# Parking Brake



## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Both wheels should be locked tight, main cable from the handle goes to an equalizer that applies equal pressure to both calipers. Would suspect caliper problems, these calipers with combined parking brakes are rather complicated. One reason why I love my 88 Supra with rear disk brakes, service calipers are completely independent of the parking brakes. Service uses discs, parking uses drums.

Rear service brakes are inherently self adjustable just like the front ones. Parking brakes never wear out because just used to hold the car when stopped. Rear calipers are cheap to replace, but still have a real emergency brake if needed. Wish GM adopted this, rear combined calipers are very expensive and must have the ability to ratchet using the parking brake level for adjustment. Kind of a dumb idea. 

If I keep my Cruze long enough and have problems with the rear discs, will more than likely convert them to drum brakes. Already did that on other GM vehicles I have owned with rear discs. Rear calipers on a Caddy were 300 bucks each and available only from the dealer, with the same problem. Guess with inflation, would be more like 700 bucks each today. Crazy for what little advantage disc brakes have.

I would take yours back to the dealer while still under warranty, or another one that understands how these things are suppose to work and how to properly adjust them. Parking brake has to be adjusted properly, or even with using the parking brake level, they will not adjust, unless that parking brake is adjusted perfectly.


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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

It's going all the way up to the center console. 

Adjust parking brake or bad caliper issue? It's perfect when I brake.

im asking because I suspect that's what it causing the pad to rattle when going over bumps. It has much more play than the other one.

i asked the brake place but they said, translated by my wife, that "my parking brake was electronic and they can't do that". So complicated.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Parking brakes are completely mechanical. It's a cable to the wheels. Based on NickD's description, the closest analogy I can think of is the rim grabbing brakes on a bicycle.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Either a lot was lost in the translation or time to find a different dealer. You can manually operate that parking brake lever on the caliper with the parking brake cable removed and see that gap closing. If not the caliper is defective and should be replaced. Then manually adjust the parking brake cable watching both levers.

Can overtightened that nut until the levers are off their back stops, then back it off until they touch the stops. Then your parking brake lever in the car should only raise about 6-8 inches.


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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

I'll mention it next time, lets see. The brakes actually are working great now that I put the new ones.


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## thaicruze (Jul 21, 2011)

I found the Cruze diagram. 










That small hole in the rotor. Is that to adjust?


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Nothing electronic about this, tried to show this drawing, but for some reason I haven't determined yet, my downloaded shop manual crashed.

First off the two levers on both calipers should move the same distance forward to lock the rotors. If not, the ratcheting device is not working in that loose rotor. At the rear of the brake handle there is a plate that can wobble to apply equal tension to both levers. And has a nut behind it to adjust the height you have to pull the handle up to lock the brakes.

Adjusting that nut for proper parking brake height is child's play, but unsnapping those console panels to get at it, is not. Moving the caliper levers forward moves the same caliper piston outward, but with a screw rather than hydraulic pressure. That screw is has a ratchet drive, so if the pad gap is too great, goes to the next click to advance the piston. And keeps on doing this until the pad gap is correct.

If the piston does not advance, both hydraulic and mechanical brake operation is affected.


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