Jeep: 1996 grand chero emergency brake, mirror images, proper shoe

Question
I have a 1996 grand Cherokee that i just purchased. i replaced the rear brake, but i am having a problem with my e brake. the e brake holds fine in reverse, but does not hold at all in forward. do you know anything i can do to fix or adjust this? Thank you in advance for your help, Danny

Answer
Dan,

I've seen this happen often enough, and normally the cause is incorrect installation -- I've even done this myself;) First make sure that the primary shoe (the smaller of the two) is closest to the front of the vehicle -- on both sides. That means on the drivers side, it's on the left, and on the passenger side, it's on the right. Forgive me for sounding patronizing -- I know that I've done it myself, not paying attention, and I've never seen anyone immune to this :)

Since it's purely mechanical, it should be pretty straightforward. The cable runs into the backing plate, and attaches to the park brake lever. When you pull the brake handle (or foot pedal), the movement of the lever forces the two shoes apart. Double check each side -- they should be mirror images, exactly opposite. Barring that, make sure that the cable is adjusted properly, the levers are attached to the proper shoe, and that both drums are being actuated.

Good luck!