Does anyone have a number of someone I can use to help get my jeep re-registered? The emergency brakes are not working properly and they will not pass the car. PM me if necessary.

what's wrong with the e brake?

Any competent mechanic should be able to get you up to speed, or you could invest about 30 minutes on youtube and learn everything there is to know about brake repair.

Me fussing with brakes is not a good idea! I cannot even change a tire.

Anyway, I found someone to help me. Thanks for the responses!

Am I the only one thinking that fixing the brake is a bit more important than trying to subvert the vechile inspection process? Crikey! Please tell me you have REALLY good insurance coverage.

It is the emergency brake-- it works well enough to hold the car in place when parked on a hill but it doesn't hold the car still when the car is put in reverse. So I don't think it's that serious of a problem but it won't pass since they are being sticklers about the emergency brake...and I cannot afford right now to spend $100's of dollars on fixing something that does mostly work or not be able to drive the car because I can't get it registered....

try cleaning the brake pad on the back drum brake- usually just on the back left (and for those "experts" even disk brakes have an inside drum or caliper for the emergency. remember that reverse is geared differently then forward. There is a take up turnbuckle on the cable- 1/2" more tension can accomplish suprising result- if they are reusted- soak for 24 hours with PB Blaster......Then go get it regged.

Just a note about self-adjusting drum brakes (the ones most cars have in the rear, to which the parking brake is integral):

The self-adjusting mechanism works every time you apply the brakes while travelling in reverse. Some people who have regular driving patterns that don't involve travelling any distance in reverse or applying the brakes while in reverse won't actuate the self-adjusting mechanism, with the result that the brakes will be out of adjustment. Since the parking brake acts on only one shoe (of the two in the drum) its performance will deteriorate dramatically.

Solution, if you have rear drum brakes: back up deliberately (more than just an idle in reverse) and apply the brakes gently but firmly several times. If your brakes are severely out of adjustment it will take many repetitions (usually ~20 but maybe 40+) to get them back into adjustment, but they'll get there eventually.

Last year I bought a truck from a man who took meticulous care of it, but he had a horseshoe driveway both at home and at work, so most days he NEVER needed to back up and brake. The parking brake was hopeless, but I looked at the shoes and they were in great shape. I spent 15 minutes backing and braking in my yard and noticed an improvement. After that I altered my parking habit to back and brake whenever I could, and the parking brake works as new.

Good luck.

They don't check the emergency brake...no worries.

Quote
vicanuck
They don't check the emergency brake...no worries.

Always have when I've gone - on STT. But as with other checks it probably depends on who the inspector is.

Quote
vicanuck
They don't check the emergency brake...no worries.

They also check it on STX...almost had another car fail two weeks ago because I didn't pull up the brake hard enough (see previous posts in the thread)

What year and model Jeep is it?

yes they check the eme. brakes. put brake on and rev engine. it has to hold. the guy who stands there checking must have a death wish

I'll be darned...never once have they asked me to do that.