Parking Brake - How Hard Can u Pull?

JohnnyCash · **Posted:** Wed May 09, 2007 12:08 pm

When I'm parking on a slight hill I pull the parking brake fairly hard, but the Jeep still moves.
Should I pull that thing as far as it will possibly go so there is no movement, or is it normal for it to move.
I'm just wondering if it will damage it to pull it too hard.
Never had a parking brake like this.

MP Jeeper · **Posted:** Wed May 09, 2007 10:34 pm

Liberty parking brake sucks. It's a common problem. i pull mine up until there is physically no where left for it to go & it will still move, sometimes on only a SLIGHT incline. Adjusting it i am told is a pain in the butt as well. Good luck & if you figure something out let me know. Mine's hardly worth the effort.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Wed May 09, 2007 10:39 pm

MP Jeeper wrote:

Liberty parking brake sucks. It's a common problem. i pull mine up until there is physically no where left for it to go & it will still move, sometimes on only a SLIGHT incline. Adjusting it i am told is a pain in the butt as well. Good luck & if you figure something out let me know. Mine's hardly worth the effort.

Mine works awesome,then again I have drum rear brakes.Drum brakes use the whole rear brake to hold the vehicle while the disc brakes only have a tiny drum setup for the parking brake.Sometimes it is nicer having drums in the rear instead of disc's(execpt going down really,really steep hills).Oh by the way pull that sucker(p.brake handle) as hard as you want,your not going to over do it by any means unless you have arms like a pro wieght lifter.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Wed May 09, 2007 10:39 pm

Ive posted alittle write up on a couple different ways to adjust it. Mine holds on a hill with around 3-4 clicks.

QuestMan · **Posted:** Wed May 09, 2007 10:44 pm

Do you have disc brakes? If so, feel around the back side, you'll find a rubber plug. Pull the plug out, and you will have access to the star wheel. adjust it with your screwdriver, then your parking brake will work much better.

JohnnyCash · **Posted:** Thu May 10, 2007 12:42 am

QuestMan wrote:

Do you have disc brakes? If so, feel around the back side, you'll find a rubber plug. Pull the plug out, and you will have access to the star wheel. adjust it with your screwdriver, then your parking brake will work much better.

You're talking to the wrong guy. Don't know if I have disc brakes, don't know what a star wheel is. Lucky if I can work a screwdriver. I wish I knew all this stuff, but I don't. Maybe I'll take a look and see if I see this rubber plug you're talking about. But what always happens when I do stuff like this is that it's never as simple as it sounds. What'll happen is I'll pull that plug out and something else will fall out with it, then I won't know where the extra piece came from, and I won't be able to get the pieces back on. Then the vehicle won't drive, I'll have to get it towed, I'll miss work, and I'll have to pay for the mechanic to fix it. Man........I'm worn out now !

corwyyn · **Posted:** Thu May 10, 2007 3:48 am

Anything later than an '02 (or early, early '03) has discs all the way around.

Eddo · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 1214

JohnnyCash wrote:

QuestMan wrote:

Do you have disc brakes? If so, feel around the back side, you'll find a rubber plug. Pull the plug out, and you will have access to the star wheel. adjust it with your screwdriver, then your parking brake will work much better.

You're talking to the wrong guy. Don't know if I have disc brakes, don't know what a star wheel is. Lucky if I can work a screwdriver. I wish I knew all this stuff, but I don't. Maybe I'll take a look and see if I see this rubber plug you're talking about. But what always happens when I do stuff like this is that it's never as simple as it sounds. What'll happen is I'll pull that plug out and something else will fall out with it, then I won't know where the extra piece came from, and I won't be able to get the pieces back on. Then the vehicle won't drive, I'll have to get it towed, I'll miss work, and I'll have to pay for the mechanic to fix it. Man........I'm worn out now !

Have your local mechanic adjust it when you get your oil changed. I can't see him wanting much more than 30-40 dollars to adjust it.

QuestMan · **Posted:** Thu May 10, 2007 7:31 pm

Quote:

You're talking to the wrong guy. Don't know if I have disc brakes, don't know what a star wheel is. Lucky if I can work a screwdriver. I wish I knew all this stuff, but I don't. Maybe I'll take a look and see if I see this rubber plug you're talking about. But what always happens when I do stuff like this is that it's never as simple as it sounds. What'll happen is I'll pull that plug out and something else will fall out with it, then I won't know where the extra piece came from, and I won't be able to get the pieces back on. Then the vehicle won't drive, I'll have to get it towed, I'll miss work, and I'll have to pay for the mechanic to fix it. Man........I'm worn out now !

It's Ok. It's all good. The star wheel adjusts brake shoes in, or out, depending on whether you need to loosen or tighten your brake shoes.(Why would you loosen them, you ask? When you need to take the rear discs off, you need to loosen the brake shoes, so they won't GRAB the hub, keeping it from coming off - something I learned the hard way, since I'd never seen disc brakes with drum brakes for the parking brake). If I could take a picture close enough, I'd go out, crawl under and take a pic of it for you. Even after you remove the rubber plug, you still need to find the star wheel, so if you can't see or feel it, you'll have to really crawl behind your wheel. Sadly, I've adjusted enough drum brakes, that I can do it in the dark, in my sleep, during a snow storm, etc. :shock:

In any case, since I noticed you have a 2007, you SHOULD be able to take it to the dealer, and have THEM do it for you. OR, if you want to become a 'budding' shadetree, go to the local library, and look it up. If they don't have a shop manual for the 2007, they should still have a chiltons or shop manual for a 2002 - 2006, which will be close enough, and show in only a few words, what took me soooo long to say.........

Good luck

P.S. If I were out, visiting my cousins in Beaverton, I promise I'd meet up and show you what I'm talking about. I SWEAR it takes longer to explain, than to do. :wink:

JohnnyCash · **Posted:** Thu May 10, 2007 8:04 pm

Quote:

It's Ok. It's all good. The star wheel adjusts brake shoes in, or out, depending on whether you need to loosen or tighten your brake shoes.(Why would you loosen them, you ask? When you need to take the rear discs off, you need to loosen the brake shoes, so they won't GRAB the hub, keeping it from coming off - something I learned the hard way, since I'd never seen disc brakes with drum brakes for the parking brake). If I could take a picture close enough, I'd go out, crawl under and take a pic of it for you. Even after you remove the rubber plug, you still need to find the star wheel, so if you can't see or feel it, you'll have to really crawl behind your wheel. Sadly, I've adjusted enough drum brakes, that I can do it in the dark, in my sleep, during a snow storm, etc. :shock:

In any case, since I noticed you have a 2007, you SHOULD be able to take it to the dealer, and have THEM do it for you. OR, if you want to become a 'budding' shadetree, go to the local library, and look it up. If they don't have a shop manual for the 2007, they should still have a chiltons or shop manual for a 2002 - 2006, which will be close enough, and show in only a few words, what took me soooo long to say.........

Good luck

P.S. If I were out, visiting my cousins in Beaverton, I promise I'd meet up and show you what I'm talking about. I SWEAR it takes longer to explain, than to do. :wink:

Thanks for the info ! I've been pulling it back further than usual and it seems to be holding pretty good now. I would still like to take a look at the star wheel just to learn, so I will probably give it a try so I'll know where to look in the future.

Parking Brake - How Hard Can u Pull?

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