Heed Jon B's warning on 2003-2010 emergency brake issue

[aspman]

So you just leave it in gear when youre out in public?.....I can see it in the garage.I always set it because I never knew this was a problem.

[Steve M]

So you just leave it in gear when youre out in public?.....I can see it in the garage.I always set it because I never knew this was a problem.

Out in public I usually do set the brake (unless I'm just getting gas), but I rarely leave it out in public...it spends most of its parked time in my garage, where it sits without the e-brake engaged.

[Voice of Reason]

Does anyone know if this has been resolved on the Gen V? It looks like the same parking brake setup so now I'm worried, I set mine every time I get out of the car.

[Mamba52]

Just remove them like I did. Saved weight too. When I park on a hill I turn the front wheels into the curb or away and place the car in first gear. No more problems for me.

[MI Viper]

So you just leave it in gear when youre out in public?.....I can see it in the garage.I always set it because I never knew this was a problem.

Yep,
Public or not, not sure why that matters.... In 1st gear, that is ALOT of compression to over come. Are you concerned about it jumping out of gear? I rotated our pads when I checked ours, (rotated driver's side pads inner to outer) and the pads have been just kinda floating since, have NOT used the E-brake since. Thanks to JonB. for helping with this problem.

[Ginja]

Just checked my 2004, both outers fine, both inners seriously borderline - so pleased this thread was started!! Thanks!

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

Does anyone know if this has been resolved on the Gen V? It looks like the same parking brake setup so now I'm worried, I set mine every time I get out of the car.

See my reply post # 19 in this thread.....

The bigger issue is, why yank-yard on the E-brake if you are not having an E ?!? Every time you pull it, the caliper tightens tension on the pads. If you only use it when you risk rolling away, then you are not habitually, unnecessarily adjusting it tighter.

Don't use in your garage, flat parking lots, etc. No gravity at play? Don't set the brake, just leave in LOW gear 1-2-R. Morton IL is flatland?! I mean you're not in SanFran / Seattle?!? Mandatory E-brakes there, wheels-cocked as Mamba 52 sez.

If you just drop the 'habit' and think first, the problem can be avoided. As a bonus, think of this: The clamped E-brake caliper retains/soaks HEAT while rest of the rotor cools much faster. Over time this can help warp the older rotor into a 'waffle-edged' shape, casuing it to pulse on braking. Stop habitual E-brake use for THAT reason alone, unless needed!

[Sonoman]

So after all is said and done, we have decided the best solution to the draggy parking brake is...
Trash Can.jpg
Correct??

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

Yep,
Public or not, not sure why that matters.... In 1st gear, that is ALOT of compression to over come. Are you concerned about it jumping out of gear? I rotated our pads when I checked ours, (rotated driver's side pads inner to outer) and the pads have been just kinda floating since, have NOT used the E-brake since. Thanks to JonB. for helping with this problem.

Just checked my 2004, both outers fine, both inners seriously borderline - so pleased this thread was started!! Thanks!

GLAD to be of help on this point, [for YEARS now considering the old forum.]

SRT OWNERS NOTE: If you DON'T check your inner E-brake pads SOONER.......you may regret it LATER. Especially if you ruin expensive ACR or Track-Pack 2pc rotors.


The immediate-cheap fix is to rotate SRT E pads inner-to-outer / visa-versa.
Next stage is $60 for half-a-set of new E-pads, or two-guys SPLIT a $118 full set!

[TowDawg]

Twice in 63k miles? I WISH I could that long! I flip inside to outside and still get maybe 10-12k miles out of a set. And I VERY RARELY ever use the parking brake. I think I've heard that cars that get tracked eat through them a lot fast though due to deflection. Hopefully I can go a bit longer on a set now that the Viper's track days are finished (or at least very limited).

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

Yes Indeed, if you track your SRT10 the situation seems to be evenworse. I suspect its due to extreme rotor heat destroying any lube the mechanical E-caliper has. And there is little-no airflow on the E-caliper.

Bill P only got 7000 miles on his pads and 'never uses his e-brake' in the Nebraska Flatlands....

[Sonoman]

Bill P only got 7000 miles on his pads and 'never uses his e-brake' in the Nebraska Flatlands....

I very rarely set mine either and it seems to be still dragging after multiple trips taken. Seems to imply that while not setting the parking brake may reduce the dragging problem, it does not eliminate it. Man, I hate messing with the brake system, especially considering it takes considerable grip for a disc parking brake to lock the car in place long-term. Drum brakes actually do better as a parking brake since they tend to "bind-up" to the stationary drum and lock the car in place. My old 911 had a small drum brake inside the disc rotor to serve as a parking brake, a feature later in common use as 4-wheel discs became popular. Also, because any defect in the hydraulics can cause it to leak-down and lose pressure over an extended time period, the cable operated mechanical system is much safer for a parking brake/e-brake.

All that said, it would sure be nice if someone with brake expertise would look at this setup and figure a way to at least reduce the auto-tensioning feature to something less aggressive, or better still-- improve the released retraction so that it doesn't drag (which is generally a requirement in the adjustment procedure for every other parking brake I have seen).

[Jay M]

Thanks for this reminder. About a year ago a friend pointed that issue out to me, and mine indeed were worn on the inside. Thankfully they hadn't dmaged the rotors yet, they were covered on the extended warranty. It's been about a year now, so I better look at them again.

I hate to dump on our cars, and Chrysler, but in 2004 shouldn't they have figured out how to build an e-brake?

~Jay

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

I am pretty sure a couple of my older, other brands (Jag and Mitsu) used an inboard axle-stopping park-brake mechanism. The diff helps the braking!


A replacement mechanical, non-self-adjusting SRT E-brake kit would be $600....but 2 damaged ACR rotors cost $525.

[ViperGeorge]

I believe Mark at IPSCO (site sponsor) is working on a solution. I've replaced both sides on my ACR twice, every 7000 miles. Also did my vert once but its not tracked like my ACR.

[ohlarikd]

Hmm, my car is hibernating, but I will have to remember to check this. Can you see the inside caliper without removing the wheel (stock 2005 10 spokes)? No biggie, just curious if I can see it, but I doubt it.

By flipping the pads, the suggestion is just to get a little more life out of a PAIR, correct? There is not something special about the outside pad? I have constantly heard a slight squeak from the right side of my car when moving slowly in traffic, when I can hear sound bounce off other cars back at me. So I wonder if this is the rear ebrake caliper now...

[Sonoman]

Yes, flipping just gets you a longer pair life. That squeak at very low speeds can be the e-brake (mine had it), but it can also be from other sources such as the main brake pads. Mine would do it consistently pulling into the garage last summer. I used a water mist bottle in the driveway to figure out it was a disc brake (and which wheel was squeaking), then swapped the e-brake pads.

On my sidewinder wheels it is possible to see the inner pads with a light and an inspection mirror (tiltable round mirror on a shaft).

Hmm, my car is hibernating, but I will have to remember to check this. Can you see the inside caliper without removing the wheel (stock 2005 10 spokes)? No biggie, just curious if I can see it, but I doubt it.

By flipping the pads, the suggestion is just to get a little more life out of a PAIR, correct? There is not something special about the outside pad? I have constantly heard a slight squeak from the right side of my car when moving slowly in traffic, when I can hear sound bounce off other cars back at me. So I wonder if this is the rear ebrake caliper now...

[DreadLox]

Hmmm... Well I have my car on display at a Quaker Steak for the winter... And the Emergency brake has been on for a few months, could this potentially cause a problem?

[Sonoman]

No problem, it is just that every time you set the parking brake it can slightly increase the tension on the e-brake due to an auto-adjustment feature. The intent was, as the pads wear, the auto-adjust would take out any cable slack so that the parking brake handle would not have to be pulled up farther and farther as the pads wore down. With auto-adjust, the e-brake pressure is always consistent with a given travel of the brake lever handle. Not a bad idea, but in this case it seems to be overcompensating a bit. Also, the caliper itself may have an issue with not retracting the pads sufficiently when the e-brake is released, resulting in a steady light drag of the e-brake especially on the inner pad.

Hmmm... Well I have my car on display at a Quaker Steak for the winter... And the Emergency brake has been on for a few months, could this potentially cause a problem?

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

Hmm, my car is hibernating, but I will have to remember to check this. Can you see the inside caliper without removing the wheel (stock 2005 10 spokes)? No biggie, just curious if I can see it, but I doubt it.

By flipping the pads, the suggestion is just to get a little more life out of a PAIR, correct? There is not something special about the outside pad? I have constantly heard a slight squeak from the right side of my car when moving slowly in traffic, when I can hear sound bounce off other cars back at me. So I wonder if this is the rear ebrake caliper now...

YES, and YES! Just approach the E-caliper from underneath and behind, with a good flashlight. You can see the inner pads inside that E-caliper. My bet is that your inner SRT10 E-pads are very much thinner than the outers. Due to dragging. If so, you can SWAP them In-Out for no cost, to use em up. But this fixes nothing. The inner pad will 'probably always' drag. Especially if you are an habitual-E-braker.

The slight scuff-scuff sound becomes a squeal when its too late....the E-pad can be down to metal, and damage the rotor.

[CaptainDavid]

Does anybody have a "How To for Dummies" on replacing or swapping the epads ?? I'll check mine tonight, I've been using the ebrake often and unnecessarily, 5000 miles on the car....
Thanks guys

[Steve M]

Does anybody have a "How To for Dummies" on replacing or swapping the epads ?? I'll check mine tonight, I've been using the ebrake often and unnecessarily, 5000 miles on the car....
Thanks guys

It's not too bad...make sure the e-brake handle is down and remove the caliper (it is held in place by two bolts, one will be an allen head). You'll be able to remove the pads at that point, but if you install new pads, you'll need to retract the piston...I used a pair of needle nose pliers with a 90° tip. There are two holes on the piston you can insert the pliers into...push down and turn clockwise to retract it. They do make a special tool just for this purpose, but the one I bought (from Harbor Freight) was not compatible with the hole size and spacing on the Viper's e-brake piston.

Assemble everything in reverse order, and that's it. You'll have to pull the e-brake handle a few times to extend the piston enough to reengage the e-brake.

I always leave one side assembled for a quick reference when I inevitably forget how something is supposed to go back together.

[CaptainDavid]

Thanks Steve M, got it !!!

[Steve M]

I believe Mark at IPSCO (site sponsor) is working on a solution. I've replaced both sides on my ACR twice, every 7000 miles. Also did my vert once but its not tracked like my ACR.

Is there any validity to this? I'd certainly be interested to see what someone can come up with...

[Viktimize]

See my reply post # 19 in this thread.....

The bigger issue is, why yank-yard on the E-brake if you are not having an E ?!? Every time you pull it, the caliper tightens tension on the pads. If you only use it when you risk rolling away, then you are not habitually, unnecessarily adjusting it tighter.

Don't use in your garage, flat parking lots, etc. No gravity at play? Don't set the brake, just leave in LOW gear 1-2-R. Morton IL is flatland?! I mean you're not in SanFran / Seattle?!? Mandatory E-brakes there, wheels-cocked as Mamba 52 sez.

If you just drop the 'habit' and think first, the problem can be avoided. As a bonus, think of this: The clamped E-brake caliper retains/soaks HEAT while rest of the rotor cools much faster. Over time this can help warp the older rotor into a 'waffle-edged' shape, casuing it to pulse on braking. Stop habitual E-brake use for THAT reason alone, unless needed!

I use my e-brake for parking, because it is the only parking brake the car has. And leaving it in gear is not a brake, nor what you're supposed to do.

Now that I know of this issue I will go against my better judgement and just start parking it in gear, but it would be great to get a fix for this so we can use our parking brakes as designed. Some places you will actually get a ticket if bylaw walks by your car and sees that the parkign brake is not engaged.