How to Make Parking Brake Adjustments in a Chevy Impala

Make adjustments to your Chevy Impala parking brake to save you time and money. You need to raise the rear of the car to perform this adjustment. This technique is for a Chevy Impala with rear drum brakes. Use the adjustment for model years 2000 through 2005.

Things You'll Need

  • Jack and jack stands
  • Pliers
  • Pull up on the hand parking brake lever until it makes ten clicks. Release the hand brake by pressing in on the button at the end and moving the lever to the floor. Repeat 10 times.

  • Test the car and turn on the ignition. Make sure the parking brake light does not display. Press the hand brake lever to the floor if the light appears. Then turn off the ignition.

  • Lift the rear of your car using a jack and support the rear wheels with jack stands.

  • Locate the cables coming from each rear wheel. The cables meet at an adjuster nut. Adjust this nut to make the cables tighter using your pliers.

  • Spin the rear wheels freely while adjusting the nut that brings the two cables together. Stop adjusting when the wheels show resistance in spinning freely.

  • Click the parking brake four times and test your wheels rotation again. They should move freely backwards, but should not be able to move forward. Release the hand parking brake.

  • Lower your car using the jack and remove each jack stand.