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I just changed my parking brake shoes and associated parts. I have adjusted the shoes properly (adjuster tightened till rotor locks then back off four clicks). Unfortunately the wheels are not fully braked when I push the pedal fully. I can't find any info on a cable adjustment and the parts diagram does not show any adjustment area. Does anyone know if the cable can be adjusted?
No idea on adjusting cable , you replaced pads because brakes did not work. I would look to see if they move at all! Maybe cable is not hooked up to pedal !
The parking brake engages. If I jack the wheel up, I can't turn it by hand with the parking brake, it is easy to turn when the brake is released. However, if I stop on a hill and place the transmission in neutral, then press the parking brake pedal, the car rolls. I have read that it should take 4-5 clicks of the pedal to fully engage the parking brakes. Mine is almost to the floor before the brakes are engaged. That is why I was wondering if there might be somewhere to adjust the cable..
Update: It turns out there is no ability to adjust the cable tension anywhere on the GLK. The only adjustability is via the adjuster at the shoes. I decided to simply turn the adjuster till the rotor no longer turns then back it off a bit to allow for free movement of the rotor. This is about two clicks on the adjuster. I can feel a little movement of the car when the parking brake is fully depressed but it is minimal.
Old brakes you back up and brake to adjust . I don’t know about parking disk
The parking is just like old drum brakes except the back up to adjust thing is not applicable on our GLK, You just turn the star wheel to adjust. It is a bit of a pain but doable.
The parking is just like old drum brakes except the back up to adjust thing is not applicable on our GLK, You just turn the star wheel to adjust.
You're talking about "modern" self adjusting drum brakes.
Adjusting the star wheel is "old" drum brakes. Then there are those "ancient" ones where you adjust the anchor pins...
According to the WIS, you back the adjuster off 8 teeth. I did mine that way and they work fine. (New disks and old shoes). I wonder if your cables are hanging up somewhere and fouling up your adjustment.
Interestingly, my Volvo was just the opposite. No shoe adjustment and all the adjustment was done with the cable. Sometimes there just wasn't enough adjustment. There was an aftermarket kit to add the star wheel adjuster.
I remember some drums had a slot cut in the outer face where you could slip a feeler gauge in between the shoe and drum for a more precise adjustment.
I had those exact brakes on a car. But they are the service brakes. The e-brake (e for emergency) was a band that grabbed the outside of a drum on the transmission output shaft.
4 wheel power disc with 4 channel ABS was still about 4-5 decades away.
Yeah, the picture is from a '46 Jeep CJ2a. I had one back in the 1970's. It also had a drum e-brake, on the output of the transfer case.
It had a star wheel for each shoe.
Update: It turns out there is no ability to adjust the cable tension anywhere on the GLK. The only adjustability is via the adjuster at the shoes. I decided to simply turn the adjuster till the rotor no longer turns then back it off a bit to allow for free movement of the rotor. This is about two clicks on the adjuster. I can feel a little movement of the car when the parking brake is fully depressed but it is minimal.
I've had different cars over the years ( models and brands). I've never had one that did not have a dedicated cable adjustment. Not having one seems weird to me. I wonder why MB chose that route...
The "electronic" parking brake uses either an electric motor or a solenoid, both of which were invented in the early 1800s. Is that not also old technology? Having a strictly mechanical brake that is not dependent on electricity/a battery makes a lot more sense. Finally, a mechanical parking/emergency brake pedal or handbrake, if used correctly, can be used to modulate the braking force applied in the event of hydraulic failure of the braking system.
2006 Alfa Romeo Brera, 2010 GLK350, 2018 BMW 640i GT, 1997 Subaru SVX, 2012 Moto Guzzi Norge GT8V
I had originally written handbrake and electronic brake but wishing to avoid a lecture on what's old or new, I deleted handbrake. My mistake. You just can't win on this forum no matter you post. It's either contradicted, misread or misinterpreted. I should just quit. It's too frustrating.
Last edited by Silver Shadow; Dec 10, 2024 at 03:19 PM.
...You just can't win on this forum no matter you post. It's either contradicted, misread or misinterpreted. I should just quit. It's too frustrating.
I didn't know that being on this forum was about winning. You didn't write that it's frustrating but rather that it is too frustrating. If it's too much maybe put your well-being first.
2014 GLK350 base model (active) ; 2001 E320 base (retired); 2001 Wrangler soft-top
Originally Posted by Silver Shadow
I had originally written handbrake and electronic brake but wishing to avoid a lecture on what's old or new, I deleted handbrake. My mistake. You just can't win on this forum no matter you post. It's either contradicted, misread or misinterpreted. I should just quit. It's too frustrating.
Holiday season can be stressful.
Anyway, I find the posts "interesting", because I count on, and much appreciate , the information provided by folks out here. To me, folks out here are very involved and not disagreeable. Your posts are fine - ignore the folks who need attention 👍
Yea, there's the rare and occasional troll, to be expected - they are short lived. Before "forums" were popular, I was heavily involved with USENET (I began in early 80's with dial up modem) ... talk about needing a skin of stainless steel
I've had different cars over the years ( models and brands). I've never had one that did not have a dedicated cable adjustment. Not having one seems weird to me. I wonder why MB chose that route...
Strangely, Mercedes does have cable adjusters on most of their vehicles, just not the GLK, and I am sure a few others.
You just can't win on this forum no matter you post. It's either contradicted, misread or misinterpreted. I should just quit. It's too frustrating.
Don’t quit! I feel like some of you are my friends even though we’ve never met! And sharing experiences with these occasionally unusual vehicles helps all of us.
This site is a lot more gentle than another MB general help site. It’s hard to convey sarcasm or gentle ribbing without facial expressions. The real trolls make themselves clearly known (and unliked).
Last edited by Odd Piggy; Dec 10, 2024 at 11:49 PM.
Reason: (sp)
Strangely, Mercedes does have cable adjusters on most of their vehicles, just not the GLK, and I am sure a few others.
Cost savings? It seems to make sense to have one adjustment to compensate for cable stretch and then individual adjustments (Brake shoes) for each side.
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