Parking Brake Question

[ness5575]

I am getting ready to do a brake job soon, and thought that while i was at it I would fix my parking brake that hasnt held for some time now. i pulled the tires and rotor off one of the back tires yesterday to take a look. a lot of the pad looked ok, but there was maybe 1/3 of it that was totally gone - worn down to bare metal - the other 2/3 had plenty of pad left...

 

I have a couple of questions:

 

1. I remember reading here that people were paying around $250 for the parts to fix their p brake. i called the dealer last night and they said that all i needed were the pads and they were $32 for each side = $64 total. are their other parts that i am missing? I wasnt sure if the price had come down for the pads or if there is something else to buy.

 

2. There has also been talk of a revised clip to fix p brake problems. is this the clip the one near the top that has one 8mm screw holding it in? can i buy just the new clip?

 

Any other tips would be greatly appreciated as well!

[Elwood 2000]

I was going to fix mine, but it quit making noise and I forgot. I will probly do a brake job later this summer/fall and I will fix it then.

 

I am glad you asked though, I will follow this thread closely.

 

Thanks!

[asilverblazer]

To heck with the parking brake it's useless anyways.

[mcreyaufmiller]

If I remember correctly, in order to replace the pads on the Pbrake, you have to slide the axle out a few inches, but I am not sure on that. The last time I had one of these done, it cost my company $1200 for a 4 wheel brake job. This was on a 4 wheel disc set-up. Maybe someone can chime in and tell us for sure.

[Scyry]

To heck with the parking brake it's useless anyways. 

 

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Mine hasn't worked since I got my truck, dealer tried fixing 3 times and after 7,000 miles said it was out of warranty because it was a brake. I have a stick, have you tried letting a truck idle and warm up with out a parking brake? I have a nice set of chock blocks I carry around that are my parking brake

[carguru]

I just fixed mine a couple weeks ago. All I did was adjust the brake shoes and they are as good as new. Inspect the inside of the drum for pitting, uneven wear, etc and the pad material thickness. If both look in good condition the adjustment should work fine. You will need a set of brake drum calipers (or large calipers that will reach 10 inches). If the pad movement is very little between park brake on and off, check/adjust the cables. While you are there, you can check to make sure the actuator levers are not binding.

 

I was able to find the AC Delco park brake shoes for about $26 each. The Delco ones did not come in pairs--had to buy those individually. The Raybestos set were around $85 for the pair. If you have to replace the entire rotor and pads, you can easily spend $250.

[Bish]

All you need are 2 shoes from GM. They should come with the new clip design. I think I paid $50 for the pair at a dealer.

 

The problem with the old design is the clip fails allowing the shoe to move and rub against the drum. Normal driving will consume the friction material when this happens rendering the parking brake useless. If you take it apart and it looks fine, chances are the clip has not failed thus no problem. The new clip has a wider contact patch to ensure it holds the shoe.

 

Regarding tips to change....removing the rear rotors can be a problem if the inside of the drum has worn at all. If it has worn, there is a ridge of metal that the shoe can catch on as you remove the rotor. I had a new shoe kit so I just grabbed and ripped the rotor off bending the shoe in the process. If you are not replacing, just go slow when puilling rotor and wiggle it around as you slide it off. Obviously you should make sure the parking brake is totally disengaged I also like to adjust the shoes so there is slight contact with the drum. Not so tight you can't spin the wheel but enough so you can feel it when spinning. They should wear in in a mile or so and then you have a nice tight parking brake.

 

Oh yeah, if you use your parking prake often, get used to adjusting it as they don't self-adjust. I usually give mine a couple clicks every 15k-20k.

 

Also, you don't have to pull the axle to pull the rear rotor. The caliper obviously needs to be removed but that's it. You do need to pull the axle if you replace the piece of sh$t backing plates that rusted to pieces on my Tahoe in 4 years

[asepgrad98]

if the shoe has hit the rotor you will need a new rotor. the shoe will grind the rotor so that the diameter is too large.

[karld]

If you do the job yourself,be very careful when removing the small screw that holds the retaining clip in place. If you break it off(as I did) you are in deep poo-poo!

[carguru]

Also, you don't have to pull the axle to pull the rear rotor.  The caliper obviously needs to be removed but that's it.  You do need to pull the axle if you replace the piece of sh$t backing plates that rusted to pieces on my Tahoe in 4 years

 

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Bish is correct. Unless you have Quadrasteer, you don't have to pull the axle to replace the rear rotor/parking brake pad. There are 2-18mm bolts holding the caliper on the rear axle. You will need a torque wrench that goes to 150 lb-ft to retorque these bolts and the green Loctite threadlocker.