I adjusted the emergency brakes tonight. Each hub was spinning freely, then the right side started binding up. I thought the e-brake shoes were sticking so I adjusted them some more and that didn't make a difference. Then the thought occurred that it was the transmission. So I pushed the clutch in and put it in neutral and that fixed the problem. As I readjusted the brakes again it started binding up again on the right side. It gets to the point where I have to put a 2x4 between the lug bolts for leverage to turn the rotor.

The left side turns freely.

I don't know if I have damaged something, or maybe it will just correct itself next time I start the car. That's probably just wishful thinking though. I can turn the right side rotor about a 1/4 turn then it binds up.

 

Could the cable be binding? Did you adjust to two clicks on the handle?

 

It could be. The parking brake wasn't working at all to begin with. I adjusted it with the lever down though. Maybe I messed that part up and should have had the lever up two clicks while adjusting it?

Also, this thought occurred to me when I woke up this morning. I had to remove the calipers and the rotors. The inspection hole on the rotor was not lined up with the hole on the hub so I wasn't able to adjust them. I banged the hell out of the rotor from the back with a block of 2x4 and a sledge hammer. It is possible I bent the rotor and now it is binding up on the brake pads on the caliper when I turn it? I thought rotors were pretty brittle and it probably would have just broken in half before it bent.

 

So, I just pulled the caliper off again. Once the caliper is off, the rotor spins freely. No binding whatsoever. Not sure if it's a problem with the caliper or if I really did bend the rotor. It doesn't look bent from looking at it, but it would be hard to tell anyways I think.

Update:
I put the caliper back on the left side and it binds up there too. I must have damaged the rotors. I can't imagine it's a problem with the calipers. I didn't do anything to them.

 

And I don't have the little screws that attach the rotor to the hub. They weren't on there to begin with. Could not having the screws, cause the rotor to sit unevely on the hub?

 

Use a couple of lug nuts to hold the rotor flat against the hub and see if the problem goes away.

 

Yea, I just posted another thread about it. I'll try that tomorrow after work. I spent so much time on this, this weekend I've been over thinking it...I think

thanks man

 

if you hit the rotor surface where the pads contact you could have warped it which would cause a pulsation in the brake pedel when driving.

Like AScholtes said you can use a couple lug nuts to seat the rotor when adjusting the park brake.

park brake adjustment can be a bit of a pain...I normally start loose and slowly tighten it up. You may want to road test a couple times to see how it holds after everything seats.

 

Yea, i just need to do what he said and torque it down with some lug nuts to get it fully seated, then turn it to see if it still binds up. I don't know why I didn't think of that earlier.

 

you can also remove each parking brake cable from each respective caliper and test for binding by hand. have someone pull the parking brake lever up and see if each cable operates without sticking. you should also be able to work each cable by hand and ensure each moves freely.