E-Brake Adjustment HELP!!

[Fiveiron_42]

Hey Guys! Can anyone tell me how to adjust my ebrake to where it holds better? Thanks Guys!

[JoshM]

Tighten the ebrake handle?


Take the center console off, there should be a 12mm nut at the end of the ebrake handle. Tighten it and it should make the e-brake handle tighter.

[Fiveiron_42]

Like when I pull the ebrake all the way it doesn't slow down my tires like at all. And i'm manual so it's kinda got me worried. Like i know my "family honda guy" said that if you go in reverse and stop alot then it should adjust itself.

[DJ metadelic]

Many Hondas I've had have done this, this happens to an e-brake over time, due to rear brakes and/or due to simple wear.

As Josh said, it can physically be adjusted up front in the cabin underneath the handle, or you'll have to adjust in the rear brakes. Do you have drums or discs in back?

[turbo90accord]

just remove the ebrake handle cover and tighten the adjusting nut. the ebrake needs to be OFF to adjust it properly.

[wherm]

Here's what you do:

Jack the back end up off the ground so both tires are in the air.

With the ebrake off, you should be able to spin the rear wheels freely.

After removing the center console to access the adjusting nut, tighten it a few turns.

Spin the wheels to see if there's any drag, if not, continue tightening the nut.

Repeat this process tightening a little at a time untill you start to feel the caliper dragging while spinning the rear wheels.

Once you acheive this, loosen the nut a little bit.

Pull your e-brake handle and check to see that both wheels are locked.

If they are, then you're good to go.

[iamcoons]

wherm's got you on the right track. It makes a big difference if you've got a disc or drum setup in the rear. The first thing to do is figure out which set-up you've got, then get a shop manual. Just google "cb7 shop manual pdf" and you can get a copy. Chapter 13 has the brakes in it.

Hope you've got a rudimentary knowledge of disc and drum brakes, assuming you have drums, here goes:

1) Lift the back end

2) Take off the wheel

3) See if you can turn the drum by hand (you should be able to if it needs adjustment)

4) Take the drum off and look at how it all works

(if you can't pull it off easily, you may need to hit it with a hammer: if so, hit it between the lug studs, not near the edges.
Or, there should be two small holes that have threads in em, insert some bolts - 8x1.25 mm or 8x1.50 mm, and as you tighten the bolts, they press the drum off the hub, being careful not to bend the center of the drum)

5) The self adjusters sit across the top of the assembly (NOT the wheel cylinder where the fluid comes in) and have this "star wheel" that you should be able to turn with a screwdriver (or brake spoon if you've got one)

They are threaded in different directions depending on which side you're working on. You should be able to tell which direction to turn em based on the pawl that keeps em from backing off.

6) Try adjusting the self-adjuster, but don't crank it down cuz you'll lock up the brake assembly, then it'll be tough to get it apart, the wheel won't spin, and if there's a rust lip on the back of the drum, you won't be able to get the drum on or off the shoes.

7) Turn the self-adjuster until there's slight drag between the drum and shoes. A good rule of thumb for drag is: with the wheel on, give it a soft/medium turn and it should spin one revolution. If it spins more than 1 rev, there's too little drag; less than 1 rev, there's too much drag.

8) If all else fails, go to a brake shop, ask if you can talk to one of the techs, suck it up, and explain that you're a novice and you'd like some help/advice. (I've found that being cocky around mechanics make you look like an ass, and they're more inclined to help somebody who admits they kinda know what they're doing, but need some help)

I've got a 5spd, and whenever the lever starts comin up higher than I'd like, I adjust the rear drums/shoes (never had to adjust it at the brake lever in the car). It doesn't just keep the lever from comin up too high, it also brings the brake pedal up a little higher and makes the pedal more firm.

Best of luck

Dave
(The Self-Proclaimed King of Drum Brakes)

[batever]

wherm's got you on the right track. It makes a big difference if you've got a disc or drum setup in the rear. The first thing to do is figure out which set-up you've got, then get a shop manual. Just google "cb7 shop manual pdf" and you can get a copy. Chapter 13 has the brakes in it.

Hope you've got a rudimentary knowledge of disc and drum brakes, assuming you have drums, here goes:

1) Lift the back end

2) Take off the wheel

3) See if you can turn the drum by hand (you should be able to if it needs adjustment)

4) Take the drum off and look at how it all works

(if you can't pull it off easily, you may need to hit it with a hammer: if so, hit it between the lug studs, not near the edges.
Or, there should be two small holes that have threads in em, insert some bolts - 8x1.25 mm or 8x1.50 mm, and as you tighten the bolts, they press the drum off the hub, being careful not to bend the center of the drum)

5) The self adjusters sit across the top of the assembly (NOT the wheel cylinder where the fluid comes in) and have this "star wheel" that you should be able to turn with a screwdriver (or brake spoon if you've got one)

They are threaded in different directions depending on which side you're working on. You should be able to tell which direction to turn em based on the pawl that keeps em from backing off.

6) Try adjusting the self-adjuster, but don't crank it down cuz you'll lock up the brake assembly, then it'll be tough to get it apart, the wheel won't spin, and if there's a rust lip on the back of the drum, you won't be able to get the drum on or off the shoes.

7) Turn the self-adjuster until there's slight drag between the drum and shoes. A good rule of thumb for drag is: with the wheel on, give it a soft/medium turn and it should spin one revolution. If it spins more than 1 rev, there's too little drag; less than 1 rev, there's too much drag.

8) If all else fails, go to a brake shop, ask if you can talk to one of the techs, suck it up, and explain that you're a novice and you'd like some help/advice. (I've found that being cocky around mechanics make you look like an ass, and they're more inclined to help somebody who admits they kinda know what they're doing, but need some help)

I've got a 5spd, and whenever the lever starts comin up higher than I'd like, I adjust the rear drums/shoes (never had to adjust it at the brake lever in the car). It doesn't just keep the lever from comin up too high, it also brings the brake pedal up a little higher and makes the pedal more firm.

Best of luck

Dave
(The Self-Proclaimed King of Drum Brakes)

Dave, I don't think he needs to go through all of that.

Part O: see if the ebrake handle needs adjustment.

pull on the handle and count the clicks till the handle stops. It should be like 4 or 5 clicks at the maximum. If it's more, something needs adjusting.



Part I: See if the drum brake itself needs adjustment (probably not)

1) put the rear of the car up. while it's up, chock the front wheels fron the front and/or use a length of 2x4 to hold the brake pedal down so the car can't roll forward off the stands.

2) with the ebrake handle in the off position (in other words, with the parking brake disengaged), try to spin the rear tire as hard as you can by hand. It should only spin less than 1 turn, as iamcoons says above.

If so, the self-adjuster in the drum brake is working and/or the friction surfaces on the rear drum pads (or whatever they are called) are not completely worn off.

once you have established this, it probably is an ebrake cable adjustment problem.

The ebrake handle should only go about 4 clicks to full engagement, as I recall.

Adjust the ebrake cable/handle tightness (not sure which gets adjusted without looking in my manual). until the ebrake handle just goes 4 clicks, as others have suggested. The adjustment is done inside the passenger cabin, I don't remember the details as I've only read about it in my shop manual and haven't ever had occasion to do it.

Now try your brakes.


________________________________________________

Option 2:

If you're feeling lazy, do the lazy/short and incomplete version: skip most of what I suggested, and just count the clicks on the handle and if it seems like a lot, adjust the cable/handle setting. And try your brakes.
________________________________________________




batever

[evil_demon_01]

Dave, I don't think he needs to go through all of that.

He does need to do that, The drum shoes wear alot faster than the cables stretch, and if he doesn't know how to do them, they have probably never been done.

However the OP still hasn't said if he has drums or discs.

If you have drums, do as explained by iamcoons.
If you have discs, you need to adjust it as JoshM explained.

[iamcoons]

yeah... I tend to be longwinded lol but I've seen guys adjust drums the wrong way while they're together. Then it's that macgyver like skill to get in with a mirror, a light, a right angle pick and a spoon to get the adjuster to back off.

Just tryin to save the trouble of havin to correct for overadjusting.

I remember bein a noob to drum brakes, I thought they worked by magic and voodoo

Dave

[batever]

He does need to do that, The drum shoes wear alot faster than the cables stretch, and if he doesn't know how to do them, they have probably never been done.
.

That's why I suggested putting the rear wheels up first and just trying to spin them by hand. If the shoes are adjusted correctly and not overly worn, then the wheel will not free-spin under hand pressure for much of a rotation (I will defer to iamcoons who says just under one revolution, as I've forgotten how far mine freee spins when it is up) and it may be just a problem with the cable/handle setup If the rears free spin too easily, then I agree that he definitely needs to pull the drum cover out and see what's up. Most likely in that case he just needs to put new brake shoes in.

[Fiveiron_42]

Drums and when I park it if probably clicks about 20 times before it stops

[MikeW]

I was once told that my cable had been tightened as much as it could be. How about that...?

[batever]

Drums and when I park it if probably clicks about 20 times before it stops

Well try adjusting the cable. if that doesn't work, then I'm guessing your rear shoes are completely worn out (hence the 20 clicks) and you'll need new ones. It's kind of a pain to do the first time. It's all put together on pins and springs and it's wicked Rube-Goldberg-y. The hardest part is reassembling everything and getting the self adjuster spring hooked into the holes in the brake shoes.

Don't bother buying any special tools to hold the spring or whatever, all you need once the drums are apart is diagonal pliers to grip the spring and determination. Also, a flat head screwdriver and needlenose pliers.


Wear a mask--the big darth vader looking one that comes with an asbestos/particle filter.. There'll be lots of brake dust in there but once you wash it out with brake cleaner you're good to go and can remove the mask.

Keep a good supply of swear words on hand for the job!

have fun!!!

[batever]

I've got a 5spd, and whenever the lever starts comin up higher than I'd like, I adjust the rear drums/shoes (never had to adjust it at the brake lever in the car). It doesn't just keep the lever from comin up too high, it also brings the brake pedal up a little higher and makes the pedal more firm.

Hmmm, I never thought about how this affects brake travel, iamcoons. I think my own drums are adjusted well (and my parking brake only goes about 5 clicks before stopping) but I'll have to check. Then if they need some adjusting I'll see how it affects my brake pedal feel, which could use some firming up in my opinion.

Weird that the self adjuster wouldn't just keep them adjusted within tolerances though.