jasper60103 Posted November 20, 2007 Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 I routinely set my parking brake even on the slightest incline. I trained my wife and son to do the same. I don't like the weight of the vehicle resting on the trans. Am I being overly cautious? jasper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyrez00 Posted November 20, 2007 Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 I absolutely NEVER use the parking brake unless the slope is so steep (30 degree angle and above) that i'm afraid it will bump trough it's tranny lock. But in the Netherlands we don't have a lot of slopes..... If you are in complete control..... you are not going fast enough.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ted tcb Posted November 20, 2007 Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 We don't have any steep hills here, so I never use my parking brake. I've had them seize on me in the locked position before, so I'd rather not use it at all. Different story with a manual tranny. 1989 FWD Fleetwood, Silver 1995 STS Crimson Pearl on Black leather 1997 STS Diamond White 1999 STS Crimson Pearl 2001 STS Silver 2003 STS, Crimson Pearl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted November 20, 2007 Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 Yes, you are correct to use it to take stress off the drive train, I use it if I am on an incline, so as not to put stress on the parking pawl and engine mounts. I used it this morning Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted November 20, 2007 Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 Frequent exercise will keep them from sticking. I use the parking brake if I park in my driveway to wash the car or something, which isn't sloped much. Otherwise, I seldom do. The garage is flat and my work parking lot is flat. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted November 20, 2007 Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 I use my E-brake any time I'm on an incline whether it's slight or steep. E-brakes are a "use it or lose it" item of any car. The more you use it the longer it will last. "Burns" rubber " I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasper60103 Posted November 20, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 Stupid question... Will setting the parking brake on a hot rotor do any harm? Like warping the brake pad or rotor? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted November 20, 2007 Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 Like most everyone else, I use it on any incline. I NEVER let the weight of the car rest on the parking pawl. Trained my wife & daughters the same way. Whether they paid any attention or not is unknown. Setting the parking brake on a "hot" rotor is about the same as coming to a stop and keeping your foot on the brake with a "hot" rotor. The definition of "hot" is the important thing. I think hauling it down from 70 MPH in a panic stop is "hot". Normal driving and then setting the parking brake should cause no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted November 20, 2007 Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 Stupid question... Will setting the parking brake on a hot rotor do any harm? Like warping the brake pad or rotor? I agree with Ranger, but your concern is understood and something that I have thought about. I think that if my brakes were really really hot, I would avoid using the e-brake if I could. As with everyone else, I don't use it on level ground Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonA Posted November 20, 2007 Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 I use it to exercise it (as Regis said). But when we were on Jeep Jamborees with our Grand Cherokee, they said that the parking brake was unnecessary, and that the parking pawl in the transmission could hold the Jeep vertical if it had to. Indeed, we often parked that thing on insane inclines, using only the parking pawl, and it worked just fine. No torque lock in the transmission either, trying to disengage. Maybe our 4T80-Es aren't built the same way, but in those Chrysler transmissions, the parking pawl was one strong monkey. Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond) "When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted November 20, 2007 Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 I adjusted my e-brake two months before my brake lines blew up... I was so happy I did! LOL It was probably the most intensive use of e-brake in my life and I will never forget that. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted November 20, 2007 Report Share Posted November 20, 2007 Initially this may sound silly but I often set the E-brake on level parking spots... and quite firmly I might add. I've seen enough parked cars get whacked by bad drivers pulling in or out of a spot for me to exercise caution. I'd much rather have my brakes absorb the initial blow than the pawl/tranny. Depends on my assessment of the parking situation at hand....and especially around the Christmas shopping season. But I don't set the brake when parked on my level driveway. Hey, I still have the original transmission (untouched except for fluid change and filters) with over 213,000 miles so it can't hurt....right? "Burns" rubber " I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick7997 Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 Never use it.... I had two that stuck in the engaged position, what a pita.... so, I'm done with parking brakes... Now, on a manual transmission car, that's different, I use it all the time... As someone else said, I was told once that the "park" setting in a transmission is strong enough to hold the car on an 80 degree slope, so.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 Never use it.... I had two that stuck in the engaged position, what a pita.... so, I'm done with parking brakes... Now, on a manual transmission car, that's different, I use it all the time... As someone else said, I was told once that the "park" setting in a transmission is strong enough to hold the car on an 80 degree slope, so.... While that may be true, you put undue stress on the engine mounts that must strain to hold the car. The other day I disconnected the dog bones on my wifes Monte Carlo and the engine moved to hit the firewall, I had to take the car out of Park to move the engine back to put the dog bones back. As I pushed the car back and forth in PARK the engine moved fore and aft.. So you can only imagine how much stress an incline puts on the stress points. Of course if you guys don't mind replacing engine mounts every couple of years Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 You also risk torque locking the trans and not being able to get it out of Park. The owners manual makes mention of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick7997 Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 You're probably right.... I should also mention, I RARELY park on any sort of slope.... I have a garage at home... work is flat... malls & grocery stores are flat.... casino parking ramps are flat... I'm not sure I have much cause to use it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiz6728 Posted November 21, 2007 Report Share Posted November 21, 2007 i use mine all the time.just like he said u dont use it u lose it plus there arealot of hillz in pittsburgh Wiz DRIVE IT LIKE YOU own it!!!!!! 1967 chevy II ( FOR SALE!!!!) 1995 Lexus Es 300 1998 SLS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcd1184 Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 I set the brake (is it emergency or parking?) every time. My experience has been that with most used car I have purchased the p/e brake is not working or malfunctioning. This leads me to believe that most people don't use them at all. I encounter many situations when I stop/park the Eldo or any vehicle I'm driving, when I need/want it to stay right there. Never had an emergency (brake) situatiuon. I guess I use mine all the time because then I know it works . Kent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 It is a parking brake, that because of it's redundancy, could be used in an emergency, though somewhat inefficiently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 It is a parking brake, that because of it's redundancy, could be used in an emergency, though somewhat inefficiently. Ranger, Just a question... Years and years ago, I remember hearing them "ALWAYS" referred to as emergency brakes. Sometime in the intervening years... not sure exactly WHEN.. it started to be referred to as the parking brake. Now "Parking Brake" is "ALL" it is ever called. My question is... when and more importantly, maybe, WHY, did the name of it change from emergency brake to parking brake? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 If my car is parked, the brake is set. Period. I had this same discussion with my auto technician maybe ten years ago. He gave a number of reasons why he never sets the brake (although I suspect his major concern was that they might not release). Within days, one of his customer's vehicles was rear ended while parked at the curb in front of his shop. His customer's car traveled around 40 feet before it met up with a dumpster, likewise parked at said curb. It was totaled. And I don't mean the dumpster. I diplomatically kept my pie hole shut, but I expect he regretted not having set that particular parking brake. Regards, Warren There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenJ Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 My question is... when and more importantly, maybe, WHY, did the name of it change from emergency brake to parking brake? I don't know the answer to that, but were I to hazard a guess, I'd expect it was prompted by two things: lawyers and fear. Not necessarily in that order. Regards, Warren P.S. You could lock up the rear tires on my TR-6 with the emergency brake. There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDK Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 Folks, I used the emergency brake quite a lot about 30-years ago on one occasion. Our second car was a '68 Old Cutlass that developed a bad tranny after I repaired the head gaskets etc (her dad ran it dry and fast for a lo n g time...). Well, we happened to spot a 69'Olds Vista Cruiser at the dealship with a big sign in the front window "NO BRAKES". Perfect parts car I thought!. We bought it on the spot and the sales guy asked us where we wanted it towed, (since it had no brakes and all). I politely told him I was driving our new (to us) car home and we left with him in shock. She was stayed in front of me in our other older car - in case I needed a friendly rear end to plow into (no pun intended here). I used the e-brake quite a bit for the next 15-miles throught traffic and all went well. I looked at the car the next morning and guess what! It had all new brakes on all four wheels. However, some goofball had forgot to secure the new brake cylinders to the backing plated with the two little bolts. I suppose that after the first stop or few, the brakes lost all pressure. Too bad for them, but a great deal for us. We junked the '68 Olds and drove the '69 Vista Cruiser for several years. It used premium gas and had a lot of power, but vapor-locked if shut off hot, (we simply took the kids for a walk whenever it locked up). Locking only the rear whels when going backwards on ice - fast, is a hoot, (just give yourself room - like on an outdoor ice rink at about 3am). I think I froze the e-brake cable a time or two on my little Chevy II after driving (bounding actually) through snow, ice and really cold overnights. Again, it just sat there for a while until it was ready. Later, Add power to leave problems behind. Most braking is just - poor planning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 It is a parking brake, that because of it's redundancy, could be used in an emergency, though somewhat inefficiently. Ranger, Just a question... Years and years ago, I remember hearing them "ALWAYS" referred to as emergency brakes. Sometime in the intervening years... not sure exactly WHEN.. it started to be referred to as the parking brake. Now "Parking Brake" is "ALL" it is ever called. My question is... when and more importantly, maybe, WHY, did the name of it change from emergency brake to parking brake? I really don't know, but I suspect way back when, it probably WAS an emergency brake. I would venture a guess that it probably was about as effective as the regular brakes. I'm talking pre hydraulics here. "Emergency" brake give a false sense of security, as anyone who has ever tried to stop a car with it can attest. I too would also bet lawyers were involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenMachine Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 While that may be true, you put undue stress on the engine mounts that must strain to hold the car. The other day I disconnected the dog bones on my wifes Monte Carlo and the engine moved to hit the firewall, I had to take the car out of Park to move the engine back to put the dog bones back. As I pushed the car back and forth in PARK the engine moved fore and aft.. So you can only imagine how much stress an incline puts on the stress points. Of course if you guys don't mind replacing engine mounts every couple of years That's actually how your able to do so much service to the 3800 w/o removing it. Its called "rotating the engine for service access" in the FSM. Changing the rear exhaust manifolds was tight but very doable rolling the car forward, setting the parking break, and a ratchet strap from mount to mount. Very nice engineering to keep repair costs down on one of the most numerous engines. The Green's Machines 1998 Deville - high mileage, keeps on going, custom cat-back exhaust 2003 Seville - stock low mileage goodness! 2004 Grand Prix GTP CompG - Smaller supercharger pulley, Ported Exhaust Manifolds, Dyno tune, etc 1998 Firebird Formula - 408 LQ9 Stroker motor swap and all sorts of go fast stuff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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