mushy parking brake and brake life

[anmrivera]

Mine is mushy and goes to the floor easily too, and has from day one. I figured it was normal, I guess I should have it looked at and get it tightened up.

[smithleedave@aol.com]

Hello,
The only time your rear brakes adjust is when you back up and stop completely. Here is what I do when I adjust my rear brakes. I put the emergency brake on about three clicks. I then go to the back side of the rear wheels and adjust the star wheel until I no longer can turn it. This would be in a counter clockwise rotation. You can only turn the star wheel in one direction unless you hold the arm for the auto adjuster out of the way( you would hold the arm out of the way and turn the star wheel clockwise to join the rear brake shoes closer together to remove the drums). If you can turn the star wheel without forcing it you are going the correct way, use a flashlight and watch the wheel turn, believe me you will know, it will turn easy. Do both sides, when you are done you have just adjusted your rear brakes equally and the e-brake should be at about three or four clicks when you use it. This is the best way to adjust your rear brakes. The best thing about using this method is you know that your rear brakes are adjusted equally and your ebrake level will be three or four clicks, and your brake pedal will be much higher and firmer. I also once a year on all my vehicles, pressure bleed the brake system, the key word here is pressure.