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Topic: Parking Brake will not hold

in Forum: C3 Handling Components

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Parking Brake will not hold (1/8)
12/12/17 4:25pm

Reds82CE

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McKinney, TX - USA

Vette(s):
1982 Collector Edition, Silver-Beige metallic, 45000 miles and counting. 2024 Riptide Blue Z06 Convertible

Joined: 4/8/2005
Posts: 249

Time for the 82 to get her annual Texas State Inspection, but my parking brake will not hold.

Problem:

Holds in reverse (even with giving a little gas)

Holds in Neutral (two of us cannot push vette forward)

Holds with rear wheels on stands and in neutral (cannot manually spin tire)

Minimal resistance in Drive (idle RPM about 650 - 700)

Adjustment:

first I replaced the main brake spring (under car where it splits to each rear wheel)

adjusted per the service manual

with wheels off the ground, adjusted star wheel until wheel locks then backed off 7 clicks

E-Brake in 13th click each wheel is locked, no way we can spin the tires

Any idea what the problem is?

Do I just need to adjust more aggressively (don't want to burn/glaze the pads or drum)

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Re: Parking Brake will not hold (2/8)
12/13/17 1:16pm

F4Gary

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Grapevine, TX - USA

Vette(s):
1972 LT-1 convertible with factory air.

Joined: 8/26/2006
Posts: 1409

Tighten it up for the inspection and then back it back off. Wink

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Re: Parking Brake will not hold (3/8)
12/13/17 10:53pm

Redwingvette

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Waterford, MI - USA

Vette(s):
1973 Red coupe

Joined: 9/13/2002
Posts: 1735

Even from the factory they did not hold very well

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Brian - NCM Lifetime Member

73 coupe L48, Flat-top pistons, Performer RPM Heads, Crane Cam and roller rockers, Holley 650 vac sec. Performer intake,
3.55 gear BTO 200-4R trans,
Leather seats, Seatbelt Plus 3point seatbelts, Pioneer CD player
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Borgeson Steering box

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Re: Parking Brake will not hold (4/8)
12/13/17 11:15pm

Adams' Apple

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Duncanville, TX - USA

Vette(s):
#1-1974 L-48 4spd Cp Med Red Metallic/Black deluxe int w/AC/tilt/tele./p/w-p/b/ Am-Fm/map light National/Regional/Chapter NCRS "Top Flight" #2-1985 Bright Red/Carmine Cp.L-98/auto Member: NCRS, NCRS Texas, Corvette Legends of Texas

Joined: 11/8/2003
Posts: 20128

The brake should hold the car from rolling with the handle at 8-9 clicks up. It is NOT designed to stop the car under power. It is a parking brake, not a service brake that would be expected to stop the car while in motion. If the inspector you are taking it to does not understand that....take it somewhere else, or explain to them the actual function of the system. It should hold the car forward or backwards while on a slight incline while stopped.....that's all. Thumbs Up

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Joel Adams
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Re: Parking Brake will not hold (5/8)
12/22/17 12:19pm

Kentvetteuk
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, - France

Vette(s):
1978 L48 Auto. Red with Oyster Leather interior. Owned since 1990.

Joined: 8/21/2002
Posts: 85

I feel your pain! Back in my native UK the annual test is considerably more stringent than any US version and the rules are such that the car is tested on a slow speed rolling road and the "parking brake" is expected to bring the wheels to a halt, with the lever up no more than about 5 clicks!

That's fine for modern European cars built to those standards, but pretty hopeless for we Corvette owners. My solution was either a "friendly" tester, or, to synch it up before the test!

Here in France we have a much kinder system for "collection" cars (that is those over 30 years old, registered as "vehicules du collection", and the test is only every 5 years and is much more lenient.

That said, I spent a full day trying to reach the sweet spot between holding the car and not "dragging! I'd like to back it right off, but don't really like the idea of holding the car on the "park" pawl on anything other than a very slight incline.

|UPDATED|12/22/2017 9:19:20 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|

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Stephen J Irons
Corvette Club France

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Corvettes of Southern California
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Red Corvettes Have More Fun!

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Re: Parking Brake will not hold (6/8)
12/23/17 2:17pm

Reds82CE

Well, we are inspected and cleared for another year. I remembered back in the old days with self adjusting rear breaks, after new shoes, we use to back up several times applying the brakes hard. Gave that a try and it worked. Parking Brake held. Don't know if it was just coincidental luck, but I will take it and drive another year.

Now onto the inner driver door rattle, re-aligning that annoying driver window gap and rebuilding the pulse wiper switch....oh the joys of our toys. Good think we keep the beer keg and chairs close by.

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Re: Parking Brake will not hold (7/8)
12/24/17 6:11am

Kentvetteuk
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, - France

Vette(s):
1978 L48 Auto. Red with Oyster Leather interior. Owned since 1990.

Joined: 8/21/2002
Posts: 85

Congrats! Interesting tip re the reversing - I'll have to try that! Thumbs Up

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Stephen J Irons
Corvette Club France

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Corvettes of Southern California
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Red Corvettes Have More Fun!

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Re: Parking Brake will not hold (8/8)
12/24/17 7:12pm

manchestershark

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Equinunk, PA - USA

Vette(s):
1972 conv, 4-speed, 350, 200hp, numbers match, rally wheels, war bonnett yellow w/white top. good condition, nice driver.

Joined: 10/31/2007
Posts: 2387

👍 YUP! Backing up is the best way to get them up to snuff. Done it many times.

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