1989-1996 Nissan 300ZX Parking Brake Problems and Adjustment

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

The 1989-1996 Nissan 300ZX (Z32) does not use the rear disc caliper as its parking brake. It uses a small set of drum brake shoes that sit inside the hat of each rear rotor, and those shoes have no self-adjuster. When the lever pulls up too far or the car creeps on a hill, the fix is usually to adjust the shoes through the rotor, then take up cable slack, in that order.

How the 300ZX parking brake works

On the Z32, the rear rotor does two jobs. The outer friction faces are squeezed by the rear caliper and pads for normal stopping. The inside of the center hat works as a small drum. Behind it, mounted to the backing plate, are two parking brake shoes per side. When you pull the lever, the cable pushes those shoes outward against the inside of the rotor hat, the same way a conventional drum brake works but with no wheel cylinder.

This design is usually called drum-in-hat. Its big advantage is that the parking brake is separate from the service brakes, so rear pad wear does not change how well the car holds when parked. Its weakness is that the shoes only move when you use the parking brake, so they can sit untouched for years, and the clearance is set by hand with a star-wheel adjuster rather than adjusting itself as the shoes wear.

Common parking brake problems on the Z32

Lever pulls up too far

This is the most common complaint. As the shoes wear, the gap to the drum grows, and because nothing takes up that gap automatically, lever travel grows with it. Many owners try to fix this by tightening the cable at the lever. That hides the problem for a while, but it uses up cable adjustment that should be kept in reserve, and it can leave one side doing most of the work.

Car rolls or creeps on a hill

If lever travel feels normal but the car still will not hold, the shoes may be glazed or contaminated, or the equalizer that splits the pull between the two cables may be worn. Brake and Front End notes that a worn equalizer pivot can give normal lever travel while the parking brake still fails to hold on a hill. Grease or gear oil on the shoes from a leaking axle seal will also kill holding power, and contaminated shoes should be replaced rather than cleaned.

Rear brakes drag or one wheel gets hot

A seized cable, a broken return spring, or shoes adjusted too tight will keep the shoes rubbing the drum. You may smell hot brakes, feel a slight pull, or find one rear wheel much hotter than the other after a drive. Scorching inside the rotor hat points to the parking brake, not the caliper.

Parking brake stuck on after sitting

Z32s that have been stored often come out with the shoes rust-bonded to the inside of the hat, or a cable frozen in its sheath. The lever releases but the wheel will not turn freely. This usually means the rotor has to come off and the shoes, springs, and cables need inspection.

Rattle or clunk from the rear

A broken hold-down clip or a loose shoe can rattle inside the hat over bumps. It is easy to mistake for a suspension noise.

How to adjust the 300ZX parking brake

The correct order matters: set the shoes first, then the cable. Adjusting only the cable is the most common mistake on these cars. The exact lever-travel specification is in the Nissan factory service manual for your model year; use that figure for the final check.

1. Safety first. Chock the front wheels, raise the rear of the car, and support it on jack stands. Release the parking brake fully.
2. Back off the cable. Loosen the cable adjuster at the lever so there is slack. You cannot set the shoes correctly if the cable is holding them partly applied.
3. Find the adjuster. With the wheel off and the rotor held on with a couple of lug nuts, turn the rotor until the access hole in the hat lines up with the star-wheel adjuster. A flashlight helps.
4. Expand the shoes. Using a brake spoon or flat screwdriver through the hole, turn the star wheel until the shoes contact the drum and the rotor drags.
5. Back off. Brake and Front End describes the standard drum-in-hat method as adjusting the star wheel until the shoes drag, then backing it off until the rotor turns free. Back it off only until the drag is gone, not further.
6. Repeat on the other side.
7. Set the cable. Tighten the cable adjuster at the lever until lever travel matches the factory specification, and confirm both rear wheels still spin freely with the lever released.
8. Test. On a safe incline, confirm the car holds with the lever applied.

If the star wheel will not turn, or the adjuster has already been run out to its limit, the shoes are worn out or the parts are seized, and the rotor needs to come off.

Replacing parking brake shoes and hardware

With the rear caliper and rotor removed, the shoes, springs, and hold-down clips are all visible on the backing plate. Inspect everything before deciding what to reuse:

• Shoes: replace as a full set of four, both sides at once, if the lining is thin, glazed, cracked, or contaminated with oil or fluid.
• Springs and clips: parking brake shoe sets typically do not include hardware. Old springs lose tension from heat and age, so replace them if they look stretched or rusty.
• Adjuster: clean and lubricate the threads so it can be adjusted again next time.
• Drum surface: check the inside of the rotor hat for scoring, heavy rust, or a lip. If you are replacing rear rotors anyway, the new hat gives the shoes a fresh surface.
• Cables: Brake and Front End warns that spraying lubricant or solvent into cable sheaths tends to attract grime or push it deeper. If a cable is seized or frayed, or all its adjustment is used up, replace it.

Shoe sets for the Z32 are listed by production date (some start at 9/91 production), so check the build date on your car before ordering. Brake and Front End makes the point that you would not put on a new drum without new shoes; the same logic applies here, so plan new parking brake shoes with new rear rotors if the old shoes are worn.

After new shoes go in, adjust them as above and break them in. New friction material does not grip at full strength until it has seated against its mating surface, so follow the shoe maker or service manual break-in procedure, and do it only in a safe, empty area.

What to replace at the same time

The parking brake job and a rear brake job share most of the same disassembly. If the rear caliper and rotor are coming off for the shoes, it is the right time to check rear pad thickness and rotor condition. For performance-minded owners, we carry Hawk HPS 5.0 rear brake pads for the 1989-1996 300ZX (non-turbo) and the matching Hawk HPS 5.0 front brake pads for the non-turbo 300ZX. You can also browse our brake rotors, brake hardware kits, and full brake parts catalog.

Difficulty: adjusting the shoes and cable is a moderate DIY job with basic hand tools and a brake spoon. Replacing shoes is harder, mostly because of the springs and clips, and because rear rotors on older cars can be rusted to the hub. If the shoes are rust-bonded to the drum, back the adjuster off first before trying to pull the rotor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the 300ZX use the rear caliper as the parking brake?

No. The Z32 uses separate drum brake shoes inside the hat of each rear rotor. The rear caliper handles normal braking only.

Why does my 300ZX parking brake lever come up so high?

The shoes have worn and the clearance has grown. They do not self-adjust, so they need to be adjusted with the star wheel through the rotor hat, then the cable set to the factory lever-travel specification.

Can I just tighten the cable at the lever?

It will shorten lever travel temporarily, but it uses up cable adjustment and does not correct the shoe clearance. Adjust the shoes first, then the cable.

Do I need new parking brake shoes when I replace the rear rotors?

Not always, but inspect them. If they are thin, glazed, or contaminated, replace them with the rotors so the new drum surface and new shoes seat together.

Why does my 300ZX parking brake not hold on a hill even though it feels tight?

Likely causes are glazed or oil-contaminated shoes, a worn cable equalizer, or a seized cable on one side so only one wheel is braking. Pull the rotors and inspect the shoes and cables.

Sources

1. Motorsport Auto: Factory Parking Brake Shoe Set, 300ZX (Z32) - Z32 internal drum parking brake design, four-shoe set, hardware not included, production-date fitment
2. Brake and Front End: Adjusting Parking Brakes - drum-in-hat star-wheel adjustment method, equalizer wear symptom, cable lubrication and replacement guidance
3. Brake and Front End: Rear Rotor Parking Brake Service - replacing shoes along with drum-in-hat rotors
4. Brake and Front End: Brake Shoe Break-In (Burnish) Procedure - why new friction material must be bedded in