'96 Handbrake Adjustment - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

JetspeedCamry · 08-08-2005, 05:51 AM

Just wanted to know how to adjust the handbrake on a 1996 Paseo. The lever is going right up to the top of it's movement and is still stuggling to keep the car from moving!

So I think it needs some adjustment!

I took the wheels off and couldn't find and spring tensioner holes to adjust it from there, so i assume it's somewhere around the handbrake lever itself..?

Thanks

***Tercel GTS*** · 08-08-2005, 01:35 PM

There are 2 from my understanding. ! at the lever itself, another under the car dead center where it goes from 1 cable(lever) to 2 cables(wheels).

JetspeedCamry · 08-08-2005, 04:34 PM

Ok cool, any idea how to adjust them?

Donald · 08-08-2005, 08:09 PM

Have you tried adjusting the rear brake shoes ? That might do it. If you haven't tried that yet, you should do that first before touching the cables.

An easy way to do that (sometimes) is to put the car in reverse, go back slowly and repeatedly pull up the hand brake. If the adjuster mechanism isn't grunged up with brake dust, the shoes should adjust themselves. This might take a while but your hands won't get dirty.

If that doesn't work, there is a little slot just below and aft of where the brake line goes into the wheel cylinder and it should have a rubber plug in it. Pull the plug out (jack that wheel up first), inside you should see a star wheel. Take a medium, flat screwdriver and rotate the star wheel up, while you spin the tire.
(There is a little bar in front of the star wheel - the adjuster bar. The star wheel will click against this as you turn it)
You will feel the drag increasing, or hear the brake shoes make a rubbing sound in the drum. You don't want more than just a slight touch of the shoes in the drum. (Too much drag will cost you gas and power and wear the shoes faster.)

Press the brake pedal a couple of times and then spin the wheel again and repeat the adjusting process. The sound should go away the first few times you do this, but when the adjustment is correct the sound will stay after you press the pedal then spin the wheel. Then go to the other rear wheel and do the same.

The hand brake lever coming up too high is also a sign that it is time to replace the rear brake shoes.

JetspeedCamry · 08-08-2005, 08:40 PM

Good point there Donald, I took off the wheel yesterday trying to find this little slot (hehe i didnt find it! oops) and there was NO friction on the hub. It span around perfectly. So yeah, thinking about that, i'd say the rear drums shoes are had it!. Thanks guys.