Adjusting E-Brake...??

DJPatriot08 · Apr 30, 2011

08 Patriot here...

I am wondering how you adjust the E-Brake? When I first got the car, it would only be about 3 clicks and the E-Brake would hold. Well, over time the E-Brake goes about 6 or 7 clicks and barely holds at all. I just replaced front and rear brake pads and front rotors. I thought by replacing the rear brake pads especially, the E-Brake would hold...Well, it don't. So how do you adjust the E-Brake??

Also, I noticed today after replaced all the brake pads, the rear pads smell of a "burnt plastic" smell, I know this is normal until the new pads get situated, but how long should the smell last for? Would an overfilled brake fluid resevior cause the burnt smell coming from the rear brakes?

Thanks.

JamesNewJeep · Apr 30, 2011

Most e-brakes are self adjusting. Drive in reverse 30 or 40 ft. There should also be a service hole covered by a rubber piece on the inner side of the brakes in the rear. There is a tool to adjust them by hand, but you can use a small flat-head screwdriver.

JamesNewJeep · Apr 30, 2011

Oh...The e-brake cables also could be stretched. IDK how many miles you got but, yanking on the e-brake really hard can stretch those cables. You may be able to adjust the cable itself. Underneath the center console/armrest is where the cables lay.

todde702 · Apr 30, 2011

If you have the rear drum brakes, then the e-brake should be self adjusting as JamesNewJeep suggested. Provided you manually adjusted the shoes properly when installing them.

For the rear disc brakes, these use a drum-in-hat brake and are not self adjusting. You'll need to remove the caliper, caliper bracket and the rotor to get to the adjuster screw. To adjust it you'll need to turn the adjuster a few clicks, then slide the rotor back on and give it a spin. Keep slowly adjusting it until there is a very slight drag on the rotor when you spin it, then back it off 1 or 2 clicks. Do both sides then with the rotors on, pull up on the e-brake handle to see how it feels.

As for the odor, an over-full brake reservoir will not cause this unless it's really over-full as in pressurized. If you remove the reservoir cap and fluid over flows out of it, then I would suggest getting a turkey baster and sucking some out. Brake fluid never needs to be topped off. It isn't consumed or evaporated like other fluids. As your brake pads wear, the fluid level will drop as more fluid is stored down in the caliper. But when you press the caliper piston back in when changing pads, it returns the fluid to the reservoir. In one sense, it acts as a brake pad wear indicator. It should be changed every two years or so though as it is a hygroscopic fluid.

JamesNewJeep · Apr 30, 2011

todde702 said:
If you have the rear drum brakes, then the e-brake should be self adjusting as JamesNewJeep suggested. Provided you manually adjusted the shoes properly when installing them.

For the rear disc brakes, these use a drum-in-hat brake and are not self adjusting. You'll need to remove the caliper, caliper bracket and the rotor to get to the adjuster screw. To adjust it you'll need to turn the adjuster a few clicks, then slide the rotor back on and give it a spin. Keep slowly adjusting it until there is a very slight drag on the rotor when you spin it, then back it off 1 or 2 clicks. Do both sides then with the rotors on, pull up on the e-brake handle to see how it feels.

As for the odor, an over-full brake reservoir will not cause this unless it's really over-full as in pressurized. If you remove the reservoir cap and fluid over flows out of it, then I would suggest getting a turkey baster and sucking some out. Brake fluid never needs to be topped off. It isn't consumed or evaporated like other fluids. As your brake pads wear, the fluid level will drop as more fluid is stored down in the caliper. But when you press the caliper piston back in when changing pads, it returns the fluid to the reservoir. In one sense, it acts as a brake pad wear indicator. It should be changed every two years or so though as it is a hygroscopic fluid.

Thanks for the correction. Last time I had to adjust an e- brake was on a beat up old honda lol.

MiddleburgJeep · Apr 30, 2011

Ok so I tightened my parking brake like three weeks after buying my patriot becuase the 6 to 7 clicks were driving me crazy. You have to remove the center console and tighten a nut that is at the end of the parking brake cable. The end of this cable is threaded and when you tighten the nut it puts more tension in the cable, tightening the line. I guess mine had been tightened before because I ran the nut as far as i could and still felt that the cable was loose. I took the nut off put about 10 to 15 washers over the threaded cable and placed the nut back on. the washers wok as a spacers and space it out so that the nut does not have to be run all the way down the threads for the cable to be tight. check this out. http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39560&highlight=parking on the diagram I put the washers where #3 is.

todde702 · May 1, 2011

MiddleburgJeep said:
Ok so I tightened my parking brake like three weeks after buying my patriot becuase the 6 to 7 clicks were driving me crazy. You have to remove the center console and tighten a nut that is at the end of the parking brake cable. The end of this cable is threaded and when you tighten the nut it puts more tension in the cable, tightening the line. I guess mine had been tightened before because I ran the nut as far as i could and still felt that the cable was loose. I took the nut off put about 10 to 15 washers over the threaded cable and placed the nut back on. the washers wok as a spacers and space it out so that the nut does not have to be run all the way down the threads for the cable to be tight. check this out. http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=39560&highlight=parking on the diagram I put the washers where #3 is.

This should be the last resort method, after the cables have stretched after many years and provided the adjustment in the rear wheels is correct. Chances are you can adjust the rear wheels then remove all of the washers AND back off the cable adjusting nut.

AMCNUT · Sep 7, 2015

I adjusted the parking/hand/emergency brake on my 2007 trail rated patriot today. I did not have to remove the brake calipers nor rotors. There is a small rubber plug on the rotor hat that accesses the adjustment wheel.

Just remove the rear wheels, pry out the rubber plug with a small flat head screwdriver then adjust the brakes with a larger flathead screwdriver. Lifting the screwdriver handle up when adjusting will tighten the brake shoes. I hope this helps.

P.S. A flashlight will come in handy to locate the adjuster wheel.

blanchae · Sep 20, 2020

AMCNUT, Thanks for posting this info. I have a 2007 Jeep Compass with 4 wheel disk brakes similar to the Patriot. I only had to remove my wheels to access the rubber plug just like you said. The rubber plug looked like a large rusty rivet. It easily popped out with a screw driver. For the passenger side, the adjusting wheel is at the 5 o'clock position and the drivers side at the 7 o'clock position. Like AMCNUT suggested, a flashlight helps. To adjust the brake adjuster tabs are pushed down, the lever action with the screwdriver causes the handle to go up. The same motion works on both sides.

My parking brake handle almost touched the armrest it was so out of adjustment. I used a breaker bar to rock the wheel back and forth while I adjusted until the pads rubbed. I did one side and the parking brake handle moved 2/3 from before. Did the other side and it moved another 1/3/ So I just lift the parking brake a little bit and the brakes come on tight. I didn't have to adjust anything at the parking brake handle.

Here's some pix of the drivers side at the 7 o'clock position..

Adjusting E-Brake...??

DJPatriot08

JamesNewJeep

JamesNewJeep

todde702

JamesNewJeep

MiddleburgJeep

todde702

AMCNUT

blanchae

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