How do I tighten the Emergency Brake?

I recently noticed that my E-brake isn't very tight. Meaning... unless I push it down all the way to the floor it will not stop the car from rolling. How do I fix this issue.

Thanks,

-Dave

This usually means the rear shoes are not adjusted properly. You will need to remove the rear tires and adjust the rear shoes closer to the drums. It's hard to explain without showing someone in person. What you are looking for is slight drag. When you think you have it close, apply and release the E-brake a few times and check it again. This will center the shoes so you will have the proper adjustment.

An added benefit is that this will also decrease your stopping distance under hard braking. I routinely adjust my rear brakes at every second oil change.

If I remember right the rear shoes have a little self adjusting mechanism in them, but I could be wrong on that point. If your cable is loose the adjustment for that is at the rear drivers side front subframe body mount (right were the front cable attaches to the center cable). You can take up a small amount of slack in this area, but remember that the emergency brake cables are not supposed to be tight like the string on a fiddle unless it is engaged.

If the self-adjuster is working properly, get going pretty good in reverse and apply the brakes firmly; do it a couple of times and see if it makes any difference. If the self-adjustment doesn't work, it's probably a good idea to pull the rear drums and check the brake shoes for wear and the self-adjuster mechanism. If everything is okay, manually adjust the brake shoes for a slight drag and then check the cable adjustment for too much slack.

Thanks for the quick answers. I'll try to get to it this weekend.

-Dave

if it's just the e-brake you can adjust the cable right under the car
i think it's right under where you sit pretty much.