Well, we can all relax here, because I have not seen one intelligent reply posted here yet...
BMW actually suggests rolling a bit with the parking brake on to keep the drums clean. But, that is not why I posted this.
Now, with that out of the way...
YOU DO NOT ADJUST YOUR PARKING BRAKE WITH THE CABLE ADJUSTMENT!!!! EVER!!!!!!
Are we clear on this point?
If you drove with your parking brake on, remove the rear wheels and follow the proper procedure to adjust the shoes properly. You adjust the shoes NOT the cable, since the shoes are worn; the cable hasn't stretched. Once the shoes are properly adjusted (just the slightest drag on the drum) THEN you go inside and adjust the cable to give three clicks of the ratchet to tight.
Only if you drive like this on a regular basis is there any danger of 'ruining' the parking brake. The shoes are not that expensive, and last forever since they do not (normally) convert motion to heat like a normal brake pad/shoe does.
And, by the way, the reason you adjust the shoes and then the cable is that if you constantly adjust only the cable, eventually you run the risk of 'over-camming' the lever, and the parking brake does not release. Once that happens, good luck getting it apart to fix it... |