How do you adjust the parking brake on a 1999 olds intrigue?

Answer 1

Underneath your vehicle, a steel threaded cable comes from the back of one hub and is joined by a short cable from the other hub--then the original cable runs to a threaded end with an adjuster nut in it--and one smaller nut on the end outside of that--(this is the equalizer bar)--you'll see it real close to your transmission. You might have to jack-up the back of the vehicle??? Pull the parking brake lever up sharply and then release it. Pull the parking brake lever to the second click and leave it there. You're looking for a slight drag of the brake shoes when you spin the wheels. To increase the drag, get under at the equalizer bar and turn the adjusting nut to take up the slack in the cables. Get out and spin the rear wheels if you think it's to tight. I will say don't be afraid to crank on it for a while as in this case, a little adjustment really does not go a long way. When you think you have the drag right, go back in the car and pull the brake up the the fourth click. At this point the wheels should be locked and you should not be able to turn them even when trying hard. If you can, tighten them up a little more. Once you've done this, release the brake and make sure the wheels spin freely. If they are still binding due to the parking brake, back off the adjustment a little. And that's basically the whole adjustment procedure. !!! IMPORTANT ADDITION !!! Unless something changed drastically between 1998 and 1999 (which I doubt), there are a few things wrong with the above answer: 1) The parking brake is not a lever you pull. It is a pedal you push. 2) The adjustment is not anywhere near the transmission. It is behind the gas tank, slightly closer to the driver's side than center. The two cables from the two rear parking brakes come together at this point, and join to the cable that then goes up front to the pedal. ALSO IMPORTANT, make sure you spin BOTH wheels after adjusting. They should spin freely and you should not hear any noise from the brake rubbing. If necessary, re-adjust. Do NOT leave the shoes in contact at rest. The parking brake is actually a drum brake mechanism inside the rear rotors! There are seprate shoes inside this drum that operate completely independantly from the rear disc brake calipers/shoes. If you overadjust and cause these shoes to wear out, you'll end up with metal-on-metal and will need to replace the rear rotors/drums even though the rotors for the main disc brakes may be fine....so take care. I also believe there is a separate mechanism for adjusting the shoes directly, however, it has been my experience has been that the shoes themselves stay adjusted pretty darn well, but the cable to the foot-pedal streatches over time, thus the need to adjust the cable at the equalizer (operates somewhat like a turnbuckle)...but with a single nut you turn over a threaded shaft.