Parking Brake System: Description and Operation

PARKING BRAKE

DESCRIPTION

Fig. 94 Parking Brake Lever (Pedal):

The parking brake system is operated by a foot operated parking brake lever. The parking brake lever is mounted on the body of the vehicle to the left of the brake pedal (Fig. 94). It is a automatic-adjusting type lever.

Vehicles without Fold-in-floor seating have four flexible steel parking brake cables. They are:
- Front
- Intermediate
- Left rear
- Right rear

Vehicles with Fold-in-floor seating have three flexible steel parking brake cables. They are:
- Front
- Left rear
- Right rear

The front parking brake cable extends from the parking brake lever. A steel equalizer bracket connects the front parking brake cable to the left rear and intermediate cables on vehicles without Fold-in-floor seating. The equalizer bracket connects the front parking brake cable to the left rear and right rear cables on vehicles with Fold-in-floor seating. The intermediate cable is connected to the right rear cable on vehicles without Fold-in-floor seating. A standard cable connector is used to accomplish this connection.

On vehicles equipped with rear drum brakes, the rear service brakes also act as the vehicle's parking brakes.

Vehicles equipped with rear disc brakes use a small duo-servo brake assembly mounted to the each rear disc brake caliper adapter as the parking brake. The inside of the brake rotor (hat section of drum-in-hat style brake rotor) is used as the parking brake drum.

PARKING BRAKE - EXPORT
The parking brake system on this vehicle features a hand-operated parking brake lever. The lever is located between the two front seats and requires a special front cable.

OPERATION
The automatic-adjusting feature in the foot operated parking brake lever continuously applies minimal tension to the parking brake cables when the parking brake lever is in the released position to keep them in adjustment at all times. Due to this feature, the parking brake cables require no periodic adjustment.

When the parking brake lever is applied, the cables are pulled, thus applying the brake shoes (rear drum brakes) or parking brake shoes (rear disc brakes) at each rear wheel.

The brake shoes are mechanically operated by an internal lever and strut connected to the rear parking brake cables.

An equalizer bracket is used at the rear end of the front parking brake cable to distribute tension equally to each parking brake cable.