This has been happening on and off to my car for years, I just put new back drums and shoes on it a few weeks ago and it still does the same thing. 95% of the time it works fine but sometimes when I first start to pull the handle back it will start to catch then it just feels like the cable breaks and the handle will slam all the way back!!! Then I can work it back and forth a couple times and it will eventually catch again and work like it should, has this ever happend to anyone else? If so what did you do to fix it? Thanks

 

My 91 does it as well, I would also like to know the solution.

 

I know exactly what the problem is. It is the parking brake handle. the late model third gens used a self adjusting parking brake handle. my 92 used to do that .GM had a recall on that about seven years ago I am the origanal owner of my car so it was fixed at no charge look in to it

 

Thanks MY-92-RS, That's funny, I'm the original owner of my 92 too, when this first happened about 4-5 years ago I took it back to the dealer for them to look at it because it wasn't working at all and I went to show them what it was doing and guess what, it worked perfect then!!! And they looked it over and said they could not find anything wrong with it. I guess they didn't take the time to search their computer for recalls.

 

My '90 does it too but only when I yank it hard and fast... go figure.

 

I know that the later models had self adjusting e brakes, but my 92 seems to act up. The emergency brake will do next to nothing unless you pull it up really high, then it'll only brake a little. I checked everything out when I replaced the wheel cylinders in the back, and everything seems fine. Anyone else have this problem? Anyone knows what this could be?

 

Wait... maybe that was my second wife.............no, no, I'm pretty sure it's my parking brake.

 

STANGKILLER

here is a copy of orignal work order in 94

hope this helps

 

Thanks MY-92-RS, that may be helpfull.

 

I too have a '91 TransAm and I've even heard that the 91-92 self-adjusting rear drums are effective/adjust when driving in reverse... therefore if you don't do much reversing, you have to make it a point to let the rear drums adjust every now and then? I ask this because my rear drums seem to contribute less and less to the car braking

thanks, B

 

yes back up at about 5-10 mph and try locking up the brakes several times when you drive fowards you should notice an inprovment in brake pedal hight and brake operation If the adjusters are not frozen or shoes worn down
make sure you have room to do this like an open parking lot

 

Did you have to pay anything for the repair or did the recall handle all of the cost? My brake has to be pulled all the way up to hold the car and it also slips out ocassionally if i pull it too fast. is there any way to just adjust it to catch earlier?

 

I paid nothing it was covered by the recall

 

Sweet.. i need to call my local dealership about that and the filler neck on the gas tank. hopefully they will do the work.

 

I had this same problem on my 91z. Fixed it in 15 minutes. I took the console off and looked at how the handle actually works and there is a bracket or something that catches the gears as you pull the handle up. thats the sound to hear when you pull it up. well the catch bracket needs to be lubed up. Mine wasnt catching and once I added some grease to it, it worked perfect. you can see the catch bracket when you pick the handle up. its the small piece of metal that sticks out of the groove for the handle.while your in there, lube up anything that looks like it moves.

 

that makes sense. Wish that was my prob,my parking did not work properly even when my car was new

 

yeah one day on my 91 i went to use the e-brake and it went all the way up, ever since that day it works fine.. maybe i had to break it loose again i dont know i shoot some lubricating spray around the handle maybe that fixed it..

 

ill have to see if i can just adjust it to catch earlier. i have to pull the lever up all the way before it engages any brake.

 

hellfire, I dontthink there is a way to adjust it. If its coming all the way to the top then you may have a stretched cable or the rear shoes or pads are worn

 

That's kind of how I fixed mine. Only difference was that I just used a torch to burn off the carpet threads that were jamming it up.
Oh yeah, and our rear drum brakes are crap. This is the last time I rebuild these things. I've got aluminum drums, new pads, the rebuild kit (new springs), and 2 nerves before I loose it. Last resort is an adjustable prop valve which I'll need anyways when I go with the LS1 disc rear setup.