Parking Brake Adjustment on 2006 Civic with Drum Brakes (Hybrid)

Hi all, does anyone know where the adjuster is for the parking brake, on the 2006 Civic. Our model is the hybrid, with drum brakes in the rear.

The dealer has set it too tight for my taste at a recent brake service: now it barely gets to the first click of the lever and it's locked. With the back wheels raised and parking brake off, one wheel turns freely, but one is scraping a little for about half of the revolution, and comes to a stop.

I suspect our mileage is suffering a bit since that brake service, but not sure, we're doing a lot of short trips lately.

I know a little resistance is not unusual, and that it will loosen up in time, from experience with other hondas. I phoned the dealer back and they've said bring it in and they'll loosen it, and that it will loosen. Also, the mechanic said if I wanted to do it myself, the adjuster is "at the back of the drum". I've had a look and that doesn't seem to be the case.

I have a shop manual on order, but in the interm, for my curiosity:

Anyone know where the adjuster for the parking brake is? In the center console? Our old honda's alway's accessed it by taking out the rear passenger ashtray, but our new civic hybrid looks to have an unimpenatrable center console. Is it in there, and do you have to pull the whole dang thing out? Or is it hiding somewhere back at the drum itself?

Any info greatly appreciated!

Reply to
Mendel Leisk
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It may be underneath the car, since the console is not easy to get at.

WHy not take it back to the dealer and have them do it to your preference?

-SP

Mendel Leisk wrote:

Reply to
Speedy Pete

I most likely will do nothing, since I concur with the dealer that it will loosen over time. Second most like option is I'll take it back to them. But, I'd like to learn for myself where the adjustment is made.

Reply to
Mendel Leisk

Try

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and look at the diagrams.

'Curly'

Reply to
motsco_

Thanks for the link. I see the equalizer is still the center console. Not sure if there's still an adjustment bolt there, as it was on our past hondas

Reply to
Mendel Leisk

Ok, starting from the page you linked, got to here:

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and item 7 is referred to as the "adjuster nut".

It inside the console, right behind the parking brake lever, before the equalizer bracket.

Reply to
Mendel Leisk

it won't loosen unless the self-adjusting mechanism is disabled. it's also a potential safety issue because it can affect the front/rear braking balance causing the rears to apply too early and too hard, thereby causing rear wheel lock and spin-out. without abs at any rate. get it properly adjusted. dealer is just b.s.ing you because they don't want to fix their own mistake on their own dime.

Reply to
jim beam

After having a look at this:

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I managed to get down to the parking brake adjuster nut. It wasn't too much of a fight, and I tried as much as possible to use just my fingers and nails, to avoid scratching things. The (auto) shifter bezel comes of first, then the larger black plastic surround. Just per the link. Then, you can see the adjuster nut down alongside the parking brake lever.No screws involved, just a matter of wiggling the pieces out of their clips.

I had the back end jacked up and on safety stands before doing any adjustment to the parking brake adjustment nut. I also pulled both back wheels and had a look inside the drum brakes. Both star adjusters out somewhere between 1/16"~1/8". A little dust in both drums, and the shoes are floating ok, moving side to side.

Put everything back, loosened of the parking brake nut, by about 2 revolutions, and applied and released the parking brake a few times. Lo and behold, neither back wheel is dragging now, just a hint of whisper on one side, but truly free spinning.

Pulling the lever up one notch: I can't turn the wheel by hand when the car's raised, though I suspect it would still creep on a slope. Pulled up 3 notches it feels fully locked. Will check it out on a grade.

Nice to know you can get at that adjuster nut still, though it's a bit more of a hassle.

Reply to
Mendel Leisk

good. need to loosen it a bit more though. wheels are not supposed to be locked until notch 6. 6 thru 9 is the factory spec. or at least, that's for my older [non-hybrid] civic. also, don't rely on not being able to turn wheels by hand - cars are heavy and can roll against a fair amount of braking resistance.

Reply to
jim beam

Thanks Jim. I'll fine tune things in the next few days. I have the shop manual ordered for this car: I'll check out the spec when it comes. One old Accord shop manual I've got on hand says "fully applied at 4-8 clicks". The way I've got it now feels *about* the way it was when new, but I'm just going from memory.

I totally agree, a car on grade has a little more oomph than me trying to turn a wheel by hand, and that's the way to really test it. I'll check it out that way tomorrow.

Reply to
Mendel Leisk

"Mendel Leisk" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@a75g2000cwd.googlegroups.com:

Then it's in the same place as always. Beats lying under the car, as you have to with certain Toyotas...

Reply to
Tegger

innews: snipped-for-privacy@a75g2000cwd.googlegroups.com:

It's funny: the first time digging into the console it took me at least 15 minutes. Then the next day, on the slope in our driveway, I popped off the two pieces you have take off at the shifter in all of

60 seconds. First time, you're just not sure if you're going to snap something off. It was nice in the older models with an easily removable ashtray at the back of the console, that was the modus accessus.

Far as I can see, the adjustment was right-on prior to the dealer brake service. The emergency brake had a moderate travel, going up4~5 clicks. In the course of that service, I would speculate the drum brake shoes starting postion got spread outwards a bit, taking up a lot of the emergency brake slack in the process.After that service, it was only possible to pull the lever up to 1 click, or two at the most.

I thought the drum brake auto adjusters would have been "stabilized" at the factory, and then the emergency brake travel would have been set, but not sure. Maybe the auto adusters are prone to bind?

Reply to
Mendel Leisk

innews: snipped-for-privacy@a75g2000cwd.googlegroups.com:

BTW, really appreciate your FAQ site!

Reply to
Mendel Leisk

innews: snipped-for-privacy@a75g2000cwd.googlegroups.com:

they can at high mileage/excess dust/rust, but i doubt it for your car - unless you've had immersion.

Reply to
jim beam

innews: snipped-for-privacy@a75g2000cwd.googlegroups.com:

The inside of the drums and the auto adjusters all looked very clean. It's just a bit over a year, low miles, and the hybrid takes a load of the brake.

The dealer says everything he did was back at the drum, but maybe that's not the case. I know in the past whenever we've got brake service the car comes back with the lever really tight, and it always bugged me. I'd usually back it off a bit.

BTW, thanks Motsco for that link to the Honda dealer with online catalogue: handy!

Reply to
Mendel Leisk

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