Hi, I recently bought a 2006 H3. It won’t pass NYS inspection since parking brake won’t work. I’m told by repair shop (whom I trust) it could cost up to $1500 to diagnose and fix! Does that sound right?

 

No. Find an actual mechanic/different shop.

 

Welcome.

Assuming it is a truck from the north, your parking brake is rusted and needs inspection, cleaning, and lubrication. Look it up and do it yourself. You learn and save money. It could just need a simple adjustment, or more rust removal. Might need a new parking brake hardware set that cost about $20 delivered.

You bought an old truck, sooner you learn to wrench yourself, the better off you and the truck will be.

 

Great advice. Thank You!!

 

Call south main auto. There is upstate new York. Decent folks. Guys a wizard lol.

 

$1500 sounds about right if the shop charges $750/hr for labor, or they don't want the work.

I'll second what Doc says - my truck spent its life in Ohio before I got it and the parking brake actuators were all rusted up. If they actuated the parking brake, odds are it didn't fully release and now you are dragging your parking brake while you drive.

It's an easy DIY project to fix - remove the rear disc/drum, take apart the parking brakes, remove the parking brake actuator, and use lots of penetrating oil and elbow grease to work out all the rust until its free and no longer sticks. If the shoes are worn replace those, and reassemble. Be careful with the shoe retaining spring end caps - the OEM part has a nice deep trough that is easy to reinstall with a pair of needle nose pliers, but if you damage that and need to use an aftermarket cap you're probably gonna need to get the special hold down spring tool to get it all back together. If you already have that tool then disregard.

Parts diagrams here:
https://webautocats.com/epc/hummer/hm3-n/04/tn04-102/

https://webautocats.com/epc/hummer/hm3-n/04/tn04-111/

Service Instructions here:
https://schwarttzy.com/wp-content/up...rake-1-4-1.pdf

 

Lol, I don’t think their labor rate is $750 an hour, but I agree they definitely don’t want the work! Thanx so much to everyone for the advice — it’s definitely given me some hope!!!

 

So I finally had a chance to look at parking brake. The peddle feels normal when I press down in terms of tension, but doesn’t keep the car from moving. It releases normal with lever as well. Could this parking brake not engaging be due to cable being stuck and just needing lubrication, or should I be looking at something else?

 

You looked at the pedal and felt it? Take off a rear wheel and drum, then look at what is happening when the pedal is mashed to the floor and released.

 

Sounds like it just needs adjusting. This is a two step process where you first adjust the shoes as if you just installed them, then you adjust the cable at the equalizer bracket which is on the driver's side of car outboard of the frame rail.

Look in the service manual instructions I linked above. Follow the shoe replacement and adjustment instructions on pgs 13-14 as if you just installed new shoes. No worries if you don't have the tool, just adjust each shoe until you can just hear it dragging when you rotate the wheel.

After that follow the parking brake adjustment procedure on page 70.

It's possible someone has completely backed off the adjuster at the equalizer because the parking brake actuator in the hub is sticking (that's what the seller of mine had done up in rusty Ohio), in which case you'll be back to removing the actuator and replacing with new, or spending a little quality time with them and a can of PB blaster until they move freely again.