parking brake

[Erikwi]

i cant lock the wheels with the brake, i even broke a cable trying.
fixed, it but it just slows the car down, cant lock the wheels up

normal?

[ALiveSR5]

i cant lock the wheels with the brake, i even broke a cable trying.
fixed, it but it just slows the car down, cant lock the wheels up
normal?

Do you mean locking them when the car is parked, when the car is jacked up and you turn them, or when the car is traveling and you try to stop it via the parking brake?

If you repaired and/or replaced the cable and it is adjusted properly, then adjusting the rear brake shoes, so they just barely rub against the drums would be the next thing to try/check.

I never tried locking my Tercel's wheels with the parking brake, while traveling, but I did test it for slowing down the car, with new shoes - eventually it would stop but the wheels would not lock and skid.

[NWMO]

Normal.

[dlb]

i cant lock the wheels with the brake, i even broke a cable trying.
fixed, it but it just slows the car down, cant lock the wheels up

normal?

More details, please. What did you fix, which part was malfunctioning? After you fixed it, did you adjust the shoes so that they just barely touch the drum when you spin it? Are the auto adjusters connected to the park brake working properly? Are you applying the park brake while driving on pavement or gravel? If working properly, they should lock up on gravel but not on pavement.

However, remember that the goal of the park brake is not to lock the wheels up while driving, it's to keep the car from rolling when parked on a hill. As long as it meets that criteria, it's working fine.

[Erikwi]

did not try on gravel yet. have my doubts.
the cable broke. the shoes seem adjusted right, slight drag.

[Petros]

I have never gotten the parking brake to work well on any Tercel I have owned. if the car is rolling, it will just slow it down. if on a steep hill and trying to park, it will not hold the car without the trans in gear, and even than on a steep hill it will slip back and you can feel the engine turning.

the parking brake is really inadequate, I do not know the solution, they just suck. too small? not enough leverage? it would take a serious mod to fix I think.

[dlb]

The park brakes on all the t4's I had worked fine. I replaced any frozen or broken cables, adjusted them to spec (6-8 clicks of the lever or whatever it is) and it worked great. Of course you have to make sure the auto adjusters are working properly otherwise it will start working crappy after a week or two of driving as the shoes wear down.