The emergency brake of my 3.8 liter V-6 1996 Grand Caravan does not hold, and the vehicle moves while in Drive or Reverse.
My mechanic checked out the rear drum brakes, and the emergency brake cables. He tightened the rear brake shoes as much as he could, short of their binding while driving, and still no help. A posting here some time ago mentioned that this emergency brake system is self-adjusting = not adjustable.
I'm really concerned that I must rely solely on the transmission in Park to keep the vehicle still, especially on a hill.
Can anyone tell me what must be done to correct this safety problem?
If it is self adjusting, that doesn't mean it can't be manually adjusted.
When you say it moved in reverse or drive, is this with additional power? Can you stop on a steep hill, floor the E-brake and have it hold the van in Neutral?
Can you feel tension when you press the E-brake or does it just sink to the floor? If there is tension maybe you aren't pressing hard enough?
I'm not sure how the adjusting mechanism works in your van, but try braking hard while going a fair speed in reverse, both with service brakes and E-brake. As well try braking with E-brake going forward.
Definitely something funny there. My 96 auto adjuster (adjusts while normal braking in reverse) keeps my E brake set so that 3-4 clicks on the pedal will bring the van into a very good deceleration (moving forward). Most foot E brakes, this one included, do not grip as well in a reversing direction. i.e with E brake on if you back out of your driveway, moderate power will usually allow you to back up, but when you try to pull forward, it should hold pretty tight or locked.
Park brake cables should be pre tensioned to have no slack. Proper self adjustment after this point relies on proper rear shoe adjustment, and correct operation of the rear shoe auto adjuster to keep the rear shoes in adjustment. If the pedal is pressing all the way to the floor, it would seem likely that the rear shoes are not adjusted tight enough, and also likely the rear adjusters are not working. If the pedal becomes tight part way depressed, and the E brake does not hold, it would seem that either the cables can not move the shoes (stiff, seized or binding cable) or you just are not pressing it hard enough. My wife often complains she can not set the E brake on our 96, but when I press it it's fine. She just does not press with all her might. She is used to our 93 GC that uses a different press on/press off system and that one is quite easy to press and get to lock up.
I have a 1999 T&C van which has the same rear drum brakes as your 1996 van. When I changed my rear shoes a year or so back, I made the mistake of not tightening the rear adjusters since I assumed the mechanism was self adjusting. When I put it all back together, I found out that the adjusters would not advance unless the brakes were tight enough to start with. As such, I removed the wheels and drums and then advanced the adjuster manually till I got a tight fit with the drum. I then re-assembled and was able to get the adjusters to set themselves properly when I put the van in reverse and hit the parking brake a couple times.
Based on my experience, I'd say you have one of the following three problems:
Even though he adjusted them manually, your mechanic did not get the brakes tight enough for the self-adjusters to work properly. Solution: do the job yourself or find a better mechanic.
The self adjusters are at their mechanical limit so can't adjust themselves any farther. Solution: Replace the brake shoes and check the drum diameter with a micrometer to assure it is still under the maximum allowable size (stamped on the drum). Resurface the drum if needed.
Your emergency/parking brake cable is binding or not adjusted properly. Solution: lubricate, replace, or adjust as needed.
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