Before I get flamed for not knowing this, my dad is 400 miles away and called to ask me how he adjusts his parking brake. I think I know but I just figured I would check in with my boys first. He has a 2003 Sierra 2500HD 2wd CCSB duramax. Thanks for all your help. I'll just forward the info to him.

 

nobody . . . really?

 

on all the trucks i've worked on there are steel cables that run to the back. you can tighten the nut on the lines where they come together. Hope this helps. I'd snap a pic and attach it if it wasnt dark out.

 

Tools Required

J 21177-A Drum-to-Brake Shoe Clearance Gauge

Caution: Refer to Brake Dust Caution in the Preface section.

Important: The park brake shoes must be adjusted before the park brake pedal is adjusted.




Set the J 21177-A so that it contacts the inside diameter of the rotor.



Position the J 21177-A over the shoe and the lining at the widest point.
Turn the adjuster nut until the lining just contacts the J 21177-A .
Repeat steps 1-3 for the opposite side.
The clearance between the park brake shoe and the rotor is 0.6604 mm (0.026 in).
Park Brake Pedal Adjustment

Important: Before you adjust the park brake, verify that the park brake shoes are adjusted to provide a clearance of 0.6604 mm (0.026 in).

Verify that the self adjuster lock-out pin has be removed.
Fully apply and release the park brake pedal 3 times.

 

I don't have the special tool, so I do it by feel on my truck. Does your father's truck have rear disc? (not sure about the 2500's). If so, he has to remove the caliper, caliper bracket, and rotor, then turn the adjuster that's on the inside. If there's a rusty lip on the rotor where the parking brake shoe slides in, he'll want to file that off. Then it's a matter of adjusting, slipping the rotor on, taking it off, adjusting, etc. What I've done is to adjust it until the shoe just rubs on the inside of the rotor, then back it off a little bit so that there's no contact. My e-brake is nice and tight and is fully engaged at about half of it's swing.

The early trucks had a problem with the e-brake shoe retaining clip breaking, causing the shoe to shift and rub against the inside of the rotor, sometimes taking out both the shoe and rotor. There's a TSB and new e-brake clip available to remedy this...I'm pretty sure that the 03's weren't affected by I can't remember for sure. If your dad's e-brake suddenly went to the floor or became inoperative, there's a possibility that this is his issue.

 

The HD rear parking brake setup is actually a mini drum brake setup. The have seperate shoes, not the single u-shaped shoe like the 1/2 tons.

 

Ahhh, I see, so is there an access hole on the backing plate like typical drum brakes?