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

[Steve M]

Usually, you go with the highest gear ratio:
1st = 2.26
R = 2.90

First - emergency brake.
Second - 1st or R.
Third - Turn the front wheels so that the wheel hits the curb when moving downhill.
Parked.

1st gear is 2.66 on all Vipers up until 2013, when it changed to 2.26. Not that it matters...just pointing it out.

[XSTAR]

Not that this thread needs a ton more testimonials, but I'm going to give one!

Never checked the ebrake pads when I got my new Baer Rotors and Pads a couple months back...got around to it and passenger side looked ok, drivers side (inside pad) was next to nothing!

[theviper]

Thanks to everyone for posting comments. I've had the squeal as well but have used by e-brake less than 10 times. I'm going to see if that is the cause after reading these posts.

[MtnBiker]

Check this out! Had to replace a broken wheel stud today and decided to swap the pads on the e-brake since it was off. Holy crap!! Do this ASAP!



Don't have to be a genius to see which pad was on the right side. This was on left rear. haven't looked at right rear.

[The Snake Charmer]

I've taken apart the parking brake and illustrated the mechanisms causing the problem (https://youtu.be/-aYsAh8vYAo). Please let me know if you have any creative solutions. I may use some gasket maker to hold the driven disk in place on the worm shaft.

If you don't watch the video, essentially the service manual tells you how the parking brake operates. It defines mostly all of the parts and how they work together to operate the parking brake. However, the piston assembly (the root of this problem) is not considered a "serviceable part" in the manual. Taking apart the brake assembly is very easy, with the small exception of a putting it back together will require a little effort to carefully force the return spring back in place, which is locked in place via an O-shaped bracket (all housed inside the piston housing and smothered in grease). Side note, there is another mention of an "automatic adjuster" in the service manual pertaining to the parking brake cable and handle housed under the center console inside the car, but this is a complete distraction from the actual problem with the automatic adjuster pertaining to the piston, worm shaft, and driven disk assembly, all housed inside the caliper.

How this assembly works is that when you pull the parking brake cable, it pulls an operating lever attached to the outside of the caliper, and when you release the parking brake, the operating lever return via an operating lever spring (which is outside the caliper). Via more moving parts the lever essentially causes the worm shaft to extend outward and inward via a return spring (these parts are inside the caliper). Threaded to the worm shaft is a driven disk, and this "drives" the piston. Example, pull parking brake handle up (inside car) , which pulls parking brake cable (run under the car), which pulls operating lever (outside caliper), which engages drive disk and return spring (inside caliper), which pushes worm shaft (inside caliper), and threaded to the worm shaft is a driven disk that directly engages piston causing it to extend outward. Now when you release the parking brake, all of these parts work in reverse, with the small exception that the driven disk only very very very slightly moved up the threaded worm shaft, thus causing the piston to not fully retract to the original location, but very very very slightly more outward than before. Obviously this was engineered to compensate for pad wear over time, thus the piston should indeed need to be extended further to engage the pads with the rotor, or else you would have too much slack in the brake line and would need to pull the brake handle up further and further, but if you don't use your parking brake for drifting, then your pads should last forever (excluding the occasional emergency use that would cause them to wear).

Back to the problem, the driven disk that is threaded to the worm shaft. We need a way to keep the driven disk in place. This is where I think gluing it in place is the most plausible solution, but I'd like to hear other ideas. I'll be painting my calipers and putting everything back together in the coming month, so will let you know soon what I do.

This is my first Viper, and I'm very excited to own this car! I've dreamt of owning one since I was twelve and have been saving up since high school. I graduated college two years ago a got myself a red 2003, in beautiful condition, convertible, 25K miles, all stock. The brakes are my first project to tackle (drilled and slotted rotors, going to paint calipers red with G2, slap a Viper logo, and cover with gloss). I installed Green air filters while waiting for caliper rebuild kits and paint. Next will be to upgrade the sound system, and maybe even a halo lighting system. Maybe way further down the line I may consider more performance parts, but in comparison to my prior cars, my first car was a three speed 355ci '82 Berlinetta Camaro with a 373 differential, headers with straight pipe cutouts (very loud, but very slow and easy to handle), then a six speed '96 Z28 Camaro (quite a bit more power, but I could handle it and only got scared once on a rainy day). Now owning a Viper, I can humbly say this beast bites me every single day, and it is certainly more power than I can handle. I really think it's more of a pretty car than a performance car, so chances are I'll keep it mostly stock and only use it as a cruiser. Granted, I've wanted it since I was twelve, so fingers crossed I don't get too stupid.

[SA Heat]

"I really think it's more of a pretty car than a performance car.....".

You may have bought the wrong car. Be careful. Thanks for the write-up though. It'll be interesting to see if it really works.

[TCurtner]

Had this happen on my Gen 3. I caught it in time and no damage other than an almost worn out inner pad. Only did it on the drivers side on mine. Strange.

Oops...mine too. Just checked today, and pads ordered as inside driver's is....gone. No damage to rotor, as i just heard it squeal when pulling into garage from last outing. How strange this problem!
(hmmmm... i wonder how much weight i could save by removing entire parking brake system and carrying just a couple of plastic chocks??)

[FrgMstr]

"I really think it's more of a pretty car than a performance car.....".

Holy crap, I have heard it all now.

[Vprbite]

All those track records mounted on the wall sure are pretty. I guess I have to agree. : )

[sidwin]

checked mine today and mine are fine. i still ordered a set from chuck. my e brake lifts sky high so perhaps it isn't even doing anything

[viper04blk]

drivers side was nearly gone. Thanks to you guys for posting this. Viper parts rack sent me a replacement set, took 1 day for delivery and half the price of the local dealership.

Now, I need to replace them.

[viper04blk]

This is as far as I got before the sun went down and left me in the dark.



Anyone care to share my next step? This is what I am gathering from the posts I have been reading.

I use a center punch and pound out the shaft (Item 1 in the picture)
Remove the brake pads
Rotate the worm-gear tighten mechanism (item 2 in the picture) to allow for the bigger new pad to fit
re-assemble
Never use e-brake ever again

Is the worm gear the only way to make more room for the new pad? Or do I i need to push the piston in like a typical brake pad driven by fluid?

Is that spring going to go flying when I pound out the shaft?

thanks

[The Snake Charmer]

@viper04blk, DONT pound out the brake pad holding pin! There is a very small hair clip holding it in place. Remove the hair clip with needle nose pliers, loosen the spring that surrond the pad holding pin, and then punch out pad holding pin. I broke off my first hair clip and had to buy a variety pack from orielys that contained a small enough one to replace it. Use a standard brake piston reset tool (free rental from autozone) to push the piston back inside the cylinder. Note, the piston isn't like your hydraulic piston, i.e. this piston is "threaded" to a worm shaft. Therefore pressure alone will not "reset" the piston, but it must also twist/spin clockwise as you push. It's the twisting that'll cause it to retract back in the cylinder.

[viper04blk]

thank you kindly.


I replaced my drivers one. I had aprox 1mm of pad left, so i was real close to damaging the rotor. Passenger side is getting done tonight.

BTW, my piston didnt really have to be screwed back in at all. It completed reset itself the last time I used my emergency brake.

[SA Heat]

My drivers side was the same way....passengers side was like new.

[Tom Sessions]

I've taken apart the parking brake and illustrated the mechanisms causing the problem (https://youtu.be/-aYsAh8vYAo). Please let me know if you have any creative solutions. I may use some gasket maker to hold the driven disk in place on the worm shaft.

If you don't watch the video, essentially the service manual tells you how the parking brake operates. It defines mostly all of the parts and how they work together to operate the parking brake. However, the piston assembly (the root of this problem) is not considered a "serviceable part" in the manual. Taking apart the brake assembly is very easy, with the small exception of a putting it back together will require a little effort to carefully force the return spring back in place, which is locked in place via an O-shaped bracket (all housed inside the piston housing and smothered in grease). Side note, there is another mention of an "automatic adjuster" in the service manual pertaining to the parking brake cable and handle housed under the center console inside the car, but this is a complete distraction from the actual problem with the automatic adjuster pertaining to the piston, worm shaft, and driven disk assembly, all housed inside the caliper.

How this assembly works is that when you pull the parking brake cable, it pulls an operating lever attached to the outside of the caliper, and when you release the parking brake, the operating lever return via an operating lever spring (which is outside the caliper). Via more moving parts the lever essentially causes the worm shaft to extend outward and inward via a return spring (these parts are inside the caliper). Threaded to the worm shaft is a driven disk, and this "drives" the piston. Example, pull parking brake handle up (inside car) , which pulls parking brake cable (run under the car), which pulls operating lever (outside caliper), which engages drive disk and return spring (inside caliper), which pushes worm shaft (inside caliper), and threaded to the worm shaft is a driven disk that directly engages piston causing it to extend outward. Now when you release the parking brake, all of these parts work in reverse, with the small exception that the driven disk only very very very slightly moved up the threaded worm shaft, thus causing the piston to not fully retract to the original location, but very very very slightly more outward than before. Obviously this was engineered to compensate for pad wear over time, thus the piston should indeed need to be extended further to engage the pads with the rotor, or else you would have too much slack in the brake line and would need to pull the brake handle up further and further, but if you don't use your parking brake for drifting, then your pads should last forever (excluding the occasional emergency use that would cause them to wear).

Back to the problem, the driven disk that is threaded to the worm shaft. We need a way to keep the driven disk in place. This is where I think gluing it in place is the most plausible solution, but I'd like to hear other ideas. I'll be painting my calipers and putting everything back together in the coming month, so will let you know soon what I do.

This is my first Viper, and I'm very excited to own this car! I've dreamt of owning one since I was twelve and have been saving up since high school. I graduated college two years ago a got myself a red 2003, in beautiful condition, convertible, 25K miles, all stock. The brakes are my first project to tackle (drilled and slotted rotors, going to paint calipers red with G2, slap a Viper logo, and cover with gloss). I installed Green air filters while waiting for caliper rebuild kits and paint. Next will be to upgrade the sound system, and maybe even a halo lighting system. Maybe way further down the line I may consider more performance parts, but in comparison to my prior cars, my first car was a three speed 355ci '82 Berlinetta Camaro with a 373 differential, headers with straight pipe cutouts (very loud, but very slow and easy to handle), then a six speed '96 Z28 Camaro (quite a bit more power, but I could handle it and only got scared once on a rainy day). Now owning a Viper, I can humbly say this beast bites me every single day, and it is certainly more power than I can handle. I really think it's more of a pretty car than a performance car, so chances are I'll keep it mostly stock and only use it as a cruiser. Granted, I've wanted it since I was twelve, so fingers crossed I don't get too stupid.

What I have seen is it is more of a issue with the cable keeps pressure on the caliper which in turn presses the inboard pad against the rotor causing the wear. If it was the adjustment being to tight it would cause wear on both pads and not just one side. If you look closely at the pads when installed on the car you will see a slight air gap betwen the outboard pad and the rotor.

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

UPDATE GEN 5: Now that G5 owners have accumulates substantial miles, the reports I have heard from several owners is that GEN 5 INNER EBRAKE PADS are also wearing prematurely. {same caliper as G3-4} So Pay Attention to your inner E-pads, and think twice before habitually yarding on your E-brake handle if you are not at risk of rolling away in gear !!!

We do sell half-sets of Epads for $60, all you need. And you can SWAP outers to inners to double the pad life at no cost.

[swexlin]

UPDATE GEN 5: Now that G5 owners have accumulates substantial miles, the reports I have heard from several owners is that GEN 5 INNER EBRAKE PADS are also wearing prematurely. {same caliper as G3-4} So Pay Attention to your inner E-pads, and think twice before habitually yarding on your E-brake handle if you are not at risk of rolling away in gear !!!

We do sell half-sets of Epads for $60, all you need. And you can SWAP outers to inners to double the pad life at no cost.

Good advice Jon. I don't know how the first owner used the Ebrake in the first 7200 miles, but since I've owned it, the only time the Ebrake is used is after a dealer service, or when I am parking on an extreme incline (which is almost never). I usually just leave the car in gear, and I have a wheel chock I keep with me.

[WestminsterSlim]

Good timing on this thread. I am a habitual e-brake user and I noticed a squeaking from the rear brakes on my 06 last time it was out. Sounds like the driver side. Guess I will be crawling underneath tonight to look and hoping for the best. Am I understanding correctly that the 'fix' at this point is to wind this worm gear on the e-brake caliper back in and just avoid the e-brake?

[viper04blk]

Thats what i did. I hope it was the right thing to do

[Steve M]

Good timing on this thread. I am a habitual e-brake user and I noticed a squeaking from the rear brakes on my 06 last time it was out. Sounds like the driver side. Guess I will be crawling underneath tonight to look and hoping for the best. Am I understanding correctly that the 'fix' at this point is to wind this worm gear on the e-brake caliper back in and just avoid the e-brake?

Even with little to no use of the parking brake on mine, the inner pad still rides on the rotor face while the outer pad does not. It might slow it down some, but I don't think it can truly be entirely eliminated.

[viper04blk]

SteveM, when i swapped my pads i noticed that the pads are designed to always drag a bit. i figure i will keep replacing the pad as they fade. Only solution is to use aftermarket ebrake i think.

[JonB ~ PartsRack]

UPDATE: Now that a lot of Gen 5s have some significant mileage on them we are seeing the same issue with the INNER E-brake pads dragging til they die, and start to eat the rotors inside-rear. The problem is "out of sight" until you go look for it. Preventative maintenance on ALL SRT10 Vipers would be to check that inner E-brake pad every 5000 miles or so.....especially of you are a "Habitual" E-brake user..... Yarding on that handle tightens the pads!

You dont have to buy anything, "Once the inner gets thinner"...just swap the inner and outer pads on each side. If its too late, we sell the needed half-a-set of pads for $65.

[WestminsterSlim]

This is on my weekend list. Been putting it off for a bit, but finally going to have the rears off to bleed the system anyways. Intermittent squeaking in the rears when OFF the brakes makes me think I am already dragging. Fingers crossed

[06SRTCoupe]

LMAO...well Jon, it looks like I'll be ordering some pads...and rotors...from you when you get back to work on Monday. I have only had the car about 8 months and less than 3000 miles but the pads are pretty much gone on the inners...and one of the rotors has a slight abrasion on it plus the small squeak. I got