2001 jeep - emergency brake

The emergency brake cable needs to be "unadjusted" from before, from when somebody adjusted it, to compensate for worn out brakes. Take it back and explain what the problem is. They should be able to put it right fairly quickly.

It gives you an extra margin of safety. Two things holding you from rolling down that embankment into the river, instead of one.

Earle

I think I remember reading that it can assist in prolonging the life of the transmission as well, in particular, on automatic transmissions when parking often in hilly regions. And which would you rather replace/work on? The transmission or the parking brake. :)

But I often speak from my nether regions, especially when talking about vehicles. So don't take my word for it.

Clint

You need to have that fixed fast or the e-brake cables will stretch and snap. They are now being used as the pivot for the brake shoes when a solid pin should be their pivot.

As Earle mentioned, the cable needs to be unadjusted.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >

I think it depends on how cold it is where you live if it's called an 'emergency' brake or a 'parking' brake.

When I worked in garages up here in Canada, a lot of service calls and fixes were due to the 'emergency' brake freezing up solid locking the wheels. It happened bad on the east coast where the slush storms happen and in the west where flash freezes happen.

I live in the east/center now and see high humidity and slush storms so never use it in the winter except for very short term needs like wanting to be in neutral with the engine running for heat or warm up.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail >

This is a good point. I have used the parking brake every time I leave the vehicle, since moving to Colorado. Back east they could freeze up if left on overnight. And if you don't use them the cable and housing could rust up solid. You can't win.

Earle

Been there done that. We used to keep a reallly old Ford pickup up at the lake and someone who shall remain nameless left the E-brake on for a couple of weeks during winter after a storm. Had to jack it up, take the wheels off, and heat up the rear drums with a torch to get them free. Now the only time I use it is for extra safety when launching the boat - I once saw a guy learn that the rear end of a Chevy pickup will actually float if backed in too far, at least for a little while.

It's also useful as an emergency 'limited slip' lever for gett> I think it depends on how cold it is where you live if it's called an

I should have added in vehicles with RWD.

Actually both of my Jeep owners manuals say you can use it to load up the spinning wheel if stuck so you get both back wheels spinning to get unstuck.

I prefer to use the brake pedal. I can even have the clutch out and then 2 foot drive the gas and brake to get 3 and sometimes even 4 rooster tails flying.

For those that don't know what we are talking about, in a normal vehicle with an open differential, both wheels see equal power.

This means when one wheel is spinning on ice, it takes almost no power to do this, so the stopped wheel sees almost no power. When you hit the brakes or use the emergency brake, it loads up the spinning wheel so it has to have way more power to keep on turning. Eventually this will equal the power needed to break the other stopped tire free so you get both spinning away.

That can either get you unstuck or just dig two holes.... LOL.

It takes some practice but works and is a good reason to keep the back brakes and emergency brake adjusted and working.

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06 (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

They adjusted it.

It sounds like they adjusted it too tightly. Go back and ask them to adjust a bit less tight.

I seldom set the brake. (It's called a Parking Brake, NOT an Emergency Brake, by the way.) Proper use would be to select P and set the brake. On the few occasions when I actually use the parking brake, I depress the brake pedal to set the brakes, then GENTLY pull the handle to hold them when I take my foot off the pedal. When I return to the vehicle, I depress the pedal to put the application force on the hydraulic system, then pull up on the parking brake handle SIMUTANIOUSLY operating the release button. This transfers the braking force from the mechanical system of cables and levers and moves it back to the hydraulic system, making the mechanical system a bit easier to operate.

I sometimes check the parking brake by selecting R or N (if on a hill, such as my driveway) and make sure the brakes holds the vehicle from moving. (If you select R, and the vehicle remains in place, select N to remove stress from the drivetrain, then select P before you shut the motor off.)

If I'm driving something with an automatic and leaving it on a hill (or a standard, for that matter) i put the shifter in neutral first, then apply the parking/emergency brake, let my foot off the brake pedal, put my foot back on the brake pedal, and shift it into park (or 1st. or reverse.). the way i see it, it's putting the weight of the car on the brakes, which are easily replaced, instead of the drivetrain... not so easily replaced.

'Course, I'm a little obsessive about leaving cars parked on hills... It probably dates back to when I was 15 and my parking brake failed... I watched my Jeep roll backwards into my mother's living room. Since then, I've parked my jeep as many as 20 blocks away from my actual destination just to keep it on a level surface. 5 years later and I just finished fixing all the body damage three weeks ago.

If you are that concerned about parking on hills, just leave your front wheels turned hard left or hard right against a curb or other solid object when parked.

Tom

I'm not sure I would jump through the hoops you do when setting the parking brake, but I support the idea of placing the weight on the brakes instead of the drive train. Having said that, I seldom use the parking brake, but I seldom park on a hill where I am concerned about the drivetrain strain.

Agreed. If I have to leave it on a hill I do crank the wheels into the curb, but I just feel really uneasy about it. Once is enough for me. I'm willing to walk a little ways to avoid complete annihilation to my Jeep.

Jeff Strickland proclaimed:

Folklore back in the 60s was that the parking pawl in an automatic transmission was extremely fragile and easily broken by the slightest upset and therefore one should always use the parking brake rather than putting the transmission in park.

Agreed, that was the folklore. But in all my days (I'm 44) I've never heard of that happening to anyone, and I know a LOT of people who never use their parking brake, except on a steep hill. About 5 years ago, when I realized that this doesn't actually happen I stopped using the parking brake most of the time. Of course in a 91 XJ, it is easy to break the cheapo aftermarket (well, sold at dealers, but not factory) cup holder when applying the brake.

Regards,

DAve

One thing I've noticed about the 2002 TJ is the emergency/parking brake doesn't work when you park with the front end pointing uphill. It will always roll backwards. If you park front-end pointing downhill it won't budge. I've had the thing adjusted multiple times, with no luck.

Of course, I've also discovered that if I try to back down a steep hill (like my driveway), I will inevitably slide down, even with the brakes activated and the wheels locked. When I go forwards down the hill, that doesn't happen. I'm guessing it's how the weight is distributed in the TJ.

Micah wrote:

What you describe is why vehicles going uphill have the right of way. It is nearly impossible to control a vehicle backing DOWN a hill unless one knows what they are doing.

Some vehicles MAY go backwards down a hill better than others, but that is not the point nor the law. The default action when meeting another vehicle on a hill is to ALWAYS give the right of way to the one that is going up. Your experience in your driveway is an excelent illustration as to why this is so.

And, your parking brake should be capable of holding your vehicle stationary on any surface. Well, I suppose there are surfaces that are not capable of supporting a vehicle, but in this case the wheels ought not turn while the brake is set.