- This topic has 4 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 9 months ago by
.
-
Topic
-
-
Replies
-
Before I start writing about e-brake cable adjustment, let me ask you this. What exactly are the brakes doing that you don’t like? Is the e-brake working better on one side of the car than it is on the other? Is the e-brake not working at all? Or is it that the drum won’t go back over the shoes? I’ve seen all of these problems, and the fix is more or less the same for all of them. It’s got nothing to do with the cable itself, and I’ve actually never seen a Honda e-brake cable go bad.
Here’s what I want you to do. Jack up the car and support it properly. Now pull the rear wheels back off and remove the brake drums. You see that round metal wheel with all the teeth on it, just below the wheel cylinder? That’s your brake adjuster. Turn that wheel a couple of clicks (it’ll move easily in only one direction), put the drum back on and then spin it with your hands. What you’re looking for is a very light drag. Keep adjusting the shoes and checking every few clicks for that light drag. If you feel a light drag, reach inside the car and pump the brake pedal a couple of times to make sure that the shoes are centered, then spin the drum again. If you’ve still got the light drag, then move on to the other side of the car and do it again. Once you’ve got the shoes adjusted properly, the e-brake should work as intended. If not, the way I adjust Honda e-brakes (the couple of times I’ve done it), was to pull the handle a little more than half way through it’s travel, and adjust the nut until it feels a little snug. Then, with the wheels bolted on, and the rear end still in the air, I try as hard as I can to spin the wheels by hand. I have a lift at work, so I actually grab the tire with both arms and use my legs to try and move it. I figure if the e-brake is strong enough to stop me from moving it, then it’ll hold the car still.
Also, I’m going to guess that your brake pedal feels abnormally low as well. If the problem you’re having is what I think you’re having, adjusting the brake shoes will make the pedal come up higher as well. The reason for this is because the wheel cylinder pistons will not have to push the shoes as far before they contact the inside of the brake drum.
If I’m completely off base, and you’ve got the shoes adjusted correctly and the problem is solely in the e-brake, we’ll go from there.
I agree with 3sheets, I’ve never seen a stretched cable before. Just keep on adjusting the brakes. Sometimes drums can be tricky, but once you get it right the car will have a good pedal. If you look and one adjuster has way more threads sticking out than the other side then something isn’t right. Eric has some good videos on drum brakes. In addition to pulling up on the parking brake, it doesn’t hurt the step on the brake pedal to help adjust them – actually Honda recommends this in the manual.
Well, assuming the cable is indeed stretched, and the drum brakes are properly adjusted/installed. Besides installing a new cable (Honda still has them, btw), the only way to get around it I could think of is the take off the drum from the side with the shorter cable and have it turned. That way the shorter cable has to move the shoes more to engage them – maybe, it might not matter much after the brakes are adjusted. It’s might work though.
Yes, the Factory Service Manual I have doesn’t mentioned anything about cables being unequal. I’ve never had this problem on Civics (or other cars really). Maybe Eric knows.
THE BRAKES ARE PROPERLY ADJUSTED. ONE CABLE (PASSENGER SIDE) IS APPROXIMATELY 1.5 INCHES LONGER THAN THE OTHER.
I suspect you have a cable that is hanging up and possibly rusted on the inside as what you describe is a classic condition of this. Probably the easiest way to find which one is at fault is to disconnect both sides and pull on them by hand to check for resistance. These are not that easy to replace BTW as you have to drop the exhaust as well as the heat shielding. Once you are done you will need to readjust the rear brakes and recheck for the condition. It is also possible that there is a problem with the brake linkage but mostly what I’ve seen is brake cable issues causing the problem you have.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.