How do you adjust the emergency brake on a 1998 blazer?

Answer 1

You have my sympathies, I'm going thru this myself on my 98 Blazer 4DR 4X4. The info I'm providing is both painful first experience and from the Chilton/Haynes book. Buy one, it's worth the $35 investment! The primary adjustment is beneath the driver-side door outside the frame. There is a "spoon" where two cables come together: the nut and threaded portion is your adjuster. Over time it may have rusted, so procede with patience. BE SURE to use a penetrating oil if it is rusty, otherwise you're sure to break it. 1) Park the vehicle on ground as level as possible to avoid unwanted rolling. Block the LF and RR tires, then jack up the LR corner. Do not remove the wheel. 2) Push your e-brake pedal down to the 4th click. Use locking pliers to hold the cable end of the threaded rod (it's squared for gripping), then tighten the nut on the rear end of the spoon a bit. Remember: if it's rusty, you've got to work it loose first, then adjust it. Don't fight the rust: work the nut forward and back to break the rust loose, then tighten in small increments. Use more penetrating oil to both provide more lube and to wash the loose rust away. Keep lots of rags handy. 3) Put the tranny in neutral and turn the lifted tire. If it turns freely, tighten the adjuster some more. Continue this pattern until slightresistance is felt at the tire. 4) Released the park brake and turn the tire, it should turn freely. Remove the jack and move the blocks to RF and LR. Jack up the RR and make sure the tire turns freely. Remove the jack. 5) Push the park brake pedal down until it stops. It should be about 13 clicks. 6) Remove the tire blocks. Start the car, put it in gear and allow it to roll a bit. Push down the e-brake pedal. The car should stop smoothly within those 13 clicks. If the pedal goes further, repeat steps 1 thru 4. Make sure that the e-brake does not drag after you've made what you consider to be the final adjustment. IMPORTANT: there adjusters on the brake backing plates, but they're for evenness, not braking or holding strength. These should be left to the dealer to adjust. FYI, the adjuster on my Blazer was so rusty I had to break it and replace the RR cable. Unfortunately, the replacement cable was after-market and 3 inches too short. RATS! I'm still waiting for my new one from a dealer. Hope you have better luck than me! Cheers, y'all!