Good day to all, It's been a while, I still have my two HHR's. Still running strong, this post is about my 2009 HHR SS. I am about to give it a full brake job including the rear. As you know the SS models came with rear disc brakes. Anyways, I have a question: Can anyone tell me how to adjust the parking brake on my 2009 Chevy HHR SS after I install the new rear rotors and pads? I am sure the process of installing the new pads and rotors will he straight forward, but the parking brake I am sure will need to he adjusted. I have the cube tool in order to turn the calipers in. I have AC Delco pads and rotors from rockauto all ready to be installed. Unfortunately there is very little information on how to adjust the parking brake on the hhr's and cobalt's if they have rear disc brakes. Just more people chatting about it in forums. If my car had drum brakes, there is a ton of information about that. Any help will be greatly appreciated. I plan on doing this around mid June just want to get educated on this now. I plan on putting 1000 miles on it in July and I want the car to have good brakes on it. Currently there is about 5% of pads left on the rear! Yeah tell me about it. The previous owner never changed out the pads and rotors on the rear so I can imagine what they will look like when i take then off. I can already picture myself in my garage frustrated on trying to figure out how to adjust my parking brake when the whole job is finally finished. I am aware there is an adjustment nut on the pb lever, I do see that but I do not want to mess with that nut and make it worse unless I know what I am doing.

Thanks you in advance to whoever helps me, kind regards🙂

 

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/brak...-brakes-65928/

 

Hey thank you fo this greatly appreciated I will give it a try:)

 

There’s that method in the video I posted. And a trick that I learned years ago working on a ‘90’s Pontiac GTP
I turned the cube tool to retract the piston just enough to put the pads over the rotors and then, I applied the parking brake a couple of times and it worked fine. I now do the same process for any rear disc brake car or truck.

 

Yes I watched this video and thank you for sending. So it isn't as bad as I am guessing? When I did a rear drum brake job on my 06 HHR LT adjusting the parking brake was a nightmare in fact I gave up on it and it is still not right it barely passes inspection. But anyway I will give it a try, if I start getting frustrated I will message you.

Thanks again. Cheers🙂

 

You’re welcome, enjoy the ride!

 

You were saying you applied the parking brake a few times? Do you mean I completly assemble the rear and apply the parking brake from inside of the car to properly seat the e-brake? Is there a possibility I may have to tighten that e-brake handle nut if the handle goes all the way up?

 

Operation CHARM: Car repair manuals for everyone.
Home >> Chevy Truck >> 2009 >> HHR L4-2.4L >> Repair and Diagnosis >> Brakes and Traction Control >> Parking Brake System >> Adjustments >> Parking Brake Adjustment (Disc)

Parking Brake Adjustment (Disc)

Parking Brake Adjustment (Disc)
Warning: Refer to Brake Dust Warning (Brake Dust Warning).

Note: The park brake cable adjusting nut is a nylon lock type. Use ONLY HAND TOOLS whenever tightening or loosening the adjusting nut.




1. Apply and fully release the park brake several times. Verify that the park brake lever releases completely.
2. Turn ON the ignition. Verify the red BRAKE warning lamp is not illuminated.
3. If the red BRAKE warning lamp is illuminated, verify the following:

* The park brake lever is in the fully released position and against the stop.
* There is no slack in the park brake cables.

4. If the red BRAKE warning lamp remained illuminated and there were no other visible causes, refer to Symptoms - Hydraulic Brakes (Symptoms - Hydraulic Brakes).
5. Turn OFF the ignition.
6. Remove the console rear trim plate. Refer to Console Rear Trim Plate Replacement (Service and Repair).
7. With the park brake lever in the released position, loosen the adjusting nut (1) enough to completely relieve tension on the front cable.
8. Raise and support the vehicle. Raise the vehicle just enough to observe the rear calipers and rotate the rear tire and wheel assemblies. Refer to Lifting and Jacking the Vehicle (Service and Repair).
9. With all tension relieved from the park brake cables, rotate the rear tire and wheel assemblies, or the rear brake rotors if the wheels have been removed. Observe the amount of effort required for rotation, and the amount of drag if present.
10. Tighten the park brake cable adjusting nut (1) until all slack is taken out of the front cable.
11. Further tighten the adjusting nut (1) until one of the park brake levers on the rear calipers is just lifted off the stop on the caliper housing.
12. Slowly back off the adjusting nut until the park brake lever just rests on the stop.
13. Back off the adjusting nut one full turn.
14. Fully apply and release the park brake lever 3-5 times.
15. Raise the park brake lever 3 detent positions and attempt to rotate the rear tire and wheel assemblies, or the rear brake rotors.

* If rotating the tire and wheel assemblies, they should be difficult to rotate, but should not be locked.
* If rotating the brake rotors, they should be locked.

16. Raise the park brake lever one additional detent position and attempt to rotate the rear tire and wheel assemblies, or the rear brake rotors. The tire and wheel assemblies, or the rear brake rotors should be locked.
17. Fully release the park brake lever.
18. Verify the park brake is released by rotating the rear tire and wheel assemblies, or the rear brake rotors. The rotors should rotate freely and exhibit no brake shoe drag from the park brake system.
19. With the lever released, if the rotors required more effort to rotate, or exhibited more drag than noted previously when all cable tension was relieved, check the park brake levers on the rear calipers. The levers should be on the stops.
20. If the levers are not against the stops, loosen the adjusting nut just until the levers rest against the stops, then repeat steps 14-18.
21. If the rotors still do not rotate freely, with the park lever fully released, park brake adjustment is not the cause of any drag in the brake system.
22. Lower the vehicle.
23. Install the console rear trim plate. Refer to Console Rear Trim Plate Replacement (Service and Repair).
24. Release the park brake lever.


pro multis · About Operation CHARM

 

Never do that, unless you are replacing the cable and the rear brakes are correctly adjusted!!!! If the rear brakes are adjusted correctly the lever end does not need attention.
The rears are adjusted correctly if you can get 3 clicks on the lever with a firm pull.

 

Don. It’s a SS with 4 wheel discs. No adjustments on the rear brakes like on the drum brake LS, LT.