Car Maintenance | DontKnowCars.com

Your car’s parking brake is a handy gadget that lets you park on hills and other sloping surfaces. But what, it’s more. It’s an emergency brake that can actually stop your car if needed. (Don’t try this unless absolutely necessary.) The second function is especially useful if your main hydraulic brakes don’t work. That’s because, on most cars, the parking/emergency brake system is mechanical. You pull the lever or push on the little pedal and a cable connected to the rear brakes moves the brake shoes or calipers to stop the car.

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Are parking brakes necessary? Only if you park your car! Transmissions, especially older ones, can slip out of gear and move without anyone being present – except maybe a child playing nearby. Get in the habit of setting your parking brake whenever you park, even if it’s on a level surface.

Hydraulic brake systems are smarter because they actually adjust themselves as brake surfaces wear out from use. However, mechanical brakes aren’t self-adjusting—so you must periodically adjust them. Once-a-year is about right unless you must frequently park on hills.

Here’s how to test a parking brake: While the car is parked on a slope, slowly pull (or push) on the parking brake to determine where in its travel the brake begins to engage and where it is totally engaged. It should begin to engage about one-third of the travel and be fully engaged at two-thirds of travel. (Manufacturer’s suggestions vary, however.) The brake needs adjustment if it is not fully engaged before the end of its travel.

Here’s how to adjust the typical parking brake:

1. With the car securely up on stands, locate the parking brake adjustment. It’s probably located directly under the parking brake and underneath the car.

2. With a wrench or screwdriver (depending on requirements), move the parking brake adjustment. To tighten the brake, turn the adjustment to remove slack from the line. Measure the adjustment made so that you can make subsequent adjustments.

3. Test the first adjustment. If not sufficient, make additional adjustments. Don’t over-adjust or the parking brake will always be on, damaging your brake system.