Honda/Acura DIY Parking Brake Adjustment 

Thanks for the kind comments. I really appreciate it.

@@charliefellenbaum9492 thanks for the kind of comments. I really appreciate it.

Too funny. Thankfully fashions have changed.

+OCregulator Your kind words are most appreciated! This makes it all worth it for me.

Thanks for the kind comments. I really appreciate it.

Thank you for the kind comments. I really appreciate it.

I'm glad that you had success. Keep that gem on the road!

Thank you for the kind comments. I really appreciate it. Congrats on a successful outcome!

+Julian Salai Thanks very much for the comments.

Thanks for the kind comments. I really appreciate it.

Thanks for the kind comments. I really appreciate it.

I resemble that remark.

Thanks for the kind comments. I really appreciate it.

What year and model is it? Some newer cars have electric parking brakes where you can hear the actuator operating.

Thanks for the kind comments. I really appreciate it.

Parking brakes are traditionally only on the rear wheels. So, grab a tall cool glass of iced tea and rest easy. There's no additional work to be done on the fronts.

I did not have a rattle. My symptom was simply that the pedal had to be pressed down too far to fully engage the parking brake. A rattle would not be normal and not something that would typically be fixed by simply adjusting the parking brake. You could have something loose with the calipers or the pads. Do you have aftermarket pads or are they missing their metal clips? The OEM pads come with the shiny metal clips along with some compound that is applied to the back of the pads that should prevent them from making noise.

I used to get them used off of eBay for a good buy.

emmel07 Not a bad idea. When that service interval comes back around, I'll try to do it.

Only very minor adjustments can be made at the pedal while the proper procedure is to do so at the wheels.

Thanks and I really appreciate the kind comments. I'll assume that you have modern disk brakes which have pads rather than shoes. Drum brakes with brake shoes are a different animal. The Honda Accord in this video has brake pads with wear indicators that will squeal when the pads need to be replaced. Otherwise, I generally plan to replace my pads before the friction material gets down to no less that 3/32" in thickness. Others may recommend that you not let it go that far but I check mine often when I rotate my tires at 7,500 mile intervals and I know when they are coming due. Either way, you'll need to inspect them yourself and take a good look which may require removing the wheel. Look at both the inner and outer pad since it is possible for them to wear unevenly in some cases. You just don't want them to go too long and wear through the friction material. If that happens, the metal backing plate will dig into the rotor and you'll have more work and expense ahead of you.

worsethanchiggers yes thanks an 03 Pilot original shoes. You can drive away with parking brake on not too much resistance. Had rears done by shop so have not seen them. Recently I have more time less money and some mechanic mistakes and rip-off attempts so doing basics with help of YT and service manual.

Yes, you adjust both sides independently. Pull the rubber plug on the drum to access the star wheel adjuster.

Yes, this procedure may very well resolve your problem.

No. The pedal was not depressed during the procedure. Only when counting the number of clicks. Thanks for the question to get that clarified.

@@WorseThanChiggers ok. But it does look like you pressed it one click before you started with tightening the adjusting nut. I assume this is needed to engage it before adjusting?

Ah, sorry for the confusion. You are indeed correct. The final adjustments were made with the pedal depressed one click starting at this point in the video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IUI8YiMX1X8.html

@@WorseThanChiggers thanks

It should if your rear brakes have the same type of star wheel adjustment mechanism.

I'm not sure that you would get an accurate adjustment if you tried to do it with one wheel on the ground. The suspension geometry would not be symmetrical at that time. The adjuster should not need to be backed off much unless your parking brake us currently way too tight.

Thanks. I have the same thing with more than 7 clicks for the handbrake. I tried to adjust the nut and can attest it does not work since the wheels need to be individually adjusted as one will start to drag before the other.

Forgot to ask, was the car in neutral when adjusting the e brake to allow rear wheels to move freely? Still sounded like there was a little drag from the rear pads sounded like a metallic gliding sound when the rotor was moved.

@@Gurucwd Yes, this is an all-wheel-drive vehicle where putting it in neutral is a good idea.

Just wanted to add my thanks for the video. Both wheels need to be off the ground as open differential still moves the rear wheels together. Testing the brake I got it down to 9 clicks for a full engagement. At 7 when in gear the car would drift slightly.

You can unwind the star wheel while the rotor is off but the final adjustment must be performed when it is all back together.

thanks!

I don't know the specific differences between our 2007 and your 2014 but I would assume that the procedure is similar.

That's was the spec from my factory service manual for this specific vehicle. Perhaps it is different for other models or model years.

Great thanks!

You want to have the e-brake off while making this adjustment.

This particular vehicle is AWD, not 4WD. There's a technical difference between the two.

You inspire me by living life to its fullest and getting excited about a screwdriver! :)

The little star gear is how you adjust the parking brake. You have to do that so that the handle in the car works correctly after only a few clicks. The star gear needs to be adjusted until the brakes start to drag. Then, back it off just enough so that the wheel turns freely.

Aaaaa...I understand now, thank you very much