Searched the threads, and mostly they seem to deal with rear discs. So anyone with drums in back, who has ideas on this, please reply.

Something weird happened to my ebrake today--

Had my brakes done a week or so ago (rear drums), and since then, the parking brake handle didn't come up as high, and was very tight. Today, the handle skipped a bunch of teeth, as it has done before, ( I usually just put the handle down, it reengages and is fine. ) Today however, it after it "stripped out", you have to pull the handle all the way up for the e brake to engage. Barely works.

Took it back to the shop, and they adjusted the rear brakes, but the brake handle was the same, sticking straight up and barely working. Worse yet, when I got the car home, the back end stunk like brakes--because now the rears are dragging. So I've got to take it back and get them to adjust the back brakes to where they were. The mechanic was mystified as to how to get rid of the slack in the brake cable.

 

They're self adjusting. Try reversing and braking several times.

 

Carpet particles will get into the grease that works the auto tightening ratchet. Clean it up and re-grease, should be fine.

 

Thanks for the replies. I took the car back to the shop where I had the work done, and they adjusted my back brakes so they no longer drag (yesterday one of the mechs adjusted my brakes too far out, trying to fix the handbrake issue).

The guy took the console off, which was going to be my next move, and found a broken part in the ratchet mechanism, a pin of some kind that holds the floating ratchet to the solid ratchet, and he ordered the part from a local dealer. So that should take care of things.

Did feel like something gave way in the handbrake yesterday, and sure enough its a broken part. Will let you know how it turns out.

 

Called the shop today, they said GM no longer stocks the part. Willing to bet I can take apart the console, and fix it myself. Pull a McGyver and use a paperclip or something. Mechanic said a junkyard is the place to find the part, but I'm going to try making one myself first.

In the meantime, the handbrake still works, you just have to pull it up to about 90 degrees before it grabs.

Other than that, loving my new brakes, idler arm, and with the manual fanswitch and 160* stat the car is happier than ever, and it is sheer joy to listen to the Flowmaster rumbling up and down through the gears.