How to Adjust The Hand Brake in a Jeep Wrangler 

I do a lot of repair/mod videos on my Jeep. I just so happened to cross this one sitting in my newsfeed. I decided to open it. All I can say is WOW!! You are good, brotha! I thought my videos were good, but THIS ONE is a 10 out of 10 for someone looking to adjust a parking brake. I've seen guys take the drums off adjust the shoes outwards - and then can't get the drum back on! LOL! The fact that you went thru the access port and the tensioner for the cables, I applaud you. From mechanic to mechanic, I applaud you, brotha. You're good!

I just bought a 2003 TJ and DAMN YOU SAVED ME money! I just did the thing where tightening the adjuster, and BAM! Instant tight grip. I got the wrangler cheap because the previous owner thought the car "was shot and not safe anymore" wooooooot! (thank you for being so clear, concise, and to the damn point!)

You made this look so easy, then it WAS so easy. Thanks! Just adjusted my 97 TJ parking brake following this tutorial. Two things I’d add: 1 jack the back up on the pumpkin for ease and 2 remember to disengage the parking brake when performing both steps. Thanks again!

Thanx dude, most straight forward explanation without a bunch of jibber jabber!!

Best instructions I’ve seen. Saved me several hundred dollars. Thank you sir!

Quick, simple and to the point! Well done.

Well done and clear instructions. Thanks for the full walkthrough!

Excellent video Ry, thank you for taking the time to show us newbees how its done.

Totally agree with Paul Vega below. No BS...straight to the point. Thanks Ry!

Straight shooter, no bull. awesome thanks!

Awesome!!!!! Thank you, saved me a of time. Great video, straight to the point.

Exactly what I was looking for! If only I had seen this before going wheeling this weekend. RIP the tree that was behind me on that hill...

Thanks for the Great Vid. Detailed and straightforward. Thumbs up :)

Nice job After replacing my right cable that was broke when I bought it , I still didn't have much lever. Adjusted cable bracket underneath and still wasn't much. Didn't think about adjusting the shoes. Did that threw the window of backing plate with screwdriver and they were way loose. Snugged until tire had a little resistance and bango lots of parking brake lever now. Thanks!!!

Informative video regarding this issue. Great work man

Great how to video, did the trick for me. Thanks!!

Great simple video, thanks!

Thanks alot! This was very helpful

Thanks! That's just the fix I needed.

perfect explanation, thanks

Thanks, that was exactly what I needed to know.

Hey thanks man! I ended up needing to do this right before I left for work today. Left my jeep in the driveway to get the windshield replaced, now it doesnt roll away. This helped me get it done in about 5min! 😁👍

Thank you very helpful!

Very thorough, thank you!

Great job explaining the steps involved.

I wish all walkthroughs were this straight forward. Thank you!

Well done!

Thanks for the video it helped out a lot, after I already replaced the front cable though! Lol

way easier looking than I was expecting. Thanks

Awesome video. Thanks for the easy explanation on things.

Simple and to the point

Very helpful demo...thanks.

Great video! Solved my parking brake issue.

Thanks for the tip,great video!

Great video!

Well done....

Nice video man! Very straight forward.. Subscribed

Good video. Simple. Basic.

Thanks bro very helpful

Very helpful, Thank you

Thanks, nicely done. Made my task easy.

Thanks man! Been a while since I crawled underneath. I just wanted to make sure I was doing it right.

Thank you for the up to the point instructions and waste of time! Bravo!

Amazing content!

This is exactly what I need to do. I noticed when I am offroading my Jeep and I need to stop often on an incline that the parking brake isn't enough unless I leave it in gear. That isn't always practical unless I want to turn off the jeep each time instead of leaving it running to go inspect a line or obstacle.

Great great video, thank you! You solved a huge problem I am looking to tackle. My break won’t even hold on a flat surface. To confirm, the parking brake should not be engaged when moving the adjuster on the drum brake, correct? I ask because it seems like that small amount of resistance your seeking while adjusting would be there while driving regardless of whether the brake was engaged or not after making the adjustments. I would think this could resulting in brake wear, and wasted gas, etc. Am I missing something?

So on an 04 TJ, with disk breaks in the rear, how do you adjust the e-break? my issue is, my lever seems to stop about like yours, but you can still drive and even push the Jeep...not good since it parks on an incline all the time.

Great vid Thanks!

Would this help stop vibrations after new shoes and drums also?

i just got a lift and 33 inch tires on my tj. Even on a slight hill, the parking brake does not hold the jeep, it rolls back. plz help

Well done. I wish there was a video like this for a TJ that has a dana 44 with disk brakes!

My 89 YJ parking brake locked since the cables rotted out. I bought replacement cables front to back along with a brand new drum assembly to the cylinders. Question, how do I diagnose the pedal since I dismounted it the clean and lube? I have it off and the pedal swings freely “ is that bad “

Great vid, but what about the cable going from the central connection back to the drum? I've got one stuck.

Will this adjustment help with the emergency brake from freezing up when engaged?

thank you

Will this also take the mushiness out of the brake pedal? My pedal and handbrake are both mushy.

By any chance would you know why my wrangler doesn’t shut off even when I take the key out of the ignition

I love you lol thanks bro have a 2015 jeep wrangler unlimited sport and have questions if you have time later bro.

Thanks

Thanks bro I passed my inspection

My jeep has 4 wheel disk brakes....is the adjustment the same ?

Just spent 2 hrs taking my brakes apart and adjusted. Didn’t work so will try cable, hope it’s the cable. My rear brakes rusted to dust from putting my boat in the water, one seized so I think I stretched cable. Although I may not have done it right, can’t adjust with wheel on, what a bit ch

These cars and others like my nitro have the problem with the mechanism attached to the handbrake lever clock spring. Many videos on RU-vid.

I f****** love that tree tattoo!! And thanks for uploading this video

Hey everyone! You don't need to take your wheels off for this! I was able to get the job done by climbing underneath my Jeep with a flashlight, needle nose pliers, and a brake spoon. It's a tight job with limited visibility but is entirely possible to do without lifting the vehicle. Just be careful not to overtighten, as you won't be able to do the drag test on the rotors using this method.

What year is this wrangler? I just bought a used 2011 wrangler this week. I didn’t see the ebrake cables underneath. I think I saw another video where some are on the interior under the console. Great helpful video tho. I think I’ll be able to at least adjust my drums like you did. *after first inspection, it looks like I have to take the calipers off to get to that part in the drum.

Great explanation sir, very informative. Only one problem. You kept calling your jeep a car!

If my parking brake is engaged while in drive and say the car still moves do I still have to adjust the parking brake ?

Good vid, thank you. Mine needs done badly. Would just doing the cable adjustment (as you showed last) be enough?

Before I attempt to give this a try, does that star nut spin to the same direction on the driver's side?

Would having a loose hand brake cause the brake light to stay on?

Thanks, but I've an '06 Rubi with discs. I'll have a go with the cable junction.

just curious is the adjustment is the same with the rear brakes being swapped out for disc brakes

Good video! Thank you!

Can I adjust the cable only or do I have to adjust the brake drums too?

Thanks for the video. My handbrake is barely engaging and goes to the top. When I turn the wheels with a screwdriver on both sides they don’t clock and move easily. Should I just keep turning the wheels?

How do you get the brake light Stop flashing and beeping like my emergency brake is on but its not?

Question: what if I just tighten the cables underneath the jeep? Will there not be enough tension to make it work? Or should I always tighten it at the brake first?

How do you loosen the fly wheel if you over tightened it

Hey Ry - ignorant question, but I'd rather ask and look silly than get something wrong. Especially with brakes. :-) At about the 3:15 minute mark when you state "you're going to do the other side" - does this mean A) repeat the same steps on the other rear wheel by adjusting until you feel just a slight amount of resistance, or b) adjust the other side the same amount of clicks you did the first tire? Thanks in advance!

I tried doing the part underneath with the 13mm and I could not get it to budge, any recommendations? I loaded it with wd40 and pushed as hard as I can but nothing moved

Do i have to have te e brake up when im turning the wheel??

So you adjust it with the handle down,right?

So is there a place to adjust the brake on all wheels or just the rear right one?

When you are adjusting the brakes in the back, I am assuming that you have the hand brake engaged (up), is this correct?

What year jk you got?

When you tighten the brakes at the drum is the parking brake engaged?

This is so hard to do with a Detroit locker lol

So I've got 5 clicks, about 2 inches before the lever is all the way up, but if I'm on any kind of incline it will still roll.. any ideas?

This does not work on the JK as the hand brake has coiled springs in the mechanism which requires taking the console out.

Parking brake engaged or not engaged before starting?

Thanks but 2015 Jeep Wrangler has no way to adjust cable, they apparently stopped that option at some point, all you can do is adjust at brake

Not sure why I put that off so long. That was less than 30 seconds to fix. Thanks!

Here's my question: Why would the shoes wear down at all when all you're doing is to hold the car while parked??

Just put the jeep in gear I’m all about simple solutions

Thanks