What can i do about the poxy Handbrake?

[Wallace]

Hey All,

Im sure all you wrangler owners know just how crap the handbrake is!

Is there actually a way to fix this? Besides going to a disc brake conversion. Or is this just a Jeep thing and thats life??

Mine works when my car is facing down hill, but when facing up the hill - i get nadda... like i dont even have it on...

Any suggestions?

Thanks In Advance,

Will

[H.G.]

carry a big rock to chock the wheel with.

[kyro]

it's a jeep thing and not just a TJ thing, put it in 4 low first just in case

[Tasar]

its a actually any car with drum brakes

claen out the mud and crap and tighten the cable and should be fine for a couple of 1000's km

[go hard]

Get a disc brake conversion... 8-)
8-) mine does.... Works very well..

[Locked Lizard]

Yeah I agree, I have only had my TJ wrangler 1 year, and I've adjusted the hand brake 3 times. I don't know what I did last time different, but it has lasted 2 monthes so far and is still good(that is bloody great). I carry around 2 custom wheel chocks which I use only occasionally myself when stopped on a steep track for a walk. They have come in handy quite a few times to date, to pull a much larger svu out of a bog, as my winch has more power than my rig can hold on it's own.

[krankieone]

its a actually any car with drum brakes

claen out the mud and crap and tighten the cable and should be fine for a couple of 1000's km

I'll second that if you recon TJ's are bad you should try a Mustang thy're absolutely hopeless

[Wallace]

so without doing a disc brake conversion... im stuck with hopeless brakes - unless i am prepared to adjust it every couple of weeks.

Thanks for all the replies, i might have to get some wheel chocks for on the tracks (as thats when it most annoys me!).

Thanks Fellas!

[Wooders]

Wheel chocks on a rope so you can drop 'em down & remove from the drivers seat.....There we go something else for Thomo's Fugly Fab ;)

[H.G.]

or buy an auto
I dont really need my handbrake
just pop into P :)

[Jonesy]

mine used to be crap too but i found out how to fix it, adjust your rear brakes so they work that way your hand brake will work too, just tighting the cable wont work

[Ando_13]

Spot on Jonesy, every couple of months jack the the rear end up, make sure handbrake is off, then adjust your drum brakes so you can just feel a bit of brake resistance (you can hear it as well), you adjust the drums by opening the bottom access hole on the drum and spinning hte little adjusting wheel with a screwdriver.

If your brakes needed a heap of adjustment then you may find that you need to loosen the handbrake adjuster off a bit so that it is not applying pressure. After your done just adjust the handbrake adjust back up and you've got a bit handbrake action back.

[millhouse]

or you can get one of these

http://www.highangledriveline.com/images/np231&241/241e-brake.jpg

http://www.highangledriveline.com/np231&241.html

[Ando_13]

Not an easy solution, but would be very nice.

[Wallace]

Thanks for all the help fellas - i will have to adjust my brakes and see if that helps fix the problem!

Cheers

[xflow]

or buy an auto
I dont really need my handbrake
just pop into P :)

Until the pin snaps and you are stuck in park that is

[cherren]

You beat me to it XFLOW. One of the items that are stressed by the MJOC trainers is not to use your Auto Park slot as a hand brake. As you stated it only a small pin holding the vehicle weight. In autos let your handbrake take the weight then put it in Park, that way you will be able to get it out again. I liked the idea of putting it in low range. When park on hill, won't go anywhere then unless you break a crankshaft. Sorry if I am telling some people how to suck eggs

[tiny68]

one thing I have never ever had any trouble with is my handbrake... go figure..

[Gordo]

disc brakes rock. Plenty of writeups for the convo. uses ford bits worth every cent.

DBA's slotted rotors with decent pads help for pulling up better but won;t help crap handbrake probs. Big tyres (33's+) don't help the peoblem either.

When I was running 33's with stock brakes handbrake NEVER worked regardless of adjustment.

[Jeeps]

I have a steep driveway and my handbrake doesn't work too crash hot either. When i want to simply drive into my garage after coming home I have to turn the engine off, put it into reverse and let the clutch out to take up the slack... then i get out and open the garage door and get back into the jeep and start her up and drive it in. Same thing when i reverse it out. :)

[Ben]

Well my heep nearly rolled back down the steep drive at Beachport over the weekend. The only time the handbrake works for more than a day is when Trav at USA4x4 fixes it...any idea what his trick is??

[bonza]

I have a steep driveway and my handbrake doesn't work too crash hot either. When i want to simply drive into my garage after coming home I have to turn the engine off, put it into reverse and let the clutch out to take up the slack... then i get out and open the garage door and get back into the jeep and start her up and drive it in. Same thing when i reverse it out. :)
that'd give me the $hits.

[Jeeps]

It doesn't happen if the jeep is facing nose downhill as the brake works fine. But when the rear end is facing downhill it happens, mostly when the jeep is getting due for a service. Peter Footo always tightens it up at a service and it works great for 5000klm or so :)

[krankieone]

you need to adjust out the brake shoes untill they lock the drum then back off untill the wheel JUST turns freely then check the freeplay in the handbrake cable(Only had to adjust it once)


I pull the drums off & check & adjust brakes when I change the wheels over before I go wheeling once I realised the self adjusters are pretty useless this has solved my hand brake problems

BTW takes 2 -3 min per wheel

If you dont understand what your doing here you might be better off paying someone who does as brakes are pretty important safety wise

[Wallace]

i dont know what i did to mine - but when i pulled the diffs out to get lockers put in them... i put it all back together and now my handbrake works a treat. I have never had it work so well...

Who knows - its a jeep thing.

[Mash]

just park sideways. it fits most of the time!!

[stoney2]

its all about adjustment at the dealer that was an issue at every service on all drum brake vehicles

[Gojeep]

'IF' it is working correctly, you can adjust the handbrake ( shoes actually ) by rolling backwards and pulling up hard on the handbrake only to stop it. Do this serveral times until the handbrake is only 3 to 4 clicks to pull on. But the adjusters have to be working freely and all the springs not be slack at all to work.
You should not adjust the hand brake by the cable only. This is for adjusting cable stretch not loss of adjustment through shoe wear. The handbrake arm inside the drum should be all the way back and not pulled forward by the cable at all to start with. Then set shoes to the correct adjustment followed by the handbrake cable which is adjusted to take out any slack. Remember, shoes first and then the cable.
Even adjusted correctly, you will still get a better handbrake with this setup.
http://www.ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/showthread.php?t=65071&highlight=ba+disc+brakes

[Mooreyfiveo]

I just stall stop on hills. But I had a L/cruiser that had no H/brake for 2 years (lazy) so it's a habit of mine.

[TequilaTj]

i pulled the drums on mine the other day, weednesday brake cleaned, and 80 grit wet n dry, just to ruff them a bit - shoes and drums, reinstalled. now work slightly. ever since that mud hole.... aarrrgghhh!!