Hand Brake not holding so well anymore...

My hand brake doesn't hold so good and I don't want to rely 100% on the trans Parking pin. Are the rear drums cylinders in my D44 self adjusting? Should I adjust the rear brake at the star wheel on the break cylinder or adjust the hand brake cable tension.

MachineMan said:

My hand brake doesn't hold so good and I don't want to rely 100% on the trans Parking pin. Are the rear drums cylinders in my D44 self adjusting? Should I adjust the rear brake at the star wheel on the break cylinder or adjust the hand brake cable tension.

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Hrm, well, since you noticed it, I'd rule out my problem, perhaps.

My issue was that I failed inspection because the e-brake wouldn't hold... I never noticed because, well, I've never used an e-brake in an automatic.

Apparently neither had anyone else.... the cables are rusted into their sleeves.

*sighs*
Trying to find out if I can get around replacing them... as I have no use for an e-brake on an automatic.

Theoretically, they are self-adjusting. In practise, they tend not to - it's common. You might have to adjust them yourself - and the procedure should be in your FSM (and it's pretty easy - you'll need a small screwdriver or two.)

When I service the rear brakes, I tend to take the star wheels to bits and clean then very well. Then, I use some sort of dry lube (graphite works well for this) and put them back together.

I don't like using any sort of "wet" lube on brakes, since greases and oils can collect dust and crud and stick them up but good! Graphite on the threads and under the cap - keep it dry.

5-90

Worst ebrake on any vehicle I have had. Kinda works on my 92 downhill but forget it going backwards. The only time they work well is just after adjustment. A week later they are no good.

Adjustment will usually help, but you may also be suffering from a basic flaw in the design. Tension on the cables depends on the brackets that hold the two cable sheaths at the forward end. These brackets are spot welded to the floor pan, and tend to flex, which adds travel to the cable and makes it mushier. On my 95, they actually tore out of the floor, causing essentially no brake at all. I had to drill them, and bolt them to the floor with reinforcing plates. So while you're down there checking things out, take a look at the brackets and see if they're getting flexy.

There is a piece of threaded rod coming from the bottom of the lever to the bracket that holds the two cable endsto the arm. Tighten the nut down on this rod and it should tension right up. I've had this problem on both of my xjs and it worked both times.

You might need to drop the rear shaft to get at it.

my-xj-addiction said:

There is a piece of threaded rod coming from the bottom of the lever to the bracket that holds the two cable endsto the arm. Tighten the nut down on this rod and it should tension right up. I've had this problem on both of my xjs and it worked both times.

You might need to drop the rear shaft to get at it.

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Yes, that is part of my question, Should I tighten it on the threaded cable rod or adjust the star wheels on the brakes. Actually maybe I should ask it like like this:

Does the star wheel on the drakes adjust the hand brake or just the brakes?

MachineMan said:

Yes, that is part of my question, Should I tighten it on the threaded cable rod or adjust the star wheels on the brakes. Actually maybe I should ask it like like this:

Does the star wheel on the drakes adjust the hand brake or just the brakes?

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Both. It speads the brakes out twords the drum, which in turn, when you pull the hand brake it has less distance to go. And when you apply the pedal it has less distance to travel.

OK cool. Im going to adjust them today..