on a slight incline. SO what am Im missing here?
thanks.
ps, also rotated my tires. Thank goodness for the post with all the torque specs on it. I go to that information quiet often.
 
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Two ideas:
Are the drums clean of oil and grease? It's common to have an axle seal leak and gum up the brakes.
Also, it's always a good idea to test the resistance with the rotor on. I like to pull the parking brake up three clicks and then tighten the wheels until I can just barely force that hub to turn. That means it is starting to engage around one or two clicks in.

There's also a common adjuster for the cable underneath the body. That will adjust both sides equally.
 
You don't adjust it so you can get the rotor on and off. You adjust it with the tire on and in the air turning the tire by hand until you get a slight drag. This is done with slack at the splitter under the tub and the parking brake handle all the way down. After that is done at both sides, move to the splitter and pull down on it and watch the end of the cables at the backing plate. The goal is to remove ALL of the slack but not add any tension to the cables.

Once that is done and it is able to be driven, go for a short drive slowly. Lift the parking brake handle without releasing the button and apply and release the parking brake several times to bed the shoes to the drum.

Take it back and adjust the parking brake shoes at the wheels again the same way and remove the slack in the cables again. That will make it all work just fine.
 
I like to pull the parking brake up three clicks and then tighten the wheels until I can just barely force that hub to turn. That means it is starting to engage around one or two clicks in.

There's also a common adjuster for the cable underneath the body. That will adjust both sides equally.
No
 
yes sir, i cleaned the rotor spotless. I had my wife pull up on the ebrake lever inside while I turned the rotors. I kept tightening them till i couldnt move the rotors around 4 clicks. But that didnt do the trick. I guess Ill tighten them more tomorrow. the common adjuster cable is screwed almost all the way in. So not much more adjustment there. I take some pictures tomorrow and post them here.
 
You don't adjust it so you can get the rotor on and off. You adjust it with the tire on and in the air turning the tire by hand until you get a slight drag. This is done with slack at the splitter under the tub and the parking brake handle all the way down. After that is done at both sides, move to the splitter and pull down on it and watch the end of the cables at the backing plate. The goal is to remove ALL of the slack but not add any tension to the cables.

Once that is done and it is able to be driven, go for a short drive slowly. Lift the parking brake handle without releasing the button and apply and release the parking brake several times to bed the shoes to the drum.

Take it back and adjust the parking brake shoes at the wheels again the same way and remove the slack in the cables again. That will make it all work just fine.
Thanks ! I'll do all that first thing in the morning .
 
I don’t have stock cables for sure I got the longer cables from an older 4door Jeep as was recommended when doing the 8.8 swap. Here a couple pictures. 15A1271B-49E3-4115-8A69-760D39DAF625.jpeg1077EC96-1DD2-458A-8A7B-CB3187E8CE92.jpeg
 
I don’t have stock cables for sure I got the longer cables from an older 4door Jeep as was recommended when doing the 8.8 swap. Here a couple pictures. View attachment 158049View attachment 158050
Whoever recommended cables from a 4 door anything was incorrect. You should have used the cables from an 03-06 TJ with rear discs. I suspect you have cables from a ZJ. You have two solutions that work. One is the correct cables, second is to back the nut all the way off and put a 1.5" long piece of tubing over the rod to act as a spacer then put the nut back on.
 
your exactly right, from a ZJ. Ill be looking for the correct cables from the TJ. in the mean time ill use the spacer. Thanks !!
 
You don't adjust it so you can get the rotor on and off. You adjust it with the tire on and in the air turning the tire by hand until you get a slight drag. This is done with slack at the splitter under the tub and the parking brake handle all the way down. After that is done at both sides, move to the splitter and pull down on it and watch the end of the cables at the backing plate. The goal is to remove ALL of the slack but not add any tension to the cables.

Once that is done and it is able to be driven, go for a short drive slowly. Lift the parking brake handle without releasing the button and apply and release the parking brake several times to bed the shoes to the drum.

Take it back and adjust the parking brake shoes at the wheels again the same way and remove the slack in the cables again. That will make it all work just fine.
Saved, I need to adjust mine. Thanks