i got new front brakes about a month ago...the place i got them from also adjusted by rear brakes and my parking brake...after i got it back it took less clicks to pull it back.....but now it feels like it takes more....does it need to be adjusted again? is it too soon? is something wrong?

 

They are self-adjusting. Slowly back up in reverse and pull the e-brake to stop the car. Do this a couple of times, and your e-brake should now be tighter.

 

I just leave mine parked in the garage and keep pulling up on the ebrake handle until ut eventually gets down to about 5-7 clicks. I never needed to go in reverse to adjust mine.

 

do you use it everytime you park or just on a step incline (i have an auto tranny)?

 

I use the parking break wherever I park for the added good feeling it gives me that people can't push my car, I also leave it in 1st whenever it's parked. I didn't realize you had an auto tranny and I don't have any experience with that sort of break. is it a hand break in the middle of the console or is it I foot thing by the kick panel? I've never looked at an auto tranny 4runner so I don't know. in your case I'd pick up a haynes manual and follow their procedure for adjusting. I wouldn't touch the jam nuts on the cable that connnects to the handle. I messed with mine and had a heck of a time trying to get to wrenches into the little console slot so I ended up pulling the console off then tightening them and them putting the console back in.

 

the parking brake is located just below the starter to the left of the radio....you just pull it straight out from the dash...i have a fsm and tells how to adjust but i was more concerned that it was adjusted like a month ago and now it feals kinda loose (it is supposed 'click' 13-19 times as you pull it out @ 196 N as if i could measure it....after it was adjusted it was within that now it is like 20-25 clicks

sorry for the confusion.....i naivily assumed the parking brakes were the same for both manuals and autos....after all i did just graduate from junior member to member status

thanks for your help

 

The parking brake for both transmissions is the same.

Typically, the rear drum brakes need to be serviced every 7500 miles. ( Every other oil change ) They are designed to be self adjusting, when appling the brake in reverse. However this type of brake was designed many years ago, and either it never worked well, or driving habits have limited it usefulness. Some people do claim to have success in adjusting the brake with the e-brake lever, but i myself find it easier to just pull the rear drums off and adjust them manually with a flat blade srew driver.

 

everything from the cable to the rear drums is the same. the tacos have the handle where yours is these days. I would assume you could do it the same way. I never need to service mine every 7500 miles because I use the ebrake everytime I park the runner so it stays adjusted. the auto adjusters are adjusted two automatic ways and two manual ways. the two automatic ways are the backing-up method and the pulling the ebrake handle. the two manual methods are the inspection slot on the back of the backing plate and, as jay says, pulling the drum. I don't like the drum pulling method since it's a pretty tight fit once the shoes are in such close tolerance with the id of the drum when you go to put the drum back on, and also that way it is possible to spread the shoes too far out and the drum won't go back on so then you have to turn the star the other way to bring the in a little. I have also accidentally spread them too far when adjusting through the slot in the backing plate and bound them up on the drum. that was a pain to get undone. I ended up install the two bolts on the face of the drum and tightening them to push the drum off. the ebrake handle works like a charm if you use it all the time, the only time I've had to adjust for click-count is when I change the shoes. since you have an auto, it doesn't you usually don't use it. I can actually hear the autoadjuster click while pulling the handle when I am trying to adjust it. if it gets to where I have more than about 8 clicks I pull the handle way up until I here a click in the drums and it's adjusted again. If were you I would give it a shot by just sitting in the garage and pulling the handle (keeping the button pushed and turned clockwise) until you here it click in back, I usually give it about 10 pulls like this. my wife has a '99 taco 4x4 5 speed and her brake handle is the same as yours and I've adjusted her's this way too.