2000 GT Parking Brake Problem

DaveMinNJ · Jan 6, 2010

Hi all. I have a 2000 Mustang GT that has failed inspection twice due to the parking brake. Two comments were made by the DMV guy. 1) Failure to stop vehicle and 2) Not enough reserve. I dont know what this means but I have had the following repaired since then and it still wont pass inspection. I have replaced both rear calipers, brake pads, rotors, e-brake cables. I am running out of things to replace. Anyone have any ideas what to check next? I need to get through inspection by the end of January. Thanks!

Kilgore Trout · Jan 6, 2010

The parking brakes are just plain weak. I have heard of people having problems in safety inspections with this before. You could try making sure the system is completely bled. Were all those parts installed professionally? You might need to bleed the brake booster, there are two bleed valves on it and it should be bled last.

ChillPhatCat · Jan 6, 2010

Isn't the parking break unrelated to the hydraulic system?

wmburns · Jan 6, 2010

Did you clean and greese the slide pins? The design of the rear brakes is bad about moisture galling the slid pins to the bracket. The prevents full application of the brakes.

Are you aware there was a recall on the 2000 (manual) parking brake?

>>>
Make / Models : Model/Build Years:
FORD / MUSTANG 1994-2001

Service Bulletin Number : 00S37S1
NHTSA Item Number : 616811
Summary Description :
SUBJECT REGARDING PARKING BRAKE CONTROL ASSEMBLY MODIFICATION. *TT

Kilgore Trout · Jan 6, 2010

ChillPhatCat said:
Isn't the parking break unrelated to the hydraulic system?

Hmm good point...

DaveMinNJ · Jan 6, 2010

2000 GT Parking Brake Problem Reply to Thread

Hi. I believe that the pins were properly greased and yes I was aware that there was a recall but I read the bulletin and I dont understand if or how it relates to my problem. If anyone else has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. The only other thought I had was the adjuster mechanism/spring at the e-brake handle. Any thoughts on this being the problem? Thanks!

wmburns · Jan 6, 2010

I assumed that if the parking brake handle pulled up to the limit of its travel, that would have been mentioned.

Otherwise the possibility of cable strech and the need to adjust the slack (from the bolt and cable saddle underneath the car) would have been mentioned.

Are you sure that the rotors aren't too thin? If below specification, even with new pads, there may not be enough adjustment.

DaveMinNJ · Jan 7, 2010

2000 GT Parking Brake Problem Reply to Thread

The parking brake pulls up about 4 or 5 clicks (halfway travel to full position). I believe that the rotors are somewhat new. I will have to look for receipt but I am pretty sure they have never been cut. Anything else you can think of? I am trying to avoid going to the stealership for this problem. Thanks.....

wmburns · Jan 7, 2010

DaveMinNJ said:
Hi all. I have a 2000 Mustang GT that has failed inspection twice due to the parking brake. Two comments were made by the DMV guy. 1) Failure to stop vehicle and 2) Not enough reserve. I dont know what this means but I have had the following repaired since then and it still wont pass inspection. I have replaced both rear calipers, brake pads, rotors, e-brake cables. I am running out of things to replace. Anyone have any ideas what to check next? I need to get through inspection by the end of January. Thanks!

Let’s clarify the problem (hydraulic or mechanical). If you park the car and set the parking brake, can you move the car with the motor?

Next, press and hold the brake pedal to the floor. How far down does it go? Almost to the floor? Does it continue to bleed down slowly when held?

Normally, the term “lack of reserve” applies to the hydraulic master cylinder.

So is it possible that the inspector is calling out two problems? One with the parking brakes the other with the primary system? Further, is it possible that the parking brake is now working but the Master Cylinder still needs attention?

A classic symptom of a bad master cylinder is a slow bleed down of the pedal when held down. The other symptom of a bad MC is extremely hard pedal pressure with ineffective brakes. Only fix is a new MC.

What is the status of the front brakes? Thin pads on the front could also cause a “lack of reserve”.

Note, I agree with you. There is little left to change with regards to the rear brakes.

stangladesh · Jan 7, 2010

There should have been a little more clarification from the inspector

deftsound · Jan 7, 2010

ChillPhatCat said:
Isn't the parking break unrelated to the hydraulic system?

Correct.

If you look under your center console where the arm-rest and handle is you can adjust the parking brake cable to your liking. Its probably just a little stretched out and needs to be tightened up. No biggie, you can do it in 10 minutes...

DaveMinNJ · Jan 7, 2010

wmburns - I am pretty sure that both comments from DMV related to parking brake only. MC seems to be ok, no slow bleed, no hard pedal....

stangladesh - agreed, inspector could have explained the problem to me and could have been more specific on failure notice which brings me to next question? As I could not see how the parking brake was tested, does anyone know how DMV tests the parking brake? I thought that they drive the car about 10 feet and pull on the brake to see if it stops the car. My mechanic who is trying to fix the e-brake does not think that is how it is done (I guess he doesnt know for certain because maybe he never had to go to inspection). I am curious as to their method (the DMV) for testing the brake.....

deftsound - thanks for your thoughts. I will also suggest this to my mechanic....

Kilgore Trout · Jan 7, 2010

Well I may have been wrong when I said to bleed hydraulics but I was correct when I said the parking brakes are weak. It is enough to hold the car in place when stopped but does not really stop the car effectively when moving. Also, the mechanism in the center console is self adjusting and there is no way to manually adjust it.

DaveMinNJ · Jan 7, 2010

KT -exactly. The emergency brake would never stop my car in an emergency and it barely works as a parking brake so, yes, the e-brake system sux. This is my third Mustang and all three have had one problem or another with the e-brake. I am also revisiting the recall and trying to figure out if it may, in some way, be the cause of the problem. Good news is that I just passed inspection but only because the DMV guy was too lazy to get in the car to test the e-brake. I told him I had the cables and calipers replaced and he let me show him the brake was holding. I did my best to fake moving the car (a little rev of the engine with the e-brake on and my foot on the clutch). So I guess all is good. However, I still want to know how DMV tests the e-brake because had I gone back to the normal inspection area, I am pretty sure I would have failed again. Do they try to move the car with the brake on or do they try to stop the car from a roll via the ebrake? I really want my e-brake working the way it is supposed to work. If I were ever to lose the hydraulics brakes there is no way my car would stop quickly with the e-brake. Only inertia or an immovable object would do the trick.

patman0911 · Jan 7, 2010

Don't expect too much from the parking brakes. None of them are really designed to bring a car to a stop quickly in an emergency. At any more than a few miles an hour, the best you can hope is that the back wheels will lock up but that's more effective at starting a drift than slowing your car down.

They should be able to hold your car safely on a hill which is what they're meant for and it should be difficult to pull away with them fully applied.

I'd be curious to know what the test procedure is - too bad you couldn't see it.

Kilgore Trout · Jan 7, 2010

DaveMinNJ said:
I have replaced both rear calipers, brake pads, rotors, e-brake cables.

I am really amazed at all the stuff you replaced and kinda surprised the new cables did not at least help. Was it all professionally installed?

patman0911 · Jan 7, 2010

Yeah, I'm kinda surprised too. You've replaced pretty much everything there is in the system and it should work pretty good. I've found my mustang's parking brake to be no worse than any other car I've had. Maybe a bracket or something is bent or the cable is binding somewhere and not allowing full application of the brakes.

DaveMinNJ · Jan 7, 2010

2000 GT Parking Brake Problem Reply to Thread

KT - yes, all professionally done within the past few months. 2 different mechanics did the work, 3 different mechanics gave me their opinion of the problem. I couldn't even get a general consensus of what the problem was. My real local guy did the brakes and replaced the rotors months ago. When I failed inspection I went to him and he told me one caliper (rear passenger side) was frozen so he replaced it. It didnt fix the problem and I went to another mechanic for a second opinion. He told me it was probably the brake cables, they probably stretched but he couldnt work on my car for a week so I went to a third guy who had done some work on my car b4. He replaced the brake cables. Still no luck. Then he tells me he thinks it must be the other caliper. He replaced that and it still felt the same as b4 I had all the work done. I guess I should have gone to the stealership and taken my lumps just once. I really didnt think it would be rocket science and thought after each attempt it would be fixed. It was the snowball rolling downhill and I didnt have any way to stop it (or was it my car rolling downhill?)

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