adjust parking brake on my 99 camry

Before you adjust the parking brake, you should inspect brake lining thickness.

The minimum brake lining thickness for drum brakes is 2 mm. The minimum brake pad thickness for disc brakes is also 2 mm but the minimum lining thickness for the parking brake shoe for disc brakes is 1 mm.

If the rear brakes are drum brakes, remove the oval plug on the inboard side of the backing plate and turn the adjusting star wheel.

If the rear brakes are disc brakes, remove the round plug on the outboard side of the rotor and turn the star wheel from the outside.

thanks for the reply.

camry is 99 LE v6 with 4 wheel disk brakes.

are there separate pads for the parking brake?

do i remove rear wheels to check pads?

Ray O wrote:

The parking brake is actually a separate cable-actuated drum brake that uses separate brake shoes. The rear rotor is shaped somewhat like a top hat, with the brim of the hat being the disc, and the crown of the hat being the drum for the drum parking brake.

Rotate the rotor so that the rubber plug is at the 6:00 o'clock position, pull out the plug, and stick a screwdriver in there to engage the teeth on the star wheel. Click the wheel upwards to tighthen, downwards to loosen.

Yes, you must remove the rear wheels to check the brake pads, but the brake pads are not part of the parking brake system. You also have to remove the rear wheels to adjust the parking brake. If you want to check the parking brake shoe lining thickness, yhou have to remove the wheel, caliper, caliper bracket, and rotor.

Turn the adjusting nut clockwise to the point where the brake is fully engages at around three clicks

mike hunt

at around three clicks

Assuming the parking brake is ok and set with a hand lever.

Adjusting parking brake SHOE clearance: Turn adjuster and expand shoes until rotor disk locks. Return adjuster eight notches. Check lever travel.

Checking Parking brake lever travel: Pull lever all the way up and count the number of clicks. 5 - 8 clicks, @ 45 lb.

Adjusting parking brake LEVER travel: (uncommon) Check brake shoe clearance. Check for worn or broken parts. Remove center console if required. Adjust cable length on the lever end of cable until travel is correct.

GL Dan