Trying to adjust the parking brakes on 2008 TL Base and couldn't seem to get it right.

1. The manual says the lever (handle) should be locked in 6-8 clicks with 44 lbf. Does this mean the handle can't be easily pulled up further beyond this point?

2. The manual also says turn the ratchet teeth adjuster in the parking brake assembly till the shoes lock then back off 8 clicks.

3. Here's what I tried: I backed off the adjusting nut in the console box (minor adjuster) to almost flush with the end, turned the ratchet teeth until they couldn't turn any more (fully tightened), backed off the teeth 6 clicks on the left and 5 clicks on the right, at which point both rotors could spin without a drag, but I could pull the handle all the way up (max 20 clicks). After I released the handle, the left rotor started to drag a bit, the right rotor had no drag. I tightened the ratchet teeth 1 more click on each side and the handle could go up 17 clicks. Of course both rotors dragged quite obviously after the handle was released. Should I tighten the ratchet teeth even further for another 1 to 2 clicks till the handle is in the 6-8 clicks range rather than 17?

4. Are there any tricks in making a good adjustment on these parking brakes? I noticed the components were designed to shift position a little bit.

5. I disassembled, cleaned, lubed, and reassembled the parking brakes before doing this adjustment. Is there any reason for me to suspect a defect in my assembly even though I double checked and didn't see anything standing out?

Thank you for your help!

 

The adjusters in the brake assembly are independent adjustments from the parking brake lever adjustment in the cabin.

The adjusters at the brake are for setting the parking brake shoe clearance.

The adjuster for the parking brake lever sets the slack in the parking brake cable.

Sounds like you have the shoes adjusted and now you need to take the slack out of the cable.

 

Thank you, Ryan. This was the most succinct explanation I've ever seen! Now I understand the adjuster (ratchet teeth) in the brake adjusts the distance at the bottom of the shoes and the adjuster in the console box adjusts the distance at the top of the shoes.

I'm still having a hard time finding correct settings. All 3 adjusters (1 in console box, 1 in each brake) seemed to affect each other and undo each other's results. Here's what I tried again by following the manual instructions:
1. Backed off the adjusting nut in the console box somewhat loose (so the top parts of the shoes disengaged).
2. Turned the ratchet teeth till the rotor locked (the bottom parts of the shoes expanded and engaged). This adjustment was consistent, always within 1 click of fully tightening the adjuster. Backed off the teeth 8 clicks as specified in the manual. No drag at this point.
3. Pulled handle up 1 click and tightened the adjusting nut in the console box till rotors started to drag a little. Released the handle, no drag.

At this point I could lock the handle in 12 clicks, not quite the 6-8 clicks specified by the manual. But I'd still accept it as a success as I don't want the rotors to drag. Unfortunately, I was happy too soon. After I pulled the handle to engage and release the parking brakes a few times, the rotors started to drag significantly. I then tried to loosen the ratchet teeth in the brake till it hit the max, the rotor still dragged a bit. I assumed it's the top parts of the shoes that were dragging at this point. That seemed to indicate the adjustor in the console box was too tight. But it shouldn't be. The handle only locked in 15 clicks when the ratchet was looser at this point. It looked like engaging and releasing the handle shifted the positions of the shoes and screwed up the prior adjustments.

I'm thinking my next attempt would be dissembling and lubricating the components a bit more. Any pointers would be much appreciated.