messed up ebrake.

[Marruenda]

call me stupid but i drove home with the ebrake on. since im used to putting it up on my manual car. i did this the same. but since the car ran with it on (unlike a manual one) i forgot about it.



now it doesnt stop at alll what can i do to fix it and how much is it gonna set me back?

[branden]

Don't worry! Everyone does this and fortunately it should be a pretty cheap fix.

Just pull the leather boot around the ebrake up. There should be two threaded cables sticking out that each have two nuts on them. Remove the first nut on each then tighten the nuts till your e-brake works well again, then put the second locking nuts back on. Fixed!

[BobbyDigital]

WHAT?!!

OK, first, everyone does this??? I dont know anyone that drives with their ebrake on.

Second, I dont know what the difference is between manual or automatic, an ebrake is an ebrake. And I would set it regardless of the transmission type.

My sister drove my truck one time, when she just got her license. 5 minutes later, she asked me what the red light meant that said BRAKE...I told her to release the ebrake and come home. She came down the road with smoke pouring out from the rear wheels!

But, yes, you can tighten it back up like he said above.

[branden]

Yes, sir, people tend to do leave their e-brakes on from time to time...especially if they are driving a stick. I know I've done it a few times, but I guess we all aren't as perfect as you. Sorry if my post wasn't specific enough, but there's no need to be an a-hole about it.

[FMD]

It's too bad BMW didn't install a hydraulic e-brake like most other manufacturer's cars have. You would really know you're e-brake was activated in that case...

[BobbyDigital]

Well, since I'm being an a-hole right now, I also didnt know MOST other car manufacturers use hydraulic ebrakes...that seems like it defeats the point of an emergency brake. I thought the point of the cable was that it cant really fail.

Again, I dont think its fair to generalize...sure, I have backed out of a parking spot and realized that my ebrake is on, but I have never driven with it on, nor do I know of anyone that does that from time to time.

Sorry for being perfect!

[J!m]

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...

[tiFreak]

Originally Posted by BobbyDigital

I thought the point of the cable was that it cant really fail.

sure about that? I've seen plenty of them fail, on my Subaru only one wheel locks up because the other cable snapped right in half, also, the OP was driving an automatic, putting them e-brake down, to me at least, is instinct when I'm driving a stick, but when I drive an auto, I have forgotten before

to the OP, my dad had the e-brake lock up on a 328i he used to own, he was able to fix it by driving it back and forth several times on our driveway until it broke loose, maybe try that? if you're worried about doing that, try taking the back wheels off and beating on the hubs with a large hammer

[b-rad]

OP said the car doesnt stop now. I assume they mean the PARKING BRAKE does not hold? If the car was driven a significant distance, it is very likely that the parking brake shoe was overheated. This may or may not have damaged the rotor at the same time.
When i last did my brakes(pads, rotors, fluid, sensors) the person helping me overadjusted the pass. side parking brake shoes. About 10mi down the freeway i smelled brakes, the car pulled heavily, so i pulled off the hwy and sure enough, the pass rear wheel was blazing hot. I continued slowly to work, then had to disassemble the rear brake assembly to adjust, and the brake shoes disintegrated in my hands. Needless to say those got replaced..