Emergency Brake not holding

[yingsane]

Hey guys, I am trying to get my Z through inspections before my tag expires and everything is cool except for my emergency brake. They want me to be able to push on the accelerator with the car in drive and the car not move at all, which just ain't happening, no matter how light I tap on it.

I've had my shoes adjusted several times and they're as tight as can be so that the drum will still fit on it, so I've been told that I have to have the actual e-brake wire tightened from within the center console. Um.. I'm broke so I'm wondering if anyone has done this before or can provide some step by step instructions on how to do this or explain the complexity of it so that either I can do it myself or have my mechanic do it who'll do it for a beer.

Or is it possibly another problem? Last year when I took it through inspection I had similar problems but it did hold a bit. And, said mechanic has driven my car once with the e-brake fully engaged so I wonder if something else may be out of wack.

Thanks for your help

[JoshDank]

Remove the rear section of the center console (2 screws near the rear cupholder). You will see the a single bolt with a nut on the back of the e-brake handle. Tighten (clockwise) the nut to tighten the cable. usually jack the back of the car when i do this. That way, you can make sure the rear tires still spin freely when the e-brake is not engaged.

[zxtwou2]

sometimes the cables stretch or break also...or the small metal clip that joins the two sides to the center cable can freeze up. i've even had the levers in the drums freeze up and my e-brakes were locked on. but tightening the screw a few turns under the center console should fix it...if not, you may need to lube the levers in the drums, the center one, or replace the cables.

[sunshine198905]

^^^ i would go with the one right above here. the levers are most likely frozen up. happened to me twice since ive been on this forum

[mechtech]

How far does the lever go?
It should be pretty darn tight after 8 clicks or so.
You can use a 10mm deep well socket on an extension [1/4" drive works great].
You don't have to remove any parts or panels - just tighten the nut a bit and recheck the lever.
If your P Brake parts are stuck, it is not a big deal to clean and lube them [in the brake drum]. If your cables are shot, you will need new ones.

I had TWO Jackass emissions inspectors fail a car at different testing stations because of bad brakes. They put the front wheels of a rear drive car on the rollers and failed it because the "parking brake would not hold".

[sunshine198905]

Sound like real douches mech lol.