How to Make Parking Brake Adjustments in a Chevy Silverado

When your Chevy Silverado truck's parking brake does not hold the truck in place after use, follow these simple steps to adjust the parking brake. Make your adjustment at home with a few tools and a jack stand for your truck to save you time and money and avoid taking your car to the mechanics. Use this adjustment technique on trucks that are year 2001 or older.

Things You'll Need

  • Jack stand and jacks
  • Tire iron
  • Screwdriver or star shaped socket

Adjust the Parking Brake Automatically

  • Press down on the parking brake pedal, which is on the far left floor of the driver's side of the vehicle. The vehicle has automatic cable adjusters that remove the slack from the parking brake cables.

  • Release the parking brake pedal by pressing down again with your foot on the pedal.

  • Repeat Steps 1 and 2 three times to allow the park brake cable equalizer to take the slack out of the parking brake cables.

Adjust the Parking Brake Manually

  • Raise the rear end of your Chevy Silverado with jacks and a jack stand. Remove the rear tires using a tire iron to loosen and unscrew the lug nuts.

  • Insert your head in the wheel well and locate the star shaped adjuster nut inside the top of the back part of the wheel well.

  • Use your screwdriver or star shaped socket to unscrew the nut until 5mm of threads are showing.

  • Replace the tire by screwing the lug nuts back into place with the tire iron.

  • Repeat Steps 2, 3 and 4 for the second rear wheel.