I have a 94 integra LS, 4 wheel disc brakes. I know there are two types of parking brake systems for rear disc brakes, one just actuates the calipers, the other type has a separate small drum brake housed in the hub. Does anybody know which system my integra has?

 

It's in the caliper.

 

Had to replace a caliper once because the e-brake mechanism seized.

 

are disc brake e brakes generally weaker than their drum brake counterparts?

 

So i tightened up the handle so it feels just like it should, being almost impossible to max out, but it only barely holds the car. Idk what to do now.

 

Get a caliper rebuid kit and rebuild the calipers or just replace them with rebuilds...
http://www.jcwhitney.com/brake-calip...lterid=d3y1994 94

 

Have you tried leaving the caliper off and visually checking if the piston moves when the e brake is pulled?

 

No.

 

 

There is a big lever on the top of the caliper which attaches to a cable. It is very obvious once you can see it.

You will need to remove the road wheel to see the lever.

With the parking brake OFF, can you rotate that lever with your fingers? Yes or no?

 

Just so i know...

What if i say yes?

What if i say no?

 

Sorry, I should have been more careful with my wording.

The lever should not only be able to rotate on its base, but even more importantly, the CABLE should rotate freely on the lever.

It is common on these cars for the cable clevis to rust to the lever, at which point the cable cannot pivot and the parking brake will not work.

I'm a bit surprised you haven't simply pulled the wheel off already. That's what I would have done.

 

2 jobs bud, 65 hours a week, and rain.

 

Yes. But they're not weak enough that holding the car is an issue.

You may have one stretched cable or a bad caliper(s).

 

Honda installs cheap brakes, and always has. Sorry, fans, but it's true.

Having said that, Honda's Nissin caliper-based parking brakes work just as well as drum brake parking brakes, but they must be in tip-top shape to work properly...and often aren't.

OP's problem is NOT a stretched cable. Plus, he's adjusted it tighter, which is a big mistake, and ought to be reversed as soon as possible.

The primary causes of poor parking-brake performance are these:
1) parking brake lever and cable clevis rusted together;
2) pads rusted in place on mount bracket;
3) caliper pins seized (rust again);
4) aftermarket pads.

None of these require replacing the caliper. Three of them require proper maintenance.

 

So what do i do hoss? and why is it bad i tightened up the cable mang?

 

Probably cause it may stretch the cable eventually. If its possible, have someone pull the ebrake while you watch the back side of the caliper and make sure the lever is pivoting when the handle gets pulled up.

 

bump

 

I gave you all the things you need to check. The shop manuals are freely available online. I suggest you find one and read the rear-brake section. It may not be as much fun as ****, but it's much more useful than **** when fixing brakes.

As far as over-adjustment of the cable goes...
Over-adjusting the cable will cause the rear brakes to drag and wear and overheat. There is one correct setting for the cable and all kinds of incorrect settings. Your cables are currently set incorrectly.

After ascertaining the correctness of the entire brake assembly (as per my list), cable adjustment is backed off (at the hand-lever in the car's interior) until the levers on the calipers are just touching their stopper posts with the hand-lever off. Then adjust the parking brake cables at the hand-lever until you achieve 6 to 10 clicks to full-application.

 

You've been given several good pieces of advice on how to adjust the parking brake.

You really need to find the factory service manual for the car, it can be found free on the interewebs. You can read the section on brakes and gleam quite a bit. It only takes a few minutes, usually quicker than waiting for forum posts.

Read through the responses again, and if you're that hard up for info, we can post a few links on brake basics in general and Honda brakes in particular.

If you're wanting to discuss philosophy of drum vs. disc, that's fine. But it should be in a separate thread and it seems like you're already out of your element. That's okay - we were all out of our element at one time. If it seems like you're trying to wise up, you'll find a lot more help than asking for spoon fulls.

 

i think im gonna replace the calipers

 

http://www.spooledupracing.com/downl...als/FSM/Honda/