eBrake Anomoly: '99 Civic EX Coupe

I have rear drum brakes, and the shoes are wearing out evenly after
68,000 miles (still factory pads and shoes with lots more left!). When I
apply the eBrake, I can distinctly feel the right rear not doing any
braking nearly at all. jacking up the car confirms the lack of eBrake
action on right rear. What could possible be the cause? Cable dislodged
from one of it's guides? I am changing my oil today and will creep
underbody and look around.

Thanks

 

I have once seen those symptoms. On that car so much rust had formed
inside the sleeve that the brake wire could not move. The adjustment nut
for the parking brake at the rear end of the center console. You may
have to remove the ash tray to be able to see it. Look in there while
you operate the parking brake and see if both the left and right wires
are moving freely.

 

I crept under the car and saw no defect in the cable assembly or
attchement points. Last month I opened up the drums and saw clean
internals, no rust, or brake fluid residue. So I assume everything is in
good shape. I have not inspected the equalizer bar behind the eBrake
lever, so I'll do that next.

I jacked the rear up again yesterday and compared the clamping power of
the two rears. There is braking applied to the right, just not as much
as the left. So eBraking has bias towards driver side. A couple months
ago, I confirmed this by pulling eBrake on a dirt road at low speed and
say only skid marks on driver side. I think I couldn't make the right
rear to lock up under eBrake

Does rolling back on an incline, then applying eBrake, activiate a self
adjustment? Or is my best bet at the ends of the cable (equalizer bar,
or attachment to backing plate)?

Thanks!

 

In Hondas I've seen, there's only one adjustment at the equalizer bar - IOW
it adjust the position of the middle of the bar on the handbrake mechanism
and therefore adjusts both cables. You'll be able to see if the equalizer
bar is cocked to one side though - it's rarely exactly balanced.

I have no experience with or manuals for your car but on other Honda
manuals I have, you set the self-adjustment by pressing the brake pedal a
few times. If you can't find anything else, it's possible that the
self-adjustment mechanism is not turning properly, either because the
adjuster is tight or not lubed enough in the threads of the clevis rod or
the adjusting lever is not hitting the rachet teeth properly. Possibly the
rachet teeth on the adjuster are damaged or worn.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??