My parking brake was INOP, after a quick inspection I noticed that the front brake cable was broken at the lever. I replaced that cable but I noticed their is no adjustment at the "T" where the front cable splits into the 2 rear cables. Now that the car (1995 Camaro Z28, convertible) is back on the ground the parking brake is still INOP. Next weekend I'm going jack it back up and inspect the rear disc. I assume that I have mini-shoe pads with a star shaped adjustment wheel inside the rear disc. I'm looking for some advice and real world experiences.

Thanks,

 

yes, each disc also has a drum where you have a shoe (shaped like a 'U') The base of the shoe fits onto the actuator which is pulled on by the cable, which then pushes the shoe outward. So if your cable is working you can adjust the star wheel assuming your shoe is not completely toast.

take the wheel off, release the parking brake and the disc should come right off.(might have to tap with a hammer if it is stubborn). Inspect the inside of the drum. sand away any rust lip that might be there, this is crucial to the adjustment. then adjust the star wheel, opening the actuator a little at a time, slide rotor on, if you feel resistance when putting it on, back the wheel off a little bit. you want the shoes to be as tight as possible, but not dragging. When you think you reached that point, put the rotor on again, and activate the brake. the rotor should be snug, then release and make sure it releases fully. repeat on the other side. i had to adjust mine, they were completely INOP before I did this. I figured it out on my own, so you should be fine.

 

93-97 Camaros do not have the drum actuated parking brakes. The parking brake is part of the rear calipers. It's an all in one design. 98 and later did have the drum parking brakes though.

Before taking anything apart, jack the car up and have someone pull up on the parking brake while you're under the car to see if the cables are moving. They may be froze up. Watch the rear of the caliper and see if the cable pulls the little lever that pushes the pads out. If every thing is moving as it should, pull up and down the parking brake lever a few times. They are supposed to self adjust by doing this. After that inspect them again. Inspect the pads and rotors. If they're too worn out, they won't engage the parking brake. Also make sure the caliper slides move in and out easily.

 

oh woops, I missed the part where he said he had a 95. SORRY!

 

Well got under it. The right side cable was not even connected to the caliper but it does move freely. The left side cable was connected but it seems to bind and nor move very freely. I placed an order for a new cable, should be here in a couple of days. I noticed that the rear rotors and pads will need replacing soon. I would have done now but my 18 year old son is working on a budget so it can wait for about 6 months or so.