how hard should you pull the parking brake up? can damage be caused by pulling the brake up as far as it will go? has anyone ever damaged their parking brake? the manuel says to pull the brake up to park. to release the parking brake lift slightly, press the button and bring down.

 

Ah,
I think there are 2 metal cables attached to the lever.
It looks like the cable you'll find on the bicycle hand brake.
I assume maybe the cable can snap if you have the strength of the hulk and pull on it.

 

According to the service manual, the parking brake should be fully activated at the 7th click. If not, you have to adjust the parking brake cable.

 

What is considered fully activated? Holding the car while it is in drive? Holding it when parked on an incline? Not being able to pull farther?

 

You learn something new... i just pull it until i can't anymore... 1 try all the way up... Guess i'm going to have to count now...

 

...until it can't move either by the tranny or by the incline.

 

cool, i'm gonna count the clicks from now on. thanks

 

I never even use mine...................sometimes I forget I even have one

 

get in the habbit of using it on hills. the pressure on your gears is leathel

 

Yeah I guess I should do that if I ever park in one of those

 

Just pull it until the resistance is tight.

It's natural to just pull it up and get a feel for where it's on perfectly.

As long as your car doesn't roll back and you feel a big clunk after you let go of your brake, you'll be fine.

 

The e brake really helps me fit into tight spaces (ace ventura style...no bullshi#). Well it did, now I am a little noid about my rims. Is it bad to do 360's with the handbrake, as long as it is slick out? I mean come on now, I'm a professional. You should see my fender. Primer and hood pins = horse power. Oh yeah.

 

When I pull it up as far as it will go it feels like it sets into a position above all the clicks w/ no clicks left. It feels like I'm giving it a little too much pull but thats the only way my car wont jolt forward or backwards after setting the car in park. Does that sound like I'm doing the right thing or am I going beyond the limit?

 

Well, if it's the only way your car can stop, then I guess so.


So can also adjust the cable tension, at least in the Acura Legend you can.

 

how about just pulling the break up half way? or does that not do anything?

 

Now, like I said on my first response, the Acura service manual said that at the 7th click, the car shouldn't move, period. So, I did a little experiment today. I was at a stop light. I pulled the parking brake up, at the 7th click, my car didn't move at all. It's great. So the next test I did was pulling it up like I usually do...which is a yank until it was about to the top. I counted the clicks and it was at 11 clicks. So...theoretically, pulling the parking brake handle halfway will only put a little of resistance to the car's movement. Just yank it up would be the best way to go when parking.

 

about the stuff with parking on hills. I have a routine:

On a hill:

1. While in drive, engage parking brake.
2. Shift to neutral, release foot brake.
3. If the car doesn't move, proceed to put it in park.

It saves stress on the transmission... the sound of pulling it out of park when the transmission has been holding it in place is so painful. The giant "CLUNK" sound.

 

I dont get clicks on my brake...

 

No, no clicks on the brake pedal. It's your parking brake (that handle beside your gear shifter) that we're talking about.

 

Are you pulling it up and pressing the button? If so that is why.

Pulling up without button pressed - clicks
Pulling up with button pressed - no clicks

You can adjust the parking brake also, its pretyt easy. I did it when I had the entire center armrest apart, but I believe that if you just take the black felt off the bottom of the storage compartment, lift the cover in the floor of the compartment, the cables should be right there. It is one cable -> connecter/splitter -> two cables. I assume one to each rear brake. There is a nut on the top (I believe 10mm) that you can use to adjust iirc.